The first step in what will be a long process in Chapel Hill took place earlier this month with North Carolina revealing the contents of a notice of allegations regarding the NCAA's investigation into the academic scandal at the university.
The school is accused of five major violations, including a lack of institutional control, but head men's basketball coach Roy Williams felt some personal relief when reading the report, in which his name appears only once. He is not included in any part of the allegations in the 59-page document.
"I've said I felt very comfortable for a very long time because we've been investigated by 73 people and all 12 disciples of the Lord, it feels like, and every one of them has said Roy Williams didn't know anything about this; he didn't do anything,'' Williams said in an interview with ESPN.com and Yahoo! Sports. "So there was a sense of relief, but it's what I expected. It wasn't a big relief, because it's what I thought was going to be there.
"But how can you say it's a relief when there are five allegations against your university, very serious things? How can it be a lot of relief?''
The university also gave Williams a ringing endorsement when it announced it extended his contract through the 2019-20 season.
"I think it might be that way to the public, but it's not to me,'' Williams said. "My friends have really taken a lot of shots, and in some ways, it's better for them than it is for me because they feel better about it. It really didn't mean that much to me, because I have felt doggone good for a long time. But it's been hard for my family and friends because it's almost a personal attack in some ways. That part has been pretty hard.''
While a final resolution to the matter is still months away, Williams doesn't expect the investigation to serve as a black mark on the program in the interim.
"No, because it's been so bad already. It can't be any worse than it is,'' he said. "Every step we take is a move toward completion. That's the best way to look at it.''
