Former UNC player McCants says he took bogus classes, didn't write any papers

It seems like more and more holes are getting punched in the NCAA's 'student-athlete' veneer, as former school employees and players have been coming forward to detail the reality of athletes' academic experiences in university. 

The latest allegations come from former North Carolina Tar Heel Rashad McCants, who played for the school from 2002-05. In an interview with ESPN's 'Outside the Lines,'  McCants said that while at North Carolina, he was enrolled in certain classes that he never attended, classes seemingly designed to help athletes circumvent the school's academic requirements so that they could remain eligible to play. 

The "paper-class" system at UNC was outlined in detail by Mary Willingham, a former reading specialist with the school, after she decided to resign back in April. She claimed that the paper classes didn't require students to go to class; rather, students were required to submit only one term paper to receive a grade. McCants' testimony bears that out, though he claims he didn't even meet those minimal requirements. 

"I didn't write any papers," McCants said. "I know that the tutors did help guys write papers. But, for some of the premiere players...we didn't write our papers.

"When it was time to turn in our papers for our paper classes, we would get a call from our tutors, we would all pack up in one big car, or two or three cars, carpool over to the tutor's house, and basically get our papers and go about our business." 

Rumors surfaced about academic fraud at the school back in late 2012, which sparked an internal investigation into the African-American Studies classes that many athletes took in order to remain eligible. 54 classes in the department of African and Afro-American Studies were found to be either "aberrant" or "irregularly" taught during the window being investigated - from summer 2007 to summer 2011.

'Outside the Lines' claims to have obtained a copy of McCants' university transcript, labeled "unofficial," which shows that in his non-African-American Studies classes, McCants received six C's, one D and three F's, abut that in his African-American Studies classes, 10 of his grades were A's, six B's, one a C, and one a D. 

McCants also said he believes that his coach, Roy Williams, was well aware of what was going on. 

"You're there to make revenue for the college," he said. "You're there to put fans in the seats. You're there to bring prestige to the university by winning games.

"I remained eligible to finish out and win the championship, [Williams'] first championship (in 2005), and everything was peaches and cream."

Willingham, for her part, came forward to lend credence to McCants' testimony.

"What he is saying absolutely lines up with what I have found," she said. "Tutors writing papers for players, and advisers and tutors steering players to AFAM. I think the coaches knew about the paper-class system. Of course they did.

"The system will only change when our athletes have a voice and begin to step forward, and that's what Rashad is doing. It was the adults who failed the athletes."

Reflecting back on his university experience now, McCants is regretful that he couldn't have made more out of it, and feels cheated by the system. 

"College was a great experience," he said, "but looking back at it, now it's almost a tragedy because I spent a lot of my time in a class I didn't do anything in."

This is just the latest chapter in the academic scandal at North Carolina that is now stretching into its third year.