UNC suspends 13 players for selling school-issued shoes

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. » Less than a year after emerging from a long run of NCAA issues, North Carolina is dealing with rule violations again — this time for football players selling team-issued shoes.

The school announced Monday that 13 players will miss games serving suspensions for the secondary NCAA violations, which will leave the Tar Heels shorthanded during much of the season’s opening month. While secondary violations are generally considered less severe, the penalties in this case will result in several players being forced to sit out at least a third of the regular-season schedule.

In all, nine players will miss four games, two will sit two games and two others will miss one contest. The NCAA approved a school request to delay two suspensions affecting multiple players at one position, while the other 11 suspensions begin with the Sept. 1 opener at California.

The Tar Heels want to put move on quickly from this latest embarrassment.

“The guys that are suspended, they’re very remorseful,” coach Larry Fedora said during a news conference Monday. “They don’t want to let their teammates down and they feel like they did in this situation. But nobody’s pointing fingers on this football team . ... We’re beyond that point now. It’s already happened. It is what it is, so they’re all looking forward and moving forward.”

The suspensions have had at least one major impact already.

With sophomore quarterback Chazz Surratt among the players suspended four games, the team’s mostwatched preseason position battle has come to a swift end with Fedora saying junior Nathan Elliott will start against Cal.

The players facing fourgame suspensions are: Surratt; defensive ends Malik Carney, Tomon Fox and Tyrone Hopper; offensive linemen Brian Anderson, Quiron Johnson and Jordan Tucker; receiver Beau Corrales and linebacker Malik Robinson.

Defensive backs Greg Ross and Tre Shaw must sit two games, while quarterback Jack Davidson and offensive lineman Jonah Melton will each miss one.

Carney was the only suspended player to talk with reporters Monday, saying he has apologized to the team.

“In the moment like that, you’re not really thinking about the consequences,” Carney said when asked if he knew selling his pair of shoes was improper. “Like as a kid, when your mom tells you ‘Don’t touch the iron because it’s hot,’ you don’t really think that it’s hot. You just do it. It’s something you don’t really think about in the moment. And I made a wrong decision.”