NCAA eyeing Tar Heels assistant’s ties to agent as part of Austin probe
Article By Unknown on 10th August, 2010
Sporting News staff reports
Yahoo! Sports reports the NCAA is examining ties between North Carolina assistant coach John Blake and agent Gary Wichard as part of its investigation of the school's football program and defensive lineman Marvin Austin.
The site, citing two unnamed sources, reported Blake once worked as a vice president for Wichard's agency, Pro Tect Management. Wichard told the site he didn't employ the former Oklahoma head coach. Yahoo!, however, obtained a promotional brochure for Wichard's agency in which Blake is referred to as leading Pro Tect's football operations.
"The brochure is [from] like 1997 or whatever," Wichard told the site. "He was on the brochure for whatever, dealing with football-related situations. But it has nothing to do with anything. He was not working as a coach at that time. The relevance to me is ridiculous."
Blake operated the "Chance to Advance" football camp from 1999 to 2002 after Oklahoma fired him.
"I don't care what the brochure says. That brochure is so old," Wichard said. "He worked with some of my players. He got Dwight Freeney ready for the combine when he was coming out. That's kind of what the situation was. Then he went back into coaching.
"[The brochure] doesn't prove a thing. It's absolutely meaningless. John coached my guys in between coaching jobs."
Yahoo!, though, reported that the brochure might have prompted NCAA investigators to visit Chapel Hill a second time.
"If that's what [the NCAA] is investigating, I think it's just absurd," Wichard told Yahoo! "I hope – I really, truly hope – that Marvin Austin's whole case is based on me and John Blake. I hope that for Marvin Austin's sake. At the end of the day, there's nothing to investigate."
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The site, citing two unnamed sources, reported Blake once worked as a vice president for Wichard's agency, Pro Tect Management. Wichard told the site he didn't employ the former Oklahoma head coach. Yahoo!, however, obtained a promotional brochure for Wichard's agency in which Blake is referred to as leading Pro Tect's football operations.
"The brochure is [from] like 1997 or whatever," Wichard told the site. "He was on the brochure for whatever, dealing with football-related situations. But it has nothing to do with anything. He was not working as a coach at that time. The relevance to me is ridiculous."
Blake operated the "Chance to Advance" football camp from 1999 to 2002 after Oklahoma fired him.
"I don't care what the brochure says. That brochure is so old," Wichard said. "He worked with some of my players. He got Dwight Freeney ready for the combine when he was coming out. That's kind of what the situation was. Then he went back into coaching.
"[The brochure] doesn't prove a thing. It's absolutely meaningless. John coached my guys in between coaching jobs."
Yahoo!, though, reported that the brochure might have prompted NCAA investigators to visit Chapel Hill a second time.
"If that's what [the NCAA] is investigating, I think it's just absurd," Wichard told Yahoo! "I hope – I really, truly hope – that Marvin Austin's whole case is based on me and John Blake. I hope that for Marvin Austin's sake. At the end of the day, there's nothing to investigate."
North Carolina athle...
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