Butch Davis has been fired as the head football coach at North Carolina. Chancellor Holden Thorp made the announcement Wednesday after meeting with the Board of Trustees.
The decision comes just one week before the Tar Heels are scheduled to start fall practice – and two days after Davis met with reporters at the ACC’s annual media day.
Davis’s tenure at Carolina was successful – for the first three seasons. Last year turned into a nightmare when on the eve of the first game, it was announced that 14 players were being suspended. The University and the NCAA launched investigations into improper benefits and academic misconduct. Those investigations revealed an associate head coach also working for an agent and a tutor providing improper academic help.
All along, Davis was praised by Chancellor Thorp for his honesty and integrity.
That ended Wednesday. In a statement, Thorp said a change was needed to –quote- “restore confidence in the University and our football program.”
No interim head coach has yet been named. Thorp and athletic director Dick Baddour will hold a press conference later this morning.