There were a few words missing from the amended Notice of Allegations that UNC received on Monday from the NCAA when comparing it to the original notice, most notably “men’s basketball” and “football.”

The new 12-page document that was released on Monday afternoon differs in places from the 55-page notice the university originally received in May 2015. The procedure leading to any NCAA decision was put on hold in August when the university self-reported additional violations.

After an eight-month wait, the new document has restarted the process to reach the finish line in the long-running scandal.

While men’s basketball and football aren’t mentioned in the amended Notice of Allegations, UNC is still facing five Level 1 infractions, the most serious the NCAA can levy.

UNC Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham called these allegations “very significant” adding the university takes them “very seriously.”

“We’re working as hard as we can to secure a fair outcome for Carolina,” Cunningham told reporters in a teleconference on Monday.

 

Listen to the full audio from Bubba Cunningham’s teleconference below:

 

Cunningham clarified that the amended NOA replaces the original notice and is not an add-on document.

Cunningham said speculating on potential sanctions is something he “can not do.”

He added that the extent of the investigation is likely what led to the length of time it took for the NCAA to respond to the university’s self-reported violations.

“This may be the most complicated, involved case in history – certainly in our history,” Cunningham said. “And there has been a lot of reporting, there’s been a lot of investigations, multiple investigations. And the NCAA is now completing their work by issuing the amended notice.

“But it’s voluminous in nature, and it’s over an extended period of time. I think the volume and the time is probably why it has lasted this long.”

Cunningham said while the university awaits any potential sanctions from the NCAA, he thinks the university has already suffered in some ways due to the length of the investigation.

“I do think that the length of time that the investigations – both the internal investigations that we’ve conducted as a university [and] the external reviews and investigations that have been done – have been taxing and draining on the institution,” Cunningham said.

The amended notice alleges former UNC women’s basketball athletic academic counselor Jan Boxill “knowingly provided extra benefits in the form of impermissible academic assistance and special arrangements to women’s basketball student-athletes.”

UNC is also accused of not sufficiently monitoring the Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes in the formerly-known African and Afro-American Studies department from the fall of 2005 through the summer of 2011. This allegation makes a reference to student-athletes in general but contains no specific accusation toward men’s basketball or football, a significant change from the original notice.

The other charges are in connection with Deborah Crowder and Julius Nyang’oro not cooperating with the NCAA investigation and a charge of Lack of Institutional Control.

When asked why men’s basketball and football weren’t mentioned in the revised notice, Cunningham said that was a question for the NCAA.

Cunningham said he expects the university to use nearly the full 90 days before responding to the notice. Cunningham said if the university decides to self-impose any sanctions, it will most likely come during the window to respond to the NCAA.

Still, the timeline for a resolution to the case could easily linger into 2017.

Deborah Stroman is a professor at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and a regular sports commentator. She spoke with WCHL’s Aaron Keck on Monday following the release of the ANOA.