Dan Kane: "I Would Like To Talk To The Players"

Originally posted 2:03 p.m., June 10, 2014

The News and Observer’s lead investigative reporter for the academic scandal at UNC, Dan Kane, says clearing the men’s basketball team and head coach Roy Williams of involvement will take more than the words of the players and the coach.

“I would like to talk to the players,” Kane says. “It’s just that simple. Let’s talk to the players, let’s ask them, ‘how many classes were you in that did not meet? How did you get in those classes? What were you told to do for those classes? Who did you talk to within the athletic department about these classes?’”

Kane says he’s attempted to get more questions answered directly from Coach Williams, as well, but hasn’t been given the opportunity to talk with him. He says, while the interview this weekend with Jay Bilas allowed everyone to hear directly from the coach, he’d rather see someone who’s used to investigative reporting lead that discussion.

“He’s a very bright, very knowledgeable, very sharp guy,” Kane says. “He’s been critical of the NCAA. But, having said that, I would have liked for somebody who’s spent a lot of time in journalism, doing investigative reporting, handling that interview, just because, investigative reporters, they tend to focus on the details, (walk people) through the process, and tend to get a richer explanation as to what happened.”

Kane has been regarded as being very tough on Carolina, but that hasn’t slowed him down.

“I’m just doing my job,” Kane says. “It’s that simple. I’m trying to go where the facts lead, dealing with a very difficult federal law that makes it almost impossible to get this information. I’ll keep doing it; I’ll just keep trying to get at the facts and try to get people who have information. Hopefully we’ll figure this all out, because the University of North Carolina, it’s a great university. It’s something for the people of this state to be proud of.”

In a special interview with WCHL’s Jim Heavner, Kane offers his interpretation on the Rashad McCants interview with ESPN in which McCants said that tutors wrote papers for him and he remained eligible only because of “paper classes” that required no attendance – and that his coaches, including Williams, were fully aware of what was going on.

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