Former UNC women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell has been cited with a misdemeanor in her involvement with a pedestrian collision in Durham on Monday.
Durham Police cited Hatchell, who coached at UNC from 1986 to 2019, with a misdemeanor death by vehicle and unsafe movement violation, according to a news release by the department. Authorities said the incident occurred on Monday in the parking lot at 6118 Farrington Road, near an O2 Fitness Center. According to investigators, 89-year-old Betty Colb was hit by a turning vehicle traveling through the parking lot. Colb then struck her head on the pavement and died on Wednesday.
The release said investigators determined neither speed nor impairment were factors in the collision.
Hatchell resigned last year amid a review of the women’s basketball program. The review, which was conducted by Charlotte-based firm Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, found that Hatchell made comments that were racially insensitive.
The review also found that players and medical staff were frustrated with perceived influence from Hatchell regarding medical issues and pressure to play. Per the review, the medical staff did not surrender to pressure to clear players to play before they were ready.
Hatchell amassed a 751-325 record with the Tar Heels along with a national championship in 1994. She was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2013. In September 2016, the university renewed Hatchell’s contract despite the women’s basketball program being a major focus of the NCAA’s investigation into academic fraud.
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