UNC-Chapel Hill’s football scandal may be getting closer to the top. Yesterday, the N&O reported that Amy Herman, the former “assistant director for compliance” who was recently promoted to be the “associate athletic director for compliance” (ostensibly for her stellar job keeping UNC football players eligible), admitted in court that the school’s counsel had advised her to conduct business in such a way that no public documents were created. The name(s) of the counsel were not mentioned–but it’s fair to assume the advice had general counsel Leslie Strohm’s seal of approval.
Herman’s attorney’s stopped her from answering the next question, which was whether anybody besides the counsel had advised her to avoid creating public records.
Now, advising clients to avoid making public records is probably good legal advice–if you’re advising politicians with ties to the Mafia or Solyndra. But this is the state’s flagship public university, which prides itself on having a pristine reputation. When you add the fact that former coach Butch Davis still refuses to reveal his personal phone records, even after getting fired (but with a $2.7 million buy-out for …refusing to reveal his phone records?), you have to wonder if a lot of likely questions have answers in the chancellor’s office. The last time a UNC school circled wagons to this extent, NCSU’s chancellor and provost were toppled, and other state officials, such as the governor and UNC system president, had their reputations tarnished a bit.
