ESPN REPORT: The North Carolina Tar Heels football Head Coach is Being Fired Due to…
UNC head coach Mack Brown said three football players who face misdemeanor charges in connection to a fatal crash in Chapel Hill will participate in spring practices, but could face “disciplinary action” from the team.
In his first media availability since charges were announced by investigating authorities, Brown shared insight into the program’s philosophy around Zach Rice, Travis Shaw and Malaki Hamrick — who are facing various underage drinking charges that surfaced after the death of UNC student Mary Rotunda in a single-car crash in January.
While he did not mention the players by name, the head coach acknowledged the trio are remaining with the team and are expected to take part in team activities this spring.
“We’ve stayed out of it,” Brown said regarding the investigation, “it’s not our place. We’ll let the legal process take it’s course, and what we will do… obviously, they’ll have consequences with disciplinary action within our program. But they will be involved in spring practice.
“We’re disappointed when any of our guys get mentioned in something that is against the law, with a misdemeanor [charge],” he continued. “But we’ve had the best record of anybody in the country and I’m proud of [the team]. [I am] disappointed in the three that are being questioned, but that’ll work itself out.”
Rotunda died as a passenger in a car traveling at 124 mph eastbound on North Carolina Highway 54 after the driver struck a street sign, went off the road, and the vehicle rolled, according to the crash report. Orange County investigators indicted 20-year-old Flemeeja Brewer on charges including felony death by vehicle and driving while impaired, while another woman in the car — 21-year-old Brianna Pinson — faces two counts of aiding and abetting the consumption of alcohol by an underage person.
Chapel Hill Police added that Rice, a rising redshirt sophomore offensive lineman, was in a vehicle separate from the crash and faces chares of driving after consuming alcohol while under 21, consuming/possessing alcohol while under 21, and exceeding the speed limit. North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement announced charges against Shaw and Hamrick later along with three other people, all of whom face underage drinking charges. Shaw also faces charges related to an outstanding order for arrest for failing to appear in Durham County for possession of marijuana.
Brown said to media members that he is being cautious around the program not investigating the charges — for fear of being tangled up in ways that could be construed as tampering.
“I never get into details with the kids,” he said. “I get into, ‘nothing ever happens good after midnight. You shouldn’t do this, you shouldn’t do that.’ And I don’t ask them what you did. That’s for the investigators to ask. And then you move forward.
“I try to treat them in all cases like I would treat my sons,” Brown added. “We have to be careful that in modern-day media, especially with Twitter. We can move too fast and we can try a case before people are guilty. I think that’s awful — because we’re all waiting to see. And if they didn’t do anything wrong, then that’s why we have a legal system to determine that.”
The 72-year-old Brown even brought up one of his children when discussing the trio of players, saying his son “got in some trouble” when younger and there was “a night or two where there were some hard discussions.”
“I think we’ve got to remember these are all human beings,” he concluded. “There are a lot of rumors out there and a lot of things that probably aren’t true that people are saying. That’s very unfortunate. I wish everybody would treat these guys like they would want their sons treated.”
