The University of North Carolina has announced that 13 members of the football team have been suspended after self-reporting a secondary violation involving the sale of team-issued shoes. UNC is a Jordan Brand sponsored program and players typically receive everything from team-inspired trainers to exclusive Air Jordan PEs, although it's unclear exactly which sneakers were sold by members of the team.
According to UNC's statement, numerous players face four-game suspensions, including offensive lineman Brian Anderson, defensive end Malik Carney, wide receiver Beau Corrales, defensive end Tomon Fox, defensive end Tyrone Hopper, offensive lineman Quiron Johnson, linebacker Malik Robinson, quarterback Chazz Surratt and offensive lineman Jordan Tucker. Additionally, Defensive backs Tre Shaw and Greg Ross were each banned two games, and quarterback Jack Davidson and offensive lineman Jonah Melton will miss one game.
As today's press release notes, multiple players share the same position so, in an effort to protect the health and safety of students, the NCAA approved a request to stagger certain suspensions. For instance, defensive end Malik Carney will sit against ECU, UCF, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech, while fellow DE Tomon Fox will miss games against Miami, Syracuse, Virginia and Georgia Tech. All of the other suspensions will begin with the season opener at Cal on September 1.