The $70 Million Question

This is going to be a short post.  I am not going to rail on the epic failure and poor timing.  I am going to offer minor optimism. 

1.  What happened today was fucked up and the result of pathetic leadership.

"The BOT delegates responsibility for athletics to the Chancellor, so it was my decision" ~ Holden Thorp

However, we still have a great team that deserves our support, so get your ass to Kenan Stadium every Saturday this fall and show the team that we love it!  Save your anger for Holden Thorp and direct that energy to efforts that will ensure he loose his job.  The job is obviously much more than he can manage. 

2.  UNC football will not fade into oblivion.  Sure, Holden Thorp just made it that much harder, but UNC football should be able to survive this.  This is why.  $70 million dollars.  The Blue Zone has a $70 million price tag with the entire project funded by private donations and club seats and individual suites sales.  Hard to sale club seats and individual suites if you don't put a good product on the field.  Hard to put a good product on the field without good players.  Hard to get good players without a good head coach.  Hard to have a good head coach if (1) don't have a supportive administration that appreciates the importance of college football in the current collegiate landscape; and (2) you don't offer competitive compensation.  You know what is cheaper for the University than picking up the $70 million dollar note on the Blue Zone bonds that have already been secured because private donors are requesting their money back and nobody is buying Blue Zone suites and club seats, a couple of million a year for a good coach.  We are UNC and it is a good job.  It is an attractive job.  It is a beautiful campus with great weather and a solid, supportive fan base.  That is, it is an attractive job so long as there is a leadership change.  I believe that is coming and probably coming sooner than most think.  Holden Thorp's actions today have not been well received and they will not go unanswered.  While it is hard to have faith in the Board of Trustee since they allowed Thorp to fire Coach Davis, there will be significant shake up there as well once the gravity of the financial circumstances is realized.  The University is already facing an 18% budget cut.  It cannot afford to pick up the tab on the Blue Zone because of the incompetence and weakness of Holden Thorp.  I believe that a new administration will be ushered in.  This new administration will include a new athletic director that will be hired specifically because he will be tied to our new football coach, i.e. he will be able to bring in "the guy."  Lets be clear.  We aren't getting Urban Meyer, but we will get a good coach with some buzz and Holden Thorp will read about it on twitter with a new handle because he will no longer be chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

3.  I don't know what will happen with recruiting, but I do know that several recruits have reaffirmed their commitment to the school.  Let me repeat,  COMMITMENT TO THE SCHOOL!  It is not absolute and that is understandable.  There is a long way to go between now and signing day.  There is significant uncertainty, but the answers will come.  However, the way Shakeel Rashad, Jon Heck and Philip Williamson have dealt with adversity gives me faith that everything will be okay because these are high character guys that I would be proud to have represent my Alma Mater.