North Carolina Just Sold Its Soul to the Boosters, AGAIN!
Hubert Davis is gone—but the real problem in Chapel Hill isn’t the coach, it’s the people pulling the strings.
Incoming Athletic Director, Steve Newmark caved to the idiots. Rich, powerful, stupid, idiots!
Plain and simple.
And now Hubert Davis is out as the head coach at North Carolina.
Let me be very clear about who I’m calling idiots—the boosters. The power brokers. The ones writing the biggest checks and, apparently, making the biggest decisions. The ones who have decided that influence now outweighs vision.
At some point, enough is enough. North Carolina’s most prominent money people have become a problem. A big one.
Write your check. Support the program. And then get the hell out of the way.
Because right now? These people are actively hurting North Carolina athletics.
And this isn’t a one-off.
These are the same folks who pushed their weight around to bring Bill Belichick to Chapel Hill—an eyebrow-raising, headline-grabbing move that felt more about ego and splash than substance. The same group that forced out Mack Brown instead of supporting him properly in the NIL era.
Think about that. What a bunch of utter dumbasses. Why not just support Mack? An actual proven college coach.
Instead of adapting with Mack—giving him the resources, the structure, the NIL backing needed to compete in modern college football—they ran him out. Then turned around and opened the wallet for Belichick, only to get mediocre results and a circus of distractions. (Hi, Jordon! )
That’s not leadership. That’s impulse.
That’s what happens when money confuses itself with expertise.
And now basketball—North Carolina basketball—is dealing with the same disease.
This Was a Leadership Test. And Steve Newmark Failed It.
Bubba Cunningham, to his credit, has tried in the past to push back on this kind of interference. During the Belichick hiring process, he didn’t exactly roll over quietly.
But this?
This is on Steve Newmark. He is new Sherrif in town. He could have set a strong precedent.
And I say that knowing him.
I worked with him on Backstretch Banter at RFK. Personally, I like him. I really do.
But, this was his moment.
His chance to draw a line.
To say: “We are not letting outside money dictate internal decisions.”
Instead?
He caved.
And when you cave once, you set a precedent.
Now the boosters know—they run the show. The worst part is these boosters really suck! They are like a tornado of sports idiocy creating chaos and destruction. Again, go check in on football. All because their wallets say they can.
Hubert Davis Wasn’t the Problem
Was Hubert Davis perfect? No.
Did he make mistakes? Absolutely.
Blowing a 19-point lead to VCU is brutal. There’s no way around that.
But if you think this program’s issues start and end with Hubert Davis, you’re missing the forest for the trees.
North Carolina didn’t even have a GM structure in place until recently. They were behind—way behind—in adapting to the modern college sports landscape.
Then they finally start catching up.
They land a star in Caleb Wilson. The roster stabilizes. The team beats Duke. Momentum is building.
And then?
Wilson gets hurt. Pure, BAD LUCK.
That’s the pivot point.
Because if he stays healthy, I firmly believe we’re talking about a Sweet 16 team right now—not a program in crisis. They are still playing and all is well. The narrative would be North Carolina had corrected it-self. Hell, go back and listen to Full Ride after the first Duke game. Rick and I both suggested Carolina had righted itself. All was well. Then the injury to a lottery pick changed everything.
That’s how thin the margin is in modern college basketball.
And yet the response from leadership wasn’t patience… it was panic.
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The Bigger Problem: Booster Ball in the NIL Era
College athletics is being hijacked by unchecked booster influence! The arrogant assholes with big wallets. Not the passionate fan but the rich, passionate fan. Trust me, those people think and act very different.
Not smart investment.
Not strategic NIL collectives.
Not forward-thinking leadership.
Just loud, wealthy voices demanding results on their timeline, with no understanding of how fragile—and complicated—this ecosystem has become.
You don’t build sustainable programs this way. They should know. Many have built successful to have crumbled and declared bankruptcy if run with similar recklessness.
You build chaos.
You create instability.
You turn one of the most prestigious brands in college basketball into a program constantly reacting instead of leading.
This Isn’t About Hubert Davis. It’s About Control.
Hubert Davis is just the latest casualty.
Before him, it was Mack Brown.
Before that, it was anyone who didn’t fit the vision of the people writing the biggest checks.
And if this continues?
It won’t stop here.
Because when boosters control the program, no one is safe.
Not the next coach.
Not the AD.
Not the culture.
Bottom Line
North Carolina didn’t fire Hubert Davis.
The boosters did.
And until someone inside that building has the backbone to take control back, this won’t be the last time we’re having this conversation.
It’ll just be the next name.
Perfection Chris! I am a UNC graduate (many decades removed) and was shocked to hear about Coach Davis.....all about the bottom line and in the meantime," the inmates are running the asylum".......we no longer have "one and done " basketball players but "one and done" teams....bravo to Trimble for staying four years .....maturity and longevity say much about a winning team but my ow times have changed....
I think you are correct, Chris! North Carolina is in trouble and the hire of Belichick proves it!