UNC Athletics on Thursday said it is looking into the actions of an assistant football coach who was suspended earlier this week for providing extra benefits.
According to the university, Armond Hawkins, a cornerbacks coach with the football team, was suspended for violating NCAA rules related to extra benefits tied to providing players extra sideline passes for family members.
The Athletic was the first to report on Hawkins’ suspension on Tuesday, saying it was tied to a report from WRAL Sports reporter Pat Welter on the culture of the program under Bill Belichick.
On Thursday, Carolina Athletics released a statement about Hawkins’ suspension.
“North Carolina assistant football coach Armond Hawkins has been suspended for violating NCAA rules related to extra benefits,” the statement reads. “He will remain on leave as the Department of Athletics further investigates other potential actions detrimental to the team and university.”
Sources said Hawkins was not at practice this week and
that players were told it was due to “personal business.”
Hawkins’ suspension comes as two sources close to UNC said Thursday the school is not looking for an exit strategy from Belichick, which refuted a report earlier this week from TarHeel247. Several current UNC players came out in support of Belichick on social media.
WRAL Sports reached out to Armond Hawkins on
Thursday. He’s not commenting on the suspension.
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