I wonder if Bubba Cunningham wasn't prepared for the possibility that his answer might get circulated publicly even though he was at a UNC journalism faculty retreat. Not that it matters since what Cunningham said is very much in line which what most people think is going to happen anyway. At this point we know Hairston is going to suspended for some unknown number of games, we are just waiting for the matter to be resolved to find out how many. At any rate, here is the full response as tweeted by UNC professor Andy Bechtel
Bubba Cunningham takes a PJ question. "Will he play?" Answer: "Yes, but not all the games."
— Andy Bechtel (@andybechtel) August 15, 2013
This bit of information does constitute an quasi-official acknowledgment that UNC is probably far enough along in examining Hairston's rental car issue to safely say the Tar Heel junior will face a limited suspension. Granted more information could bubble to the surface, as is wont to happen in these types of cases. However, the fact the media(or Pack Pride) hasn't dredged up anything else(credible in the case of the latter) is probably a good sign. As long as the compliance department as a full grasp on the facts, the issue can probably be resolved within the next couple of months.
As for Roy Williams, he also made a statement of sorts about Hairston's situation while playing at the Wyndham Championship Pro-Am on Wednesday.
"I'm not talking about P.J. I've read about it all damn summer," Williams said Wednesday. "I'm tired of reading about it. I'm tired of talking about it."
You and me both Coach.
Williams did say he was anxious to start the season with practice beginning possibly as early as September 27th.
"I'm anxious to start practice," Williams said toward the end of his impromptu two-minute news conference. "With the new rules, we can start as early as Sept. 27, which makes the season longer. I thought the season was long enough beforehand. I'm anxious. I think we've got a great group of young kids I think I'm going to enjoy working with. This is a good release right here. I enjoyed the heck out of it today."
It will be interesting to see how much benefit the extra practice time provides, especially for a UNC team that might play November and December without it's starting small forward.
So how many games will Hairston miss? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
