INBOX

FOR MARCH 16, 2015

I'm not sure which is worse: the idea that the coaches at North Carolina had an inkling of the academic fraud and did nothing about it or that they had absolutely no knowledge for over a quarter of a century.

Richard L. Pacelle Jr., Knoxville, Tenn.

The obvious answer to how Carolina lost its way is simple. Rabid boosters spend enormous amounts of money to get the best athletes. The sham courses at UNC, and at almost every other school with an elite basketball or football program, are an almost inevitable result.

Vic Presutti, Dayton, Ohio

Isn't it interesting that in the NCAA tournament North Carolina, a school where many athletes got credit for classes that they did not attend, played Harvard, a school known for its academic excellence and integrity.

Robert Speights, San Diego

While I'm not making light of the Tar Heels' academic scandal, I'm also not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The Carolina Way is not the 3,100 students who cheated or those who helped them. Yes, the scandal tarnishes the school's reputation, but it doesn't change what the rest of the student body and academic community are about.

Ginny Brown, Raleigh

COVER

I was nodding in agreement with S.L. Price on what went wrong at North Carolina—until I looked down at your Kentucky cover, then glanced at the $1 billion NCAA tournament on my television. That's when it dawned on me: We are all complicit in this faux notion of the student-athlete.

Mark J. O'Brien, Tampa

PAGES 17 & 26

SCORECARD

Thank you for the articles on Mike Tyson and George Foreman. I think the brains of these former pugilists need to be studied because despite all of the blows they took to the head, both appear to be getting wiser with age.

David J. Gross

St. Augustine, Fla.

PAGE 34

DAN PATRICK

Adam Carolla thinks comedians should play a role in the NFL broadcast booth? He must have missed Monday Night Football's Dennis Miller experiment.

Rodney Braun

Bowmanville, Ont.

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LANCE KING/GETTY IMAGES (MASCOT)

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COVER: AL TIELEMANS/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (KENTUCKY), PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SI PREMEDIA (ARIZONA), (FROM LEFT): ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES (RONDAE HOLLIS-JEFFERSON), RICK SCUTERI/AP (STANLEY JOHNSON), LIDA DEGROOTE/J AND L PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES (BRANDON ASHLEY)

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GREG CAVA FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (TYSON)

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BEN SKLAR (FOREMAN)

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MICHAEL J. LEBRECHT II FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (PATRICK)

ILLUSTRATION

ILLUSTRATION BY GUY STAUBER (UNC)