Attorneys Confirm Payments From Agent to Former UNC Coach

The attorneys for John Blake confirmed Thursday that the former associate head coach for North Carolina's football team received payments from sports agent Gary Wichard.

Yesterday, according to ACC Now, in a conference call with the News & Observer, Charlotte Observer and the Associated Press, William Beaver and Wade Smith, Blake's attorneys, declined to provide details about how many payments Blake received or for how much money. They did say that the payments ended around the time Blake began coaching at UNC (2007).

The attorneys characterized the transactions as loans between friends. They described Blake and Wichard, whose relationship dates back 25 years, as "dear friends," almost "like brothers."

The NCAA is investigating the UNC program for agent-related violations, including if Blake steered players to sign with Wichard. Former UNC defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer, a first-round pick in 2008, is one of Wichard's clients.

Smith said Blake, who coached Balmer for one season, has not recruited clients for Wichard.

"No one ever said to us that he sent any athlete to Gary Wichard and certainly no one would say that he got anything from Gary Wichard in return," Smith said.