North Carolina football players under fire following investigation into driving habits
Published:
The driving habits of multiple North Carolina football players are the subject of a newly-published investigation by WRAL.
According to reporting from WRAL’s Pat Welter, Brian Murphy and Randall Kerr, UNC players have been at the center of reckless driving charges and “months of complaints” in Chapel Hill. Allegations include claims that incoming transfers or key players have been cited for infractions such as reckless driving, driving over 100 miles per hour and parking in handicap spots.
The investigation names running back Demon June and tight end Jelani Thurman as players who have been cited by police for driving-related offenses in recent months.
UNC professor Mark Peifer has contacted athletic department and university leadership on multiple occasions regarding what he’s observed from Carolina football players. Per WRAL, he wrote the following in an email to outgoing athletic director Bubba Cunningham and Chancellor Lee Roberts:
The football team’s behavior is undercutting decades of efforts by Carolina coaches and athletes to build a national reputation for integrity, the Carolina Way.
The complaints about UNC football players come just over a year after the university hired Bill Belichick to lead its football program. Belichick’s first year in Chapel Hill didn’t go as planned as the Tar Heels went 4-8 and missed out on bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018.
North Carolina will open the 2026 season against TCU on Aug. 29.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
