Brown Addresses Legal Issues for Rice, Hamrick and Shaw

CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina Football Coach Mack Brown made public comments for the first time since three Tar Heels were charged with misdemeanors stemming from an evening that eventually included a UNC student dying in a car accident just off campus.

The incident occurred January 21, as 20-year-old UNC student Molly Rotunda was a passenger in a car that videos show topped its speed at 124 miles per hour. Rotunda lost her life in the single-car crash.

The UNC players implicated that night were in a car driven by redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Zach Rice, whose car the police estimated was 15 yards behind the vehicle that crashed. As reported by News Fox 8, Carolina players charged that evening:

Rice: underage drinking and driving, and speeding.

Hamrick: underage possession/consumption of alcohol.

Shaw: underage possession/consumption of alcohol, five counts of aid/abet underage possession/consumption of alcohol, and an outstanding order for arrest for failing to appear in Durham County for possession of marijuana, underage possession of alcoholic beverages and unauthorized possession.

“Our guys have really acted well since we got here,” Brown said Monday during a pre-spring practice at the Kenan Football Center. “We had three guys that got misdemeanors that is going through the legal process right now.

“It’s the first time something’s come up like that. We can investigate it, we’ve always done that. We’ve stayed out of it, it’s not our place. We’ll let the legal process take it’s course.”

With the Tar Heels opening spring practice Tuesday morning, Rice, Hamrick and Shaw will be on the field participating in all team activities. The investigation is ongoing, so no suspensions have been levied.

In-house discipline, however, has taken place.

“They’ll have consequences with disciplinary action within our program,” Brown said. “But they will be involved in spring practice.”

Brown has steered clear of the investigation, thus allowing it to play itself out.

“You have to be very careful, because in my 36 years as a head coach, I’ve learned that I’m not supposed to be the investigator because then it can be tampering,” he said. “And legal issues are very serious, so I never get into details with the kids.

“I get into, ‘nothing ever happens good after midnight. You shouldn’t do this, you shouldn’t do that.’ And I don’t ask them what (they) did.”

Rice’s next court appearance is scheduled for April 19, the day before UNC’s spring football showcase that concludes the team’s workouts. Until then for Rice, and in general for Shaw and Hamrick, UNC’s coach wants the players to go through normal activities and routines.

“It’s very important,” he said. “There’s a tremendous amount of stress on them, too… There will be some discipline from us. There may be more dependent on the outcomes.”