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Chapel Hill, North Carolina – The University of North Carolina men’s basketball team apologized on Tuesday after a video posted on social media showing unmasked players celebrating a win over Duke last weekend.
“Our intention was to celebrate privately within our group. Unfortunately, we allowed several friends who are not members of the team to join the gathering. We were inside and not wearing masks, which were errors, “said the statement, issued on behalf of the players. , said managers and head coach Roy Williams.
The statement went on to apologize for the violations of the college and athletic department’s coronavirus guidelines and concluded: “We have worked too hard for eight months to do the right things to make these kinds of mistakes. at this point in the season. We hope we will be able to play again soon and would like to remind everyone to stay safe so that this pandemic is over as soon as possible.
Williams said on Tuesday he appreciated the apology.
“I appreciate the players who have expressed their apologies,” he said. “They made a mistake. They have been fantastic for over eight months in how they handled the whole situation with the virus. But they realize they made a mistake, for which they are paying a dear price. important. “
The university has not said what that “significant price” would be, and some on campus see a double standard. Those who violated university safety standards could be suspended for a semester or forced to take a COVID-19 awareness course.
The UNC is investigating 300 complaints about students rushing to Franklin Street after the game, and many believe the players should face the same punishment as the students who celebrated their victory.
“I think there shouldn’t be different consequences for different people,” said rookie Mary Thomas Whittaker.
Darby Haskel, sophomore and student-athlete, said: “I think we would all be very upset if we knew that some of our teammates rushed to Franklin or decided to go to a house party. . “
Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger, who has a meeting Wednesday with university leaders, said: “The lack of respect and disregard for the safety of others was overwhelming. There must be consequences and responsibilities, otherwise it will continue.
The team says they plan to follow ACC medical protocols with the intention of playing Virginia on Saturday.
The UNC men’s basketball game scheduled for Monday night against the University of Miami has been postponed hours before the scheduled prediction after the Daily Tar Heel posted a video that appears to show UNC players Armando Bacot and Day ‘ Ron Sharpe partying without a mask on Saturday after their win over Duke.
“It sounded like fun, but it wasn’t really safe for COVID,” Whittaker said.
Some students at UNC-Chapel Hill have said other students are not taking the pandemic as seriously as they should.
“It’s definitely something to disapprove of, but I would say almost all of my friends have party without a mask this year at one point or another,” said rookie Ira Wilder.
“It shows that it’s okay to go out without a mask,” Anyelin Lopez said of the video. “They don’t take it seriously. It has to be enforced.”
“We’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we really need to curl up and be especially careful about what we’re doing to get to the end of this pandemic,” Wilder said.
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