The University of North Carolina will not seek reinstatement for star swingman P.J. Hairston, effectively ending his college hoops career.
The junior forward has been suspended since the summer after the NCAA launched an investigation into several expensive rental cars he was spotted driving over the summer that were leaked to an ex-convict.
According to CBSSports.com, the announcement about Hairston comes just two days after the school announced teammate Leslie McDonald had been cleared to rejoin the program following yet another investigation by the NCAA.
"Unfortunately P.J. made a number of mistakes that placed his eligibility at risk and the University's joint review with the NCAA made it clear that seeking reinstatement for P.J. would not be possible," UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. "The University thanks him for his contributions to Carolina Basketball."
Hairston led the Tar Heels in scoring last season, averaging 15 points and connecting on a second-best in school history for one season 89 3-pointers.
"I am extremely disappointed for P.J., his family and our team as he will no longer be playing basketball at North Carolina," coach Roy Williams said in a statement. "P.J. made mistakes and I was very disappointed by his actions and now he is suffering the very difficult consequences. He is not a bad kid; he just made some mistakes."
In both Hairston's and McDonald's absence, North Carolina has gone 7-3 over its first 10 games following home Wednesday's home loss to Texas.
© 2023 Sportsworldnews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
