PJ Hairston is Done at North Carolina

PJ Hairston had a very good sophomore season at North Carolina and was poised to potentially be an All-American in 2013-2014. But then his brutal offseason happened, and the school just announced he won’t be playing for the Tar Heels this season. His college career is almost certainly over – I supposed there’s a tiny chance he could transfer, but who would take him? – and he’ll likely enter the 2014 NBA draft.

" “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,” says director of athletics Bubba Cunningham. “The University thanks him for his contributions to Carolina Basketball."

The school hasn’t elaborated on the ‘mistakes’ that put his eligibility at risk, but one of them certainly is his connection with agent Rodney Blackstock, a story The Big Lead broke in June. Hairston was also linked to a convicted felon. It was all too much to overcome, and so now he’ll spend the next six months training for the NBA draft.

This is a damaging blow to the Tar Heels, who at times look like a Final 4 team – wins over Louisville, Michigan State and Kentucky – and other times look like they’ll lose in the first round of March Madness (losses to Belmont, UAB and Texas).