Holland refunds brother money to ECU
Former UVA basketball coach and athletic director Terry Holland finds himself embroiled in a minor controversy at his current job as AD at East Carolina University. The Greenville, North Carolina, Daily Reflector reports that a November university audit found that, while he didn’t violate ECU policy, Holland made “inappropriate” use of athletic department funds by employing and providing financial aid to “a relative,” reportedly his younger brother Jonathan Gregg Holland, a 51-year-old business major at the school.
On December 5, the elder Holland sent a check for $25,000– roughly the amount he had paid his brother– to ECU chancellor Steve Ballard, along with a letter stating, “It is not my desire to defend my decision, but I do believe our Pirate faithful has always depended on me to be open and frank with them in good times and bad times, even though there are many who disagree with me on specific issues.”
Holland reportedly employed his brother as part of the athletic department’s facilities staff. From the fall of 2006 until September 30, 2007, the younger Holland earned $8,500 for his work and received an additional $16,639 in student aid.
Even before the controversy, Holland had pledged a $50,000 donation to his school’s athletic department, a donation to ECU that will now total $75,000, according to the News & Observer.
In a December 6 press release, Ballard stood by his man, saying that Holland “has been forthright and has over-complied with suggestions to rectify the perception created by his decision,” and emphasized that neither he nor the ECU board would further discipline the popular athletic executive.
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typical article for the n&o, since EVERY “journalist” they have is a unc graduate and these from the 80’s who got their first headlines finally. I think we are seeing politics in play. anyone who takes the time to look up the actual audit-available through numerous news sites…sees he did nothing but hire his brother, through the approval of his president and 17 others, so he could finish his college degree, working off the tuition. Sad how threatened folks are of someone trying to set an example. he isnt perfect. neither am I, and ECU shouldn’t expect perfection. Why is everyone so excited to see him screw up? It is sad. He should be talked about for how much he has done in the face of adversity. And it has been plenty…much that UVA seems to want to get out of the shadow of. please don’t print this crap without following up on the story and doing the research. We all would appreciate not being bullied by the chapel hill grads about our own. Terry did great things here and will always be remembered a hero by those who REALLY know…and have been around a loooonnng time here. He did what anyone would do and more than most to correct any perception. Let him take that school to the next level- it will obviously cause some boats to rock, which is something he’s used to in order to make positive change. I commend him and give him a huge wa hoooo. best of luck terry, wish you were here.