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North Carolina Athletic Director’s Life Threatened After Controversial Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated May 9, 2025 9:32 PM ET

The North Carolina Tar Heels received an at-large bid as one of the last teams selected for the 2025 NCAA Tournament field. Fans and college basketball pundits resented the selection, feeling teams such as West Virginia and Indiana were more deserving.

“How in the world could North Carolina get an at-large bid over Indiana and over West Virginia?” asked CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein following the selection.

Ire for the Tar Heels’ selection was fueled by the fact that North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham was the chairman of the NCAA selection committee.

A day after the selection, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey even announced the state was threatening to take legal action against the NCAA. He sent a letter to the NCAA to inquire about North Carolina’s selection over West Virginia.

WRAL News in Raleigh is now reporting that hundreds of angry fans sent Cunningham threatening emails in the days following the selection.

WRAL reported that at least two of the messages included direct death threats. Other messages mentioned Cunningham’s family members by name.

One email highlighted by WRAL included the following:

“I genuinely (expletive) hope your entire family gets cancer and your grandkids become drug addicts and you have to watch them wither away to nothing.”

Another email said: “Instead of doing the right thing, you picked to line your pockets. You owe Mountaineer nation an apology. I can't wait for the day I see you in public again, quivering, and apologizing to the fans.”

A third email highlighted by WRAL included:

“You stole from kids who devoted their lives and earned the right to a last chance. They’ll literally carry that weight and dream about not having that opportunity for the rest of their lives and you get to continue to sleep well at 62. Shame on you. Shame on you Bubba. You’re better than this.”

Cunningham reported the most threatening messages to the NCAA.

The Tar Heels ended up winning their NCAA Tournament First Four game against San Diego State 95-68. They then lost to No. 6 seed Ole Miss 71-64 in the tournament’s first round.

Prior to the San Diego State game, Cunningham received a supportive message from Don Curtis of Curtis Media. Cunningham replied: “Sure hope we win tonight. That will settle down quite a bit. Doesn’t look like I’ll be vacationing anytime soon in West Virginia.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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