UNC coach Roy Williams 'tired' of reading, talking about P.J. Hairston

GREENSBORO -- Even after making five birdie putts during a nice round of golf with Davis Love III, Roy Williams was in no mood to talk about P.J. Hairston today after Williams finished playing in the pro-am of the Wyndham Championship.

"Not talking about P.J.," Williams said when I asked him how his conversations have gone recently with Hairston, North Carolina's leading scorer whom Williams suspended indefinitely. "I've read about it all damn summer, I'm tired of reading about, tired of talking about it. If you want to talk about anything else, I'll talk about anything."

Indeed, Hairston has created plenty of reading material this summer. There was his arrest in early June in Durham, where police charged him with misdemeanor marijuana possession and driving without a license. Both charges were later dropped, but Hairston at the time of his arrest was driving a 2013 GMC Yukon that had been rented by Haydn "Fats" Thomas, a Durham resident and convicted felon.

Hairston received a speeding ticket in May while driving another rental vehicle, a 2012 Camaro, that has been linked to Thomas. Then, in late July, Hairston was charged with speeding and reckless driving on his way to Charlotte. After that, Williams promptly suspended Hairston, a rising junior who considered entering the NBA draft before deciding to return to school.

"It's been a little hectic," Williams said of his summer, "and some things that make it not as much fun. But I've still got one of the best jobs in the world."

He later said "it's been a hard summer. No question about that."

During the pro-am, Williams played a foursome that included Love III and Bubba Cunningham, the UNC athletic director. Williams said he has known Love III since the days when he played golf at UNC.

"I was there the day that Michael Jordan broke his driver on the practice range," Williams said. "So we go back a long ways."

Amid all the stress of the summer, Williams appeared at ease on the course. Between shots he chatted with fans, signed autographs and posed for pictures.

The drama surrounding Hairston, though, remains unsettled. Even before his suspension, Williams in a statement said Hairston would face "serious consequences." If the rental cars Hairston drove are deemed to have been an extra benefit, Hairston would face an NCAA-mandated suspension of three to nine games, depending on the monetary value of the rental cars during the time Hairston drove them. In addition, he'd face additional punishment from Williams.

Williams was in no mood to discuss Hairston on Wednesday, though he said he's "anxious" for the start of the practice.

"With the new rules, we can start as early as Sept. 27, which makes the season even longer," Williams said. "I thought it was long enough beforehand. But I'm anxious. I think we've got a great group of young kids that I'm going to enjoy working with.

"This is a good release right here, getting out on the golf course, and I enjoyed the heck out of it today."

- Andrew Carter