P.J. Hairston tells Daily Tar Heel he will play

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said recently that P.J. Hairstonwould play this season, but not in every game. And now we have the same from Hairston, the UNC junior guard who told the told the Daily Tar Heel, the UNC campus newspaper, that he will “be on the court” this season.

Great hustle by Aaron Dodson, the DTH reporter who tracked Hairston down on Monday night on some basketball courts near the Smith Center. Hairston on his Twitter account had posted that he would be playing there. After a summer of trouble, Hairston is serving an indefinite suspension. It’s unclear when he’ll play this season.

“I’m not sure how long I’ll have to sit out,” Hairston told the DTH. “I haven’t found out yet, but whatever it is I’m ready for it.”

The length of Hairston’s suspension might not be clear for a while. UNC doesn’t begin the season until Nov. 8, at home against Oakland. The Tar Heels in their seventh game play against Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. UNC’s ninth game is at home against Kentucky on Dec. 14.

UNC coach Roy Williams suspended Hairston in late July, after he received a reckless driving charge near Salisbury. That followed his early June arrest on misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and driving without a license.

Hairston also received a speeding ticket in May while driving a rental car that has been tied to Haydn “Fats” Thomas, a Durham resident and convicted felon. At the time of his arrest in June, Hairston was driving a rented 2013 GMC Yukon that Thomas paid for.

- Andrew Carter

Read more here: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/uncnow/pj-hairston-tells-daily-tar-heel-he-will-play#storylink=cpy