CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina cornerback Charles Brown won't play this season amid the ongoing NCAA investigation into the football program, while cornerback Kendric Burney will miss this weekend's game at No. 25 Miami.
Brown started all 13 games last season and still has a year of eligibility remaining, though the school didn't specify why he will sit out the season. Both he and Burney were among six players declared ineligible "for violating school and/or NCAA rules" before the opener against LSU. Neither has played this season.
Burney recently completed a six-game suspension issued by the NCAA for receiving improper benefits connected to trips, but the school says there is an "unresolved issue" for Burney connected to the probe.
The NCAA launched an investigation in the summer focused on agent-related benefits, though that probe expanded to include possible academic violations involving a tutor. The academic cases are being handled primarily by the school's student judicial system, though privacy laws prevent the school from discussing in detail any player's involvement in the academic review.
Brown is the sixth player to miss the season connected to the investigation, joining defensive tackle Marvin Austin, defensive end Robert Quinn, receiver Greg Little, and safeties Brian Gupton and Jonathan Smith. The NCAA declared Quinn and Little "permanently ineligible" for receiving jewelry and travel accommodations, then lying about it in three interviews. The school kicked Austin off the team after the NCAA offered preliminary information that he had received $10,000 to $13,000 in improper benefits.
As with Brown, the school didn't specify why Gupton and Smith wouldn't play this season.
In addition to Burney, the status of two other players - defensive end Michael McAdoo and fullback Devon Ramsay - remains in question. McAdoo has yet to play this season, while Ramsay played the first four games before the school announced it would hold him out of games due to the investigation.
Last week, defensive lineman Linwan Euwell and tailback Ryan Houston were cleared to return after missing the first five games. Euwell played in the win at Virginia, though coach Butch Davis said Houston might redshirt.
Tailback Shaun Draughn (one game) and safety Da'Norris Searcy (three) also missed games before being cleared to play, while safety Deunta Williams recently returned from an NCAA-issued four-game suspension for improper benefits connected to trips.