article_snippet.sent: a lawsuit filed by former University of North Carolina athletes claimed the students didn't get an education because the students were caught up in the largest known academic fraud scandal in NCAA history.
article_snippet.sent: The scandal at UNC involved thousands of athletes who, over 18 years, were funneled into classes that never met, where advisers fudged grades and accepted plagiarism so that athletes who were falling behind in class could remain eligible to play sports.
article_snippet.sent: Mary Willingham, the UNC whistleblower turned NCAA critic, has for years said that athletes across the country are accepted to colleges even though athletes across the country're academically underprepared and then pushed into classes where little work is required.
article_snippet.sent: The system of eligibility that NCAA brags about, she says, is a sham.
article_snippet.sent: It makes no sense," said Willingham, who recently wrote a book about the UNC scandal called "Cheated.
article_snippet.sent: Attorney Michael Hausfeld, who represented both O'Bannon and now the UNC athletes, said this: .
article_snippet.sent: UNC, which was also sued, has admitted to the fraud, but also asked for a judge to throw out the case, saying the athletes waited too long -- seven years -- to sue and the "educational malpractice" theory doesn't apply.
article_snippet.sent: UNC claims it is protected by state law.
highlights_snippet.sent: But NCAA website emphasizes importance of education, "opportunities to learn"
  Lawsuit claims students didn't get an education because of academic fraud at UNC .