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Chapel Hill, N.C. • The investigation of North Carolina's football program has expanded into possible academic misconduct involving players and a woman who also has worked as a tutor for coach Butch Davis' son, school officials said Thursday night.

Athletic director Dick Baddour declined to identify the players or say how many may be involved, and he refused to specify what the possible violations may have been, saying only that they involved "a student tutor and student-athletes on the football team."

The announcement came nine days before the No. 18 Tar Heels' opener against No. 21 LSU in Atlanta, and roughly two months after the NCAA began an investigation into whether two key players — defensive tackle Marvin Austin and receiver Greg Little — received improper benefits from agents.

Davis declined to identify the tutor in question except to say she was one of the five his family had hired since their 2007 arrival in Chapel Hill to serve as an academic coach and advisor for his teenage son.

"This is someone that obviously worked with our son," Davis said. "To be honest with you, I think we're really surprised and possibly disappointed, but there's been no revelation as to exactly the extent or what has actually transpired."

Baddour declined to provide additional details about the tutor, except to say that "the person was in (the university's) employ. When we found out about the issues, the tutor was not in our employ."

Baddour said the university has assembled a team to investigate the academic questions. While there is no timetable to resolve that aspect of the probe, "it is likely that the review would extend beyond the start of the season," he said.

Texas Tech athletic director Gerald Myers retiring

Texas Tech athletic director Gerald Myers, who brought Hall of Famer Bob Knight to the West Texas campus and got caught up in the contentious final year of football coach Mike Leach's tenure, is retiring.

The school said Thursday the former Red Raiders basketball coach will step down in May.

The 74-year-old Myers told The Associated Press he chose the timeline for his retirement and wanted to stay for another year to be with Tommy Tuberville in his first season as football coach. He also said the other consideration was the reconfigured Big 12, which will soon lose Nebraska and Colorado.

Nevada intends to join MWC in 2011

University of Nevada president Milton Glick has sent a message to the Western Athletic Conference that the Wolf Pack plan to join the Mountain West Conference for the next academic year in 2011, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Glick and school officials had announced their intentions in a Aug. 18 press conference, but the school faces a $5 million fine for missing a July 1 deadline to give the WAC notice.