Former UNC Women’s Basketball Coach Sylvia Hatchell Issues Statement Following Crash That Killed Senior

CHAPEL HILL, NC. (THECOUNT) — Former North Carolina women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell released a statement to WRAL on Monday calling the crash that killed an 89-year-old woman “a devastating tragedy.”

Hatchell, 67, was cited for misdemeanor death by vehicle and unsafe movement violation. She was making a slow left turn in the parking lot of 6118 Farrington Road in Durham, near O2 Fitness Center, when she hit Betty Colby on Jan. 8.

Police said Colby fell backwards, struck her head on the pavement and died.

Hatchell statement:

“I cannot pretend to imagine what Mrs. Colby’s family is going through. My heartfelt and deepest sympathies go out to them, and I pray that they be shown God’s grace during this difficult time. I will continue to cooperate with the Durham County authorities in every way possible and ask that the news media respect the Colby family’s privacy in their time of grief.”

Investigators stated neither speed nor impairment were factors in the crash.

Hatchell, who coached at UNC for 33 seasons, resigned last spring after an investigation by a Charlotte law firm found “widespread support for” allegations by players that she made racially insensitive comments and pressured them to play through injury.

Hatchell, a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee, is the winningest women’s basketball coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history. She has a career record of 1,023-405 and a 751-325 mark at UNC with a national title in 1994.

Hatchell became the third women’s coach in Division I with 1,000 career victories in 2017 and is the only coach with national championships at three levels — AIAW, NAIA and NCAA.

DEVELOPING::

Geo quick facts: Chapel Hill is a town in North Carolina. It’s home to a campus of the University of North Carolina, which is known for its basketball team. The Ackland Art Museum exhibits European and Asian art. The North Carolina Botanical Garden has nature trails and themed gardens. The Morehead Planetarium & Science Center runs a program of live demonstrations. Franklin Street is lined with shops, restaurants and bars – wikipedia.