The AD messed this up though. It's been clear for a while that UNC was on a downslide, and if he had eased her out gracefully earlier, it never would've come to this.
Except UNC's men's basketball, which was under investigation for two decades of academic fraud, had thrown Hatchell and the women's program under the proverbial bus.
After the NCAA decided it could not take action against UNC (and renders useless any knowledge of "where the bodies are buried" by Hatchell), the school, recognizing the elimination of any leverage that Hatchell had, waits one year and essentially forces her resignation (which I would guess includes a settlement agreement).
Did the AD really "mess this up?" Or did the AD take a calculated and risky gamble that paid off without any NCAA sanctions, without any lawsuit from Hatchell, and with now having the ability to bring in a new coach to attempt to resurrect the women's program?