One of the most talked about objects during the 2017 college football season has been Miami’s turnover chain, which the Hurricanes use to celebrate forced turnovers.
The team has had much cause to break out the turnover chain, having forced 24 turnovers this year to rank No. 5 in the nation.
Probably the best turnover chain celebration yet. pic.twitter.com/3FI0zRkduI
— David Wilson (@DBWilson2) October 21, 2017
As noted by SI.com, the turnover chain “contains a 36-inch, 2.5-kilogram, 10-karat gold chain, with 900 orange and green sapphire stones arranged in a ‘U’ that is 6.5 inches wide.”
The man responsible for creating the gaudy piece of jewelry is a South Florida jeweler named Anthony John Machado, who’s gained some pretty sweet national advertising exposure in the process of helping rejuvenate “The U.”
However, according to Andrew Carter of The News & Observer, Machado has a shady past that involves the University of North Carolina.
“UNC on Oct. 25, 2010, sent a letter of disassociation to Machado addressed to his store, A.J.’s Jewelry, in Cutler Bay, Fla. In the letter, Dick Baddour, who was the UNC athletic director at the time, wrote that Machado’s ‘involvement with one of our student-athletes has led to the NCAA declaring one of student-athletes permanently ineligible.’”
In addition to the letter, which ordered Machado to “have no further contact with any of our student-athletes or with anyone associated with our intercollegiate athletics program,” the university returned jewelry that had been given to at least one student-athlete at UNC.
Per the report, the ban would last for at least five years and would only be potentially lifted if Machado petitioned for it to be reassessed.
Carter reports the University of Florida didn’t respond to “multiple requests” for a comment or reaction to Machado’s involvement in the University of North Carolina in the past.
The Hurricanes are currently undefeated with a record of 9-0, first place in the ACC Coastal division. They are taking on Virginia at home this Saturday before closing out the regular season against Pittsburgh ahead of the ACC Championship Game against Clemson on Dec. 2.