Fath' Carter's story called into question
By KELLY HINES World Sports Writer on Sep 13, 2013, at 2:29 AM Updated on 9/13/13 at 7:18 AM
Fath' Carter (second from left), shown against Texas A&M in 2003, played safety for the Cowboys from 2000-2003. He told KOTV he stands by his story as portrayed in the Sports Illustrated series. Tulsa World file
OSU football investigation
On Monday, Oklahoma State announced the hiring of Charles E. Smrt to lead an independent review of alleged misconduct in the OSU football program.
Statements about a former Oklahoma State football player in a Sports Illustrated article published this week have called into question the validity of his allegations.
Fath' Carter, a safety in 2000-03, has been prominent in SI's first three stories in a five-part investigative report into OSU football. In Wednesday's Part 2 alleging academic misconduct, Carter was listed among players who said they had work done for them by tutors or received some other improper assistance.
In addition to Carter's claims that a professor wrote papers for him and teammates, the article said Carter "returned to Stillwater years later without a scholarship and got a degree in education."
As first reported by ESPN's Brett McMurphy, Carter attended OSU in 2000-05 but did not earn a degree, according to documentation provided by the university to the Tulsa World on Thursday.
Carter also was quoted in Tuesday's Part I about players getting cash from boosters and being paid for work they didn't do.
When asked by CBS Sports radio host Doug Gottlieb about Carter's allegations, the report's co-author George Dohrmann said: "Fath' is somebody who played four years at Oklahoma State, has two degrees from Oklahoma State, spoke on the record, recorded. I have no reason to believe he lied about that. And he's certainly not disgruntled."
In an interview with KOTV earlier this week, Carter said he stands by his statements.
He also told SI that he took two courses with teammate Tatum Bell from the same professor, including one taught in spring 2004, and although they received unearned A's in the first course, they failed the second. Carter's explanation was that because his and Bell's eligibility had expired, there was no pressure on the professor to pass them.
Bell, a former running back at OSU, told ESPN he quit school after the Jan. 2, 2004, Cotton Bowl and didn't take any classes in spring 2004. Documentation from the university shows Bell was enrolled in 2000-04 but doesn't list exact dates.
Attempts to reach Bell on Thursday were unsuccessful. He told the World on Tuesday that teammates' allegations of him receiving payments at OSU were false.
Kelly Hines 918-581-8452
kelly.hines@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Carter's story called into question
OSU football investigation
On Monday, Oklahoma State announced the hiring of Charles E. Smrt to lead an independent review of alleged misconduct in the OSU football program.
