The first bomb dropped in Sports Illustrated's five-part investigative series on the Oklahoma State University football program. Sports Illustrated's cover story this week is titled "The Dirty Game" and it details alleged improprieties that occurred during OSU's rise from mediocrity to a nationally prominent program. The first part of the series was launched Tuesday morning on SI.com. The topic was money and the story quotes past players alleging that OSU was lax on booster access to players and that coaches and boosters provided payments to players. The story named former assistant coach Joe DeForest as the orchestrator of a system in which players were rewarded for performance from 2001 to at least 2011. DeForest and boosters were accused of overpaying players for off-the-field work and, in same cases, compensating players for work that was not performed. OSU announced Tuesday night the university has launched a Web page - response.okstate.edu - to address the SI series. According to a press release, the page is a vehicle to keep the media, alumni, fans and public updated on OSU's official responses and the university's plans for moving forward to investigate and address the alleged misconduct. SI's project will continue with a new "theme" each day this week - SI says Wednesday's story will allege academic misconduct in the program - and will conclude with a wrap-up story Sept. 17. The investigation into OSU's program dates to Les Miles' years (2001-04) as head coach. Miles is the head coach at LSU. A spokesperson indicated LSU will wait until all five stories in the series have appeared before commenting. After the first "bomb" dropped, prominent former OSU players (among them: Josh Fields and Billy Bajema) told the Tulsa World they saw no evidence of payments to players.
"I never witnessed any of it and all the guys I talked to never witnessed any of that either," Bajema, a Baltimore Ravens tight end, said.
"It's kind of a crazy deal. I'm sure they will get to the bottom of it and they will sort it all out. It's frustrating to see these things come out when the culture described bears no resemblance to the culture of the football program that I played in."
However, former player Fath' Carter - one of SI's sources - indicated to KOTV that he is standing by what he told the magazine. Carter told KOTV he received a $100 performance payment and $100 for letting two recruits live him with before they were permitted to do so under NCAA rules.
Former defensive tackle Brad Girtman (dismissed in 2005 for violating team rules) claimed money was delivered to players in envelopes that contained per diem, plus more. The deliveries were usually made by low-level football staff members, according to SI.
Girtman told SI he got paid on the "low end," but some players received "monster payments."
SI concluded some players got $2,000 annually while a few stars allegedly received $25,000 or more.
Girtman said rates for performance-based plays were told to him by DeForest, who left the program in 2011 to join the staff at West Virginia. Former receiver Artrell Woods said ex-quarterback Bobby Reid's bonus payments were cut off after Reid lost his starting job in 2007. Reid, now a member of OSU's administrative staff, denied to SI that he received money.
Girtman claimed he was given a $5,000 debit card by DeForest in 2003 and said DeForest once provided a list of boosters to call if he needed anything.
DeForest has denied allegations and so has former running backs coach and current University of Texas assistant Larry Porter, who was alleged by players to have made direct payments to them.
Former defensive back Thomas Wright (dismissed from the team in 2005 for violating team rules) told SI that if players found a new pair of socks in the dressing room, the socks would sometimes contain cash.
"It was just like in life when you work," Wright told SI. "The better the job you do, the more money you make."
Booster-related allegations included SI saying boosters handed money to players on team buses or planes or in the locker room.
Former running back Seymore Shaw (who was suspended in 2005 before transferring) said he needed money and was directed to alumnus Kay Norris by Miles. Shaw alleges that Norris overpaid him for chores he performed. Norris died in 2006.
Former defensive end William Bell (dismissed from the team in 2005 for violating team rules) said someone from the coaching staff - he couldn't remember who - directed him to a booster who paid him a "couple hundred dollars" to fish in a pond.
Gov. Mary Fallin, an OSU alum, was asked about SI's project and used the words "disturbing" and "disappointing" in regard to allegations. She said she was notified in advance by OSU president Burns Hargis, who assured her the university would take quick action.
"I will tell you that as a graduate of Oklahoma State University, it certainly is a black mark against the university," Fallin said.
"But we should take these allegations seriously. We need to face them head on. We need to look into them. If there are any ongoing problems now we certainly need to address those immediately, but it will take some time for them to look into these very serious reports that have been made about Oklahoma State University."
It was made clear by SI that OSU's most prominent booster, Boone Pickens, was not implicated in any wrongdoing. Pickens released a statement that said SI's series is not reflective of OSU's football program today and said many of the "sensational" allegations go back a decade.
"But I do welcome this scrutiny," he said.
"If people take the time, it's an opportunity to better understand where Oklahoma State is today, not a decade ago. It's a different university today. It's a better university. If there are areas where we need to improve, we'll do it."
OSU coach Mike Gundy read a statement about SI's project at his weekly news conference Monday. Said Gundy, "Our goal has always been to take young people from where their families, their parents, have gotten them and to make them better over a four- or five-year period. We're very proud of that in many ways. Until further time, which the university obviously will make that decision, there's not any comment we would have on the Sports Illustrated article."
Athletic director Mike Holder also provided a statement at the end of Gundy's press conference. Among things Holder said was this: "We take the allegations seriously. Whether they have merit or not, we don't know. But we will find out."
Jimmie Tramel 918-581-8389
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Out of bounds (PRINT)
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