Inexplicably posted almost four hours later than expected, the fourth installment in Sports Illustrated's five-part examination of Oklahoma State football detailed allegations of players having sex with hostesses and other women while on recruiting visits.
More than a dozen Cowboys who played during 2001-11 told SI that a small number of Orange Pride members had sexual relations with them or with other prospects during recruiting visits. The magazine did not name any women who allegedly had sex with recruits.
The article alleges the group of hostesses aided in recruiting and became a key contributor to the program's rise under former coach Les Miles and current coach Mike Gundy.
SI reports Orange Pride membership more than tripled under Miles, who was head coach in 2001-04, and there was an added emphasis on having attractive and outgoing women.
According to the story, none of the former players or Orange Pride members interviewed said they were aware of a coach or staffer instructing a hostess to have sex with a recruit.
One player accused former assistant Joe DeForest of expressing disappointment in him for not helping a recruit "get laid."
The story doesn't say whether any of the 14 former Orange Pride members interviewed by SI admitted to having sex with recruits but quotes two who said they were aware of others in the group doing so.
Additionally, four former players reported teammates "regularly took recruits to another female student who gave them oral sex."
"At OSU, we are determined to earn our victories with integrity both on the field and in the classroom," Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis said Friday in a video statement. "But after reading the accounts from former players, most of whom have long left the university, we must review these matters quickly but thoroughly, determine the truth and take whatever measures are appropriate. Let me emphasize whether the reporting was fair and credible is not the issue. The issue is the substance of the accusations and it is my responsibility as OSU president to assure that the review is fair, comprehensive and thorough - and it will be. Accordingly, we will be engaging an independent, experienced expert in NCAA matters to assist in the review. We also welcome the NCAA to work with us in this review."
George Dohrmann, who along with fellow SI senior writers Thayer Evans and Melissa Segura wrote Friday's story, spoke about the allegations of sex being used to help in recruiting during an interview on CBS Sports Radio.
"It may not shock people, but I think it's worth pointing out, this is what a football factory does," Dohrmann said. "They use women in this way."
Ronni Grigsby, who was not contacted for inclusion in the story, said she never felt objectified by the OSU football program while an Orange Pride member in 2007-09.
"They may have used me in the sense of being an attractive female, but I don't feel that was out of bounds," she said. "I felt like it was just making a positive look for the university.
"I didn't feel like I had to be a slut to be part of this organization. I think it was the opposite of that. They encouraged us to behave in a very mindful way of OSU."
Sexual activity between members and recruits is considered grounds for dismissal from the organization, said Betsey Weaver, who was Orange Pride adviser in 2005-07 and was not contacted for SI's story.
Julie Longan, an Orange Pride member in 2005-06, was one of the 14 former members interviewed by SI but was not quoted in the article. She said in May she received a phone call from Segura, who said she was working on an a human-interest story on hostess programs at colleges across the country.
Longan told Segura she never knew of Orange Pride members having sex with recruits.
"We did what we were supposed to do," Longan said. "We showed them around the campus. We talked to their parents. We were trying to sell OSU, not ourselves."
SI also referenced the role of Miles and Gundy in the Orange Pride interview process, saying they played a key role in vetting candidates.
Grigsby and Longan were Orange Pride members during Gundy's tenure as head coach, but neither remembers Gundy being present for their interview. Weaver was told Miles questioned candidates, but she said Gundy would occasionally come by to meet potential members but did not insist on interviewing them.
Regarding her interview, Longan said: "They didn't ask me about my hair-care products. They asked me, 'What's a first down?' and a few questions to make sure you understood football and you're not a cleat-chaser."
Weaver confirmed the article's statements that coaches would request certain hostesses for recruits but said it happened on occasion for reasons like matching hostesses with recruits with similar personality traits or who were from the same area.
Longan said Gundy would visit the Orange Pride meetings to tell the women not to engage in inappropriate activity with recruits.
"He wanted us dressed appropriately and acting appropriately," she said. "They didn't even like for us to be dating the guys our age, the football players."
Former members said they are upset by the tarnished reputation of Orange Pride, which also requires its 40-50 members to work office hours to help the football staff.
"We worked hard, and that's the truth," Longan said. "It wasn't a program designed to be flirty and silly. Did it help if we had a nice, smiling face? I'm sure it did. But that's not why we were there."
Kelly Hines 918-581-8452
kelly.hines@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Players claim sex with OSU hostesses
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.
In the final chapter of "The Dirty Game," Sports Illustrated said so many players have been jettisoned from the Oklahoma State football program and wound up in bad situations that this question should be asked: "How much did the program really care?"
