Three down, two to go.
Sports Illustrated's five-part special investigative report into the Oklahoma State football program is past the midpoint.
Thursday's drug-themed Chapter 3 alleged that widespread marijuana use by players - and drug-dealing players - went "largely unexamined, unchecked and untreated" for the sake of winning games.
Two bombs have yet to drop.
A Chapter 4 topic will be sex: SI will allege on Friday that a small subset of members from a student hostess group had sex with recruits.
And the series will wrap up with a final chapter Tuesday - two days after OSU plays a football game for the first time since SI kicked off "The Dirty Game." That's the name of the project and it's the cover story in this week's issue of the magazine.
OSU plays its home opener Saturday against Lamar. Though winning a football game is the mission for the Cowboys, a different game is being played out in the aftermath of SI's portrayals that OSU wanted to be a football factory so badly that the program played fast and loose in regard to money, academics and drugs.
Former OSU players have lined up to issue denials or say their words were taken out of context or say they were approached under sketchy pretenses.
Media who are covering the coverage are pointing out the ethics of using disgruntled former players as primary sources or they are scavenging for possible inaccuracies.
On Thursday, ESPN's Brett McMurphy cited documents to assert that some aspects of accusations by former player Fath' Carter aren't true. Carter said earlier this week that he is standing by what he told SI.
George Dohrmann, who teamed with Thayer Evans in writing and reporting the story, said in an SI video this week that the reaction to the series has been interesting. Dohrmann said that, outside of Oklahoma, the series is generating talk about "larger issues" in college athletics.
"Within sort of more of the bubble of the serious fan base (in Oklahoma), the school itself, the media there, I think you are seeing efforts to (support) 'we don't want this to be true.' There are efforts to grab ahold of little things and try to make bigger deals out of them than they really are. But so far for us, we always feel like if you are attacking the messenger of the story, then that's a positive because that means the facts are solid."
On Thursday, The Tulsa World submitted two specific questions to SI related to the project. The questions were not addressed, but this statement was released:
"In its 10-month investigation of the Oklahoma State football program, Sports Illustrated spoke independently with more than 60 former players and eight former assistant coaches as well as members of the university's administration. Interviews were recorded and subsequently reviewed by a team of editors and fact-checkers. Sports Illustrated stands behind the work and the investigation."
In the latest salvo, SI reported that 30 players said they used marijuana from 2001-11 and some players indicated it was common for some Cowboys to smoke marijuana before games.
Calvin Mickens, a cornerback who was dismissed in 2007 for a violation of team rules, said, "(Against) teams we knew we were going to roll, a couple of guys would get high. Some of the guys (it) didn't matter what game it was, they were going to get high."
Responded former defensive lineman Ugo Chinasa on Twitter: "How (do) we smoke weed before games when we were locked down nights before games in the hotel with police around on same floor as us?"
Herschel Sims, a running back who was dismissed from the team in 2012, said so many people were smoking marijuana regularly during the 2011 Fiesta Bowl season that if the school had suspended players who had the drug in their system that "we probably would have lost about 15-20 people who actually played."
OSU indicated to SI that 18 of the team's 100-plus players were randomly tested by the NCAA before the game. The result was a positive test and a suspension.
SI said three former players admitted they dealt marijuana during the 2001, 2004 and 2006 seasons. SI said players from seven other seasons between 2001 and 2012 were accused by teammates of dealing and one, former receiver Bo Bowling, was accused by police of dealing.
Bowling was allowed to rejoin the team as a walk-on in 2010 after getting a one-year deferred sentence in regard to charges of possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. He was ordered to serve a 30-day sentence in the Payne County jail and was released after two weeks. He also completed a counseling program before being reinstated to the team.
Bowling denied to KOTV that he was a dealer and told the television station that coach Mike Gundy "changed my life by letting me get back on the team, and prove myself to them and to the team and to whoever else doubted me. ... So, SI can sit here and try to make OSU look bad, but at the end of the day, you're making them look good because this story is a success story, and it changed my life."
The drug-themed story went beyond marijuana. Former defensive end William Bell, dismissed from the team following his only season, told SI he sold marijuana and methamphetamine while at OSU, making $300 or $400 a week on weed alone.
Former defensive back Thomas Wright (dismissed from the team after playing in 2004) said he and other players snorted cocaine. Former defensive tackle Larry Brown also was quoted as saying he saw cocaine use.
SI questioned the qualifications of Joel Tudman, who multitasks as a counselor, team chaplain and strength and conditioning coach. SI alleged that he advised players on how to continue using marijuana. He denied that and said his job is to make sure "drug use has to decline and stop."
SI series schedule
Sports Illustrated's five-part investigative series on Oklahoma State's football program was launched Tuesday. The project will continue this week and conclude next week.
Part 1: Money (Tuesday). SI quotes past players alleging that OSU was lax on booster access to players, and that coaches and boosters provided payments to players.
Part 2: Academics (Wednesday). SI alleges that "widespread academic misconduct" was part of the OSU football culture.
Part 3: Drugs (Thursday). SI alleges that OSU tolerated and, at times, enabled recreational drug use.
Part 4: Sex (Friday). SI will allege that OSU's hostess program, Orange Pride, was prominent in recruiting and a small subset of the group had sex with recruits.
Part 5: The Fallout (Tuesday, Sept. 17): SI will allege that many players who were no longer useful to the football program were cast aside, returning to worlds they had hoped to escape.
Jimmie Tramel 918-581-8389
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Report alleges drug use, dealing (PRINT)
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.
