TULSA WORLD HOMEPAGE | Saturday, November 21, 2009 | WIRELESS
CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBER SERVICES | SIGN IN SIGN OUT | MY PROFILE PAGE | MY ACCOUNT

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on RSS
Sports Extra!
Follow us on ...
OU | OSU | TU | ORU | HIGH SCHOOLS | COLLEGE FOOTBALL | COLLEGE BASKETBALL | NFL | FANTASY | OUTDOORS | GOLF | PROS | ALL


SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS
    Sports Editor
Mike Strain
Sports Columnist
Dave Sittler
The Picker
Entertaining & Infuriating

LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US
BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

TULSA WORLD

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA

Newspaper View Newspaper View      Print this story Print      Email this story Email     
Share      Bookmark Bookmark

NCAA hearing awaits OSU baseball
 
By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Published: 7/9/2009  2:32 AM
Last Modified: 7/9/2009  3:53 AM

 On Aug. 7, Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis, athletic director Mike Holder and baseball coach Frank Anderson will be in Indianapolis to meet with members of the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

For the first time since 1992, an OSU program — in this case, baseball — is alleged to have committed a major violation.

Documents obtained by the Tulsa World through an open-records request and first reported on tulsaworld.com indicate that a former OSU baseball player allegedly received a gift — a used car — from an out-of-state church congregation in December 2007.

The documents do not identify the former player, the church or the location of the church. An OSU source indicated that the former player was an active member of the Cowboy baseball team only in 2006 and 2007, receiving only limited playing time.

In a response letter addressed to Hargis, the OSU athletic department acknowledged being aware that the former player was given a car.

The letter stated that Scott Williams, OSU's associate athletic director for compliance, "should have made greater inquiry into the source of the gift, which would have led to the conclusion that the gift was, in fact, impermissible."

In a letter also addressed to Hargis, David Price, the NCAA's vice president of enforcement, wrote that the Committee on Infractions "will determine if violations of NCAA legislation have occurred and whether those violations are major or secondary
violations. If the committee finds that major violations have occurred, then it will determine what penalties are appropriate."

An OSU spokesman explained that the former player was on an out-of-state summer baseball roster in 2007, and during that summer attended a church. The player did not own a vehicle and had money problems, the spokesman said.

Months later, in December 2007, church members contributed to the purchase of a used car for the player. The OSU spokesman said the car was a 10-year-old model valued at less than $5,000.

OSU's NCAA compliance office initially determined that the car did not qualify as an impermissible gift because the church had no connection to Oklahoma State University. The university reported that the church had no history of OSU ticket purchases or donations.

Later, when OSU officials revisited the facts of the situation, the player was ruled ineligible for the 2008 season.

In the response to Hargis, the athletic department wrote that church members "have made clear that their gifts were motivated by their concern for the young man (and) not by his association to (OSU)." The OSU athletic department described the church's gift as "an innocent and charitable act."

The NCAA's allegation of a major violation is the first for OSU since 1992, when the Cowboy wrestling program was penalized for a litany of violations.

OSU reports several violations to NCAA, Big 12

Since July 2008, oklahoma State University self-reported these rules violations — all listed by the university as “secondary” — to the NCAA and the Big 12. In compliance with an open-records request, OSU provided this information to the Tulsa World:

Football: For OSU’s home game against missouri State on Sept. 13, two inactive Cowboy players were given club-level tickets by the family of a teammate. While in the club level, each of the inactive players had a plate of food. The food was determined to have been an impermissible benefit.

The value of the meals was determined to be $10, and the players reimbursed the athletic department for that amount.

Football: In october, a recruit’s official visit extended beyond the permitted 48 hours. receiving letters of admonishment were robert matthews, who then was OSU’s director of football operations, and graduate assistant Vinson Reynolds.

Matthews now is OSU’s quarterbacks coach.

Wrestling: In January, head coach John Smith conducted an organized team workout during a period when practice was not allowed. Subsequently, that practice time was subtracted from OSU’s allowable practice time. Also, Cowboy assistant Eric Guerrero made an impermissible phone call to a recruit. Guerrero received a letter of admonishment.

Women’s golf: In December, while in miami, Fla., OSU coach Annie Young had impermissible interaction with a prospective student-athlete.

Young received a letter of admonishment.

Men’s track and cross country: In July 2008, head coach Dave Smith made an impermissible phone call to a recruit. In october, while in Covina, Calif., Smith had impermissible interaction with a prospective student-athlete. In February, while in Washington, D.C., Smith had impermissible interaction with a recruit. Last month, Smith had an impermissible e-mail exchange with a prospect.

Bill Haisten 581-8397
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com
By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer

Newspaper View Newspaper View      Print this story Print      Email this story Email     
Share      Bookmark Bookmark


COMMENTS 
      Add your comment Show: Most Recent Comment First

15 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
Report Comment Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you.  -- Web Editor Jason Collington
 

 
Report Comment
Graybeard, Tulsa (7/9/2009 1:27:02 PM)
Sounds like a bitter pill is going to be swallowed by everyone. It's a shame for the student-athlete, because he's the one that will likely suffer the most.
Report Comment
Rhymeister, Tokyo, JPN (7/9/2009 6:15:01 AM)
I'm sure the NCAA will penalize Ok State a lot more for this car gift, which the NCAA should have absolutely no jurisdiction, than they will for all the crap that's been going on at USC. What a complete joke...
Report Comment
52favoriteteacher, Washburn--used to be Broken Arrow (7/9/2009 10:20:52 AM)
20 dollar gifts are cool

3995 is a little troublemaker...
Report Comment
TK1, (7/9/2009 8:25:37 AM)
This is insane. A church does what a church is supposed to do in ministering to a member of its congregation and it becomes an NCAA violation. Where does the NCAA jurisdiction end? Sounds like retaliation against OSU in the NCAA's loss of the case against Andy Oliver.
Report Comment
CowboyBobDog, Creek Cty (7/9/2009 8:55:01 AM)
NCAA Nazis

(Bobdog is glad passing gas was only a club sport.)
Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (7/9/2009 10:44:10 AM)
This is silly indeed.
Report Comment
what now brown cow, (7/9/2009 8:47:53 AM)
his should have test drove the unit and left the title in the church"s name.
Report Comment
baseballbuddy, (7/9/2009 10:33:02 AM)
It saddens me about the ncaa alegations surrounding the gift to the osu baseball player. I have known this young man since he was a 7th grader and I also know the circumstances surrounding the gift.I can assure you that there is not a finer young man, his character is above reproach and the bizzarre story of his own mother's successful attempt to destroy his (very promising) baseball career should be what comes of all this. Its sad that this incredibly fine young man continues to endure the embarrasment and humiliation caused by his outrageously insane mother.
Report Comment
TTownMan, (7/9/2009 2:10:32 PM)
No "Good Deed" goes unpunished! Unfortunately, this has become more typical in our society.
Report Comment
The ORIGINAL Adman, (7/9/2009 8:26:49 AM)
It's sad that it has come to this... a church can't support a kid, who just happens to be a student athlete, without causing him problems.

I understand why it has to be so strict, but that is only because there have been so many repeat offenders over the years who have really taken advantage of the system.

However, if the NCAA really wanted to do some good, they would levy fair penalties across the board to both the schools with little success and schools with major successes.

Lots of power house programs get their hands slapped so the NCAA can avoid losing TV ratings and revenues.

I'm not gonna start a debate over local teams, but as a recent example, you can cite USC.
Report Comment
LesGuvment, Sand Springs (7/9/2009 3:50:57 AM)
I don`t see a problem. Sounds kinda` petty.
Report Comment
FreeDrop, (7/9/2009 8:49:05 AM)
The player also received the gift of everlasting life after accepting Jesus Christ as his Saviour. This, too, was deemed an impermissible gift by the NCAA. God was sent a letter of admonishment.
Report Comment
MexiMike, Tulsa (7/9/2009 9:11:57 AM)
Haha! Very nice, FreeDrop.

This is a bit out of hand and as petty as it sounds, I have no doubt the NCAA is pouting and exacting their infantile revenge due to the Andy Oliver case.
Report Comment
FootballFan, (7/9/2009 8:59:28 AM)
CHEATERS!!!!
Report Comment
ORBSBL, (7/29/2009 11:58:33 AM)
baseballbuddy is exactly right. I know this kid and he is an unbelievable role model for young athletes. If you knew the whole story and how his mother has tried and succeeded in ruing his baseball career, it would make you sick. "Player" if you read this, God Bless and we are thinking of you.
 

 
Add Your Comment 
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.

 
Post Your Comment
 



Home | About Tulsa World | Advertise With Us | Privacy | Usage Agreement | FAQ and Help | Contact Us | Today's Headlines
Copyright © 2009, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved.