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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 5, 1987)
Thursday, March 5, 1987/The Battalion/Page 11 Sports |$MU officials want investigation ponsored by Methodist Church DALLAS (AP) — Southern Meth odist University officials called Wednesday for a church-sponsored [investigation into conflicting [statements between SMU board oembers and Gov. Bill Clements, vho said he and other members con- |unued illicit cash payments to foot ball players. Clements, who resigned as chair man of the SMU Board of Gover nors before taking office in January, [said Tuesday that he and other oard members decided to “phase out” the payments after the NCAA out the school on its sixth probation 1985. But current board members, who net on the issue Wednesday, said (they were stunned by Clements’ Comments, denied any knowledge of payments to players and said anyone vithsuch knowledge should resign. “Everyone unanimously said they vere not aware of any continuing payments,” board chairman William lutchison said after the meeting. The board asked the president of khe United Methodist Church’s Col lege of Bishops to appoint an “exter nal committee” to investigate the ac curacy of the board members’ Statements. Asked about the members’ contin ued denials that they knew anything [ibout the payments, Clements said Wednesday: “Well I’d just keep talk ing to them if I were you. Everybody lias to say what they’re comfortable vith.” The governor also denied the [firestorm of reaction would have any alitical effect on his administration. Clements’ statements in his regu lar weekly news conference marked khe first time anyone had linked top school officials to cash payments to players. Last week, the NCAA abolished KMU’s 1987 football program in the parshest penalty against any colle giate football program. The NCAA laid a $61,000 slush fund set up by a school booster was used to pay 13 players. | At the time allegations of the lat est payments surfaced, SMU already Ivas on a three-year probation that pegan in August 1985. In assessing SMU’s seventh probation last week, the NCAA said payments continued through December 1986. Hutchison said Wednesday he “Students feel the worth of their degree is being undermined. ” Trevor Pearlman, student body president couldn’t explain the contradictions between the board’s statements and Clements’ comments. He said he spoke with Clements by telephone after the governor’s news conference Tuesday and that Clements told him that “the Board of Governors as a board was not a part of this thing. The Board of Governors was not involved.” In a statement issued after the board’s meeting Wednesday, mem bers said anyone involved should "publicly disclose such information and . . . for the sake of the university resign from any position with the university.” Student body president Trevor Pearlman said Wednesday the SMU Student Senate will talk to attorneys this week about pursuing legal ac tion “against all responsible parties and individuals” who mishandled the school’s football recruiting. “Students feel the worth of their degree is being undermined,” Pearl man said. In response to questions during his news conference Tuesday, Clem ents said for the first time that the board was aware in 1985 of cash pay ments and decided “that that pro gram would be phased out.” But he did not elaborate on the time frame for phasing out the pay ments. In an interview with the Dallas Morning News, Clements said the board decided to continue payments to 26 student athletes after “the ad vice of counsel and collaboration” with others. He said “at least half’ of the 17 board members “understand the de tails of what we are talking about. But the other half accept in good faith that we in a judgmental sense made the right decision in the inter est of the institution.” The decision stemmed from a “moral obligation” to honor commit ments to the players who were re ceiving money, Clements said. But the Dallas Times Herald quoted an unidentified booster who was one of nine banned from asso ciating with the university in 1985 as saying “strong threats were made by football players” that they would go to the NCAA if the commitments weren’t honored. In the interview with the Morning News, Clements implied the NCAA was aware of the decision to con tinue payments. “The NCAA understood that we had a commitment to them we would never again recruit in the manner these other kids were re cruited . . . We all understood each other,” he said. In the interview with the Morning News, Clements said the improper system for payments to SMU ath letes began as far back as 1976 dur ing the coaching tenure of Ron Meyer and former athletic director Russ Potts. Potts denied it saying, “That’s ab solutely ludicrous ... If such a thing was going on, I had no knowledge of that — absolutely none.” Meyer, now head coach of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, said, “I can’t believe that. I was not aware of anything — nothing to my knowl edge. Everything I was involved with at the time came out in the investiga tion ... I think it’s a matter of how far back you want to go.” Clements said the decision to con tinue the payments was made with the understanding SMU football would “return to a program of abso lute integrity. That we gave that pledge to the NCAA and we also had commitments from the athletic di rector (Bob Hitch) and Coach (Bobby) Collins that they would abide by that decision. And that we would return to an absolutely clean program at SMU . . .” Kim Labuschagne, Texas A&M’s No. 1 singles player, follows through on a backhand in her Photo by Bill Hughes match with TCU’s Rene Simpson Wednesday. Labushagne dropped the match 7-5, 7-6. TCU hands Lady Aggies 7th straight loss as women's tennis team suffers 9-0 shutout By Hal L. Hammons Sports Writer The Texas A&M women’s ten nis team continued its downward slide into the conference season in a 9-0 loss to Texas Christian Wednesday at the Omar Smith- Tennis Center. The loss was the seventh in a row for the Lady Aggies, who are now 6-8. After losing the No. 2, 4 and 6 singles matches, A&M was close to making the contest respectable. Kim Labuschagne finally lost her No. 1 match to Rene Simpson in a second set tiebreaker, 7-5, 7- 6. Lisa Keller and Jenifer Jones both went three sets before los ing. Keller was beaten by Rhona Howett 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 in No. 3 ac tion, and TCU’s Marnie Ochoa defeated Jones 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in the No. 5 match. With a victory already in their grasp, the Horned Frogs did not let up the pressure in the doubles matches. TCU took all three matches in straight sets. In the No. 1 match, Simpson and Teresa Dobson beat Keller and Labuschagne 6-4, 6-3. How ett and Margpt van Velden beat Jones and Laura Liong 6-4, 7-6 in the No. 2 match. A&M’s Missy Kibler and Kelly Dorman lost to Ochoa and Kris Clevenger 7-5, 7- 5 in No. 3 doubles. In other singles action, Dobson blanked Liong 6-0, 6-0 in the No. 2 match; and No. 4 player van Velden beat Kellie Dorman 6-0, 6-3; Kibler fell to Melanie Breed 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 6 match. A&M Coach Bobby Kleinecke said the team was really down be cause of the losing streak. “We’re a little bit down, and that’s normal,” Kleinecke said. THE 1986-87 AGGIELAND WILL BE TAKING MAKE-UP PICTURES... MARCH 2 UNTIL MARCH 6 ATAR PHOTOGRAPHY 707 TEXAS AVE. SUITE 120B 8:00 A.M.-12:00 P.M. AND 1:00 P.M.-5:00 P.M. MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AVOID CALL DOMINO'S PIZZA $1 OFF Avoid the Noid'* and get $1 off any 2 item or more pizza, one coupon per pizza, good at listed locations only m * • o z Expires: 4/15/87 DOMINO’S PIZZA DELIVERS ® FREE. ...... Meet the NOID™ He loves to ruin your pizza. He makes your pizza cold, or late, or he squashes your pizza box so the cheese gets stuck to the top. With one call to Domino’s Pizza, you can avoid the NOID. 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