^day • November 4,1997
S The Battalion
PORTS
:ech officially under NCAA Investigation
lit
DAVE HOUSE/The Battalion
Picky Williams runs against A&m in Lubbock.
atic
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech’s
athletic program must answer to 18 al
leged NCAA rules violations in a case in
vestigators deem “major in nature,” ac
cording to a long-awaited infractions
letter released by the school Monday.
Tech has 90 days to respond to the al
legations, two of which already had been
reported by the school. Without being
specific, Chancellor JohnT. Montford said
the school would dispute some charges.
“The allegations, now that they are of
ficial, will be reviewed in depth,” Tech
President Donald Haragan said at a Mon
day night news conference. “We expect to
agree with some of them, and we expect
to disagree with some of them.”
Tech’s acknowledgement a month
ago that 76 athletes in eight sports com
peted ineligibly since 1991 made up one
of the alleged infractions. A second was
that the university gave too many schol
arships in football, baseball, men’s golf
and men’s track.
The 16 other allegations related to
men’s basketball and football. Most al
ready were reported in a 2 1 /2-year series
of Houston Chronicle stories.
Four points accuse Tech of improper
ly using correspondence courses through
Southeastern College of the Assemblies of
God in Lakeland, Fla. Two counts involve
the use of Howard College in Big Spring to
help prospective recruits earn credits.
Other allegations include:
—Football coaches allegedly paid for
mer defensive lineman Stephen Gaines
$1,010. Former assistant football coach
Rhudy Maskew then allegedly lied to
school officials about potential rules vio
lations involving Gaines.
—Bail bondsman Bob Matney alleged
ly arranged for athletes to make bail at free
or reduced rates.
—A local law firm partnered by John
Sims, a Tech regent at the time, allegedly
provided free or low-cost legal services to
athletes referred by basketball and football
coaches.
—Cases of athletic staff providing mi
nor “extra benefits,” including petty cash
and automobile rides.
—A general “lack of monitoring and a
lack of appropriate institutional control”
in the athletic department.
“Please note that based upon a review of
the alleged violations set forth in this in
quiry, this case appears to be ‘major’ in na
ture,” NCAA enforcement director David
Berst said in an Oct. 31 letter to Haragan
that accompanied 57 pages of allegations.
Since the NCAA investigation began
in February 1996, Montford has restruc
tured the athletic department and hired
several new compliance officers. Many
of the individuals accused no longer
work for Tech.
Within 30 days of Tech’s response,
school officials and NCAA enforcement
staffers will meet to discuss any differ
ences of opinion. New Tech compliance
director Robert Burton said the NCAA
Committee on Infractions, which for
mally hears cases and metes out pun
ishment, probably will consider the
matter at its April 24 meeting.
The committee usually issues sanc
tions about six weeks after the hearing,
though the university could impose sanc
tions upon itself well before then.
“It’s a consideration,” Montford said.
“At this point, we aren’t ready to make that
decision. There are a wide range of re
sponses on the issue of self-imposition.”
He wouldn’t speculate on what kind of
sanctions the NCAA could issue.
The football team is now tied for first
place in the Big 12 South Division and could
go to a bowl game by winning two of three
remaining games. Montford wouldn’t say if
he might remove the Red Raiders from
bowl consideration this season.
According to league rules, however,
Tech would remain a candidate for the Big
12 championship game even if it declines
to pursue a bowl.
“Either way, they’re not going to take
away the Big 12 Championship game, and
that’s our main goal,” safety Keith Cock-
rum said earlier Monday.
hronological time line of the alleged rule violations committed by the Texas Tech Athletic Department
I be larch
1
23, 1995: The Houston
Tie reports the NCAA is looking
'mrses at the Southeastern College
Issemblies of God taken by athletes
University of Houston, University
|ttc and Texas l ech.
irCjlv2,1995: In its first story specifi-
jni out Tech, the Chronicle reports
HllWcetball recruit Nate Jackson took
hh#isual correspondence Spanish
at Howard College in Big Spring
itjc s trying to transfer.
n<
— Feb. 28,1996: The NCAA sends Texas
Tech a letter of preliminary inquiry into
possible men’s basketball and football vi
olations beginning in 1991. Then school
President Robert Lawless says the univer
sity will cooperate.
— Dec. 5, 1996: Some members of
Tech’s Faculty Senate claim that football
players tend to expect preferential treat
ment in terms of grades and class work
load. Players and coaches from many
sports deny the accusation.
— Feb. 16,1997: The Chronicle reports
All-America running back Byron
Hanspard, a junior, and senior offensive
lineman Casey Jones had 0.00 grade point
averages for the fall 1996 semester.
Hanspard had entered the NFL draft after
the season ended.
— Feb. 18, 1997: Former defensive
lineman Stephen Gaines sues Texas Tech,
claiming coach Spike Dykes and two oth
ers used him for his playing ability and
without regard to his academic progress.
A judge later dismisses the case.
— March 7, 1997: Men’s basketball play
ers Duece Jones and Gracen Averil are pulled
from a Big 12 tournament game because of
academic ineligibility. The team withdraws
from NCAA Tournament consideration.
— March 12, 1997: Chancellor John
Montford demotes three academic officials
who handled eligibility and compliance.
— May 9, 1997: Tech admits its base
ball team, ranked No. 1 the week before,
violated the NCAA-mandated scholar
ship limit.
— Aug. 30, 1997: Linebacker Eric Butler
and cornerbackTony Darden are suspend
ed from Tech’s opener at Tennessee for mak
ing unauthorized long-distance calls on ath
letic department phones.
— Oct. 2, 1997: An internal audit re
veals that 76 athletes in eight sports
competed ineligibly since 1991. Tech
also confirms violations of scholarship
limits in baseball, football, men’s golf
and men’s track.
singhorns use Williams as motivation as year lingers on
STIN (AP) — Texas coach John
Me did not help the chances of
|his job by losing to Baylor, a
k Bears’ own coach called the
a America.
Jfexas Longhorns (3-5, 1-4 Big 12)
i a state of confusion Monday,
mgto come up with motivation for
jpal three games against Texas Tech
I),Kansas and Texas A&M.
!e, integrity and Ricky Williams’ at-
obreakEarl Campbell’s single sca
thing record of 1,744 yards were
iheonly incentives players could
ip with.
tregoing to try to play the spoiler in
112 South race,” said Texas line-
iBrandon Nava. “I didn’t come to
Uplay spoiler, but we have to make
iveout of the situation we’re in.”
ianner headline in the Austin
tan-Statesman after Texas’ 23-21
Baylor pronounced “The Darkest
over a picture of Mackovic. Baylor
Dave Roberts had called Baylor
orst team in America after the
were beaten by then-winless Iowa
State two weeks ago.
Reports quoting unidentified sources
have said Mackovic will be fired at the
end of the season, but he again refused
to address the situation Monday.
“I’ve said all I’m going to say on that,”
Mackovic said.
Last week, after a loss to Colorado,
Mackovic said he
would only talk about
the team, adding that
he expected to coach
at Texas for many
more years.”
Nava, in trying to
find any positives,
said he thought the
defense had im
proved in the Long
horns’ loss to Baylor.
“We gave up 23
points, and we had been giving up 40,”
Nava said. “You have to start somewhere.”
The one obvious bright spot is
Williams, who ran for his fourth-straight
200-yard game (226) and increased his
lead as the nation’s top rusher (175.5
Mackovic
yards per game).
Texas officials say replays show
Williams should have been credited with
41 more yards than he was. They peti
tioned to Baylor to have Williams’ output
reported to the NCAA as 267 yards,
which would increase his per game av
erage to 180.6 yards.
With a fifth straight 200-yard game this
week against Tech, Williams would tie the
NCAA record shared by Barry Sanders and
Marcus Allen.
“It’s frustrating because I’m going for
200 yards, but we keep losing,” Williams
said. “It’s hard to get excited about any
thing right now.”
Texas’ offensive linemen said they are
finding incentive in blocking forWilliams,
a junior who is likely to head for the NFL
after this season.
Center Ryan Fiebiger and tackle Jay
Humphrey both said they wanted
Williams to break 2,000 yards. He current
ly has 1,404 yards and would need to av
erage 199 yards per game to break it. He
needs to average 113 yards per game to
break Campbell’s mark.
“He’s capable of getting 2,000 yards the
way he’s been going,” Fiebiger said. “If he
did it, that would be something, as an of
fensive lineman blocking for him, that I
could tell my grandkids about.”
Texas’ bowl hopes were greatly dimin
ished by the Baylor loss. Texas has to win
its last three games to even qualify for a
bowl berth.
“Right now, I’m playing for myself and
for Ricky,” Humphrey said.
Mackovic praised Williams for his
effort against Baylor, which included
two rushing scores and a halfback pass
for aTD.
“That pass worked just the way we
drew it up, and that hasn’t happened too
much this year,” Mackovic said.
In assessing the season, linebacker
Dusty Renfro said there wasn’t a game on
the schedule that Texas shouldn’t have
won. Asked if that meant Texas had un
derachieved, he said, “I guess you could
say that.”
The Longhorns have had trouble at
home against Texas Tech, which has won
two of the last four meetings in Austin.
ikman remains confident
alias can still reach playoffs
Werback sets goal of 10-6 record after team’s poor start
'^G (AP) —Troy Aikman thinks the Dallas
joys—their sputtering offense notwith-
j®g—still have what it takes to be a part of
second season,
e, I believe we can still make the playoffs,
at’snot just talk,” Aikman said Monday, in
;e of the Cowboys’ 17-10 loss to SanFran -
: adefeat that left Dallas at 4-5. “Why? Be-
ifehave the personnel to do it.”
[ban said the Cowboys would have to win
far last seven games.
juess 10-6 would do it,” he said. “We
•Host yet at home and we still have five
We’d have to win one on the road. It
Ibe tough to make the playoffs this year
ast nine victories.”
I Coach Barry Switzer thinks nine wins
doit.
aid the team the division could be won
'ena9-7 record,” he said. “I told them right
tfte in the same boat with Philadelphia
ishington. We’re all about the same. We’re
Mas they are, and they’re as good as we are.
(New York) Giants (6-3) have a tough
Me the rest of the way. If we win six of sev-
Would be in great shape.”
Cowboys have won five consecutive NFC
les, but have lost four division games on the
'their worst start since 1990.
focal point of the Cowboys’ subpar play
•toffensive ineptitude — went unchanged
tyat San Francisco.
'Cowboys have reached the end zone only
Ms in 34 forays into inside the opposition’s
M-line — the worst record in the NFC.
than said none of the Dallas players cared
5report Switzer had been out until 4 a.m.
:o a game a month ago.
»ur guys are just going out and doing the
we can and don’t worry about all that
iff,’’Aikman said.
'Cowboys also have big injury problems.
MdNate Newton has a knee injury and is
'hble for next Sunday against Arizona.
Running back Emmitt Smith — the primary
victim of the offensive line’s failures with just one
rushing TD — also is questionable. He didn’t play
the second half against the 49ers, and will under
go an MRI on Tuesday.
“My injury is about the same,” Smith said
Monday. “I hurt it when I tried to plant my foot.
We’ll see how my body responds.”
Offensive tackle Mark Tuinei will undergo
exploratory surgery Friday for a knee injury.
Tuinei is expected to miss at least two weeks
and perhaps the rest of the season, trainer Jim
Maurer said.
“Sure, I believe we can still make the
playoffs, and that’s not just talk. We
have the personnel to do it.”
TROY AIKMAN
DALLAS QUARTERBACK
Tyson expects to be banned for life
NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Tyson be
lieves he will not regain his boxing li
cense, suspended by the Nevada Athlet
ic Commission because he bit Evander
Holyfield twice during their heavyweight
championship fight.
In an interview Monday night on ABC
television, Tyson was asked by AlexWal-
lau whether he thought the commission
would reinstate him next year.
“Truly, I think I’ll be banned for the
rest of my life,” Tyson said.
Wallau asked the ex-champion why
he believed that.
“I truly think everyone hates me,” he
said. “I truly believe that. Because no one
gets punished more than I am. But I un
derstand. I’m a big boy and I believe big
boys have big ordeals to be dealt with.”
Tyson was suspended by the com
mission following the Holyfield fight last
June at Las Vegas. He can request rein
statement after one year.
Tyson said he believed people want
him to beg for mercy.
“I’m not that way with anyone,” he
said. “This is who I am and maybe some
times it’s the insecurity. I want to be the
defiant person. That’s part of my insecu
rity, but you know, it’s just who I am.”
Tyson said he feels “disgust, disdain
and humiliation” when he watches
tapes of the Holyfield fight.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” he said of
the biting. “It was just striking out and to
tally hatred right there. I shouldn’t have
done that because for that one moment,
I just forgot he was a human being.
“It was extremeness. There was
some serious stuff going on in my
head. I just snapped. I was no longer
playing under the rules. Any kind of
functional thinking, any kind of ratio
nal thinking, that was totally out the
window.”
Tyson wishes he knew why.
“It’s pretty embarrassing,” he said.
“Once the boundaries were crossed, I
had no more respect for the rules or
principles of rules, and they were just...
open game. I just totally lost it.”
Tyson said he has been in therapy
since the Holyfield affair, trying to
change some things about himself.
“It’s kind of scary to change and feel a
little helpless in changing,” he said.
COURTSEY TEXAS SPORTS INFORMATION
UT’s Ricky Williams is on pace to break Earl
Campbell’s single season rushing record
Stewart receives
honor from Big 12
DALLAS (AP) — Texas A&M
quarterback Branndon Stewart, Ne
braska rush end Grant Wistrom and
Kansas defensive back Jason Harris
have been named the Big 12 players
of the week.
Stewart, the offensive honoree,
was 18-of-33 for 226 yards and a
touchdown. His 2-point conversion
pass to Sirr Parker with 43 seconds
left in regulation forced overtime
and led to A&M’s 28-25 victory over
Oklahoma State that put the Aggies
into a three-way tie for the Big 12
South lead with the Cowboys and
Texas Tech.
Wistrom, a consensus All-Amer
ica last year, earned top defensive
honors by making nine solo tackles
and three sacks, forcing three fum
bles and recovering one as No. 1 Ne
braska destroyed Oklahoma 69-7. It
was his sixth career game with two
or more sacks.
Harris earned special teams hon
ors for blocking two punts, returning
the second for a touchdown, as
Kansas beat Iowa State 34-24.
“We’re having the surgery because we’re not
sure about him,” Maurer said.
The Cowboys are prepared to sign Derek Ken-
nard to bolster the offensive line.
Defensive tackle Chad Hennings, who has
been out with a pulled groin, could return to
practice this week.
“We’re not doing any finger pointing around
here,’’Aikman said. “We can’t keep playing the way
we’ve been playing and make the playoffs. But we
still have veterans who believe in one another.
“We’ve just lost some of the confidence that
comes from winning. We haVe to get that
back.”
Aikman wouldn’t say if he thought the Cow
boys needed a coaching change, saying he would
defer to owner Jerry Jones.
“It’s not my responsibility who is directing
the show,” Aikman said. “I’m tiying to figure out
how to score on second-and-goal.”
Boston’s Garciaparra sweeps award
NEW YORK (AP) — Nomar Garcia
parra was the unanimous winner of the
American League Rookie of the Year
award Monday following one of the best
seasons ever by a shortstop.
Garciaparra hit .306 for the Boston
Red Sox with 30 homers, 98 RBIs, 122
runs and 22 steals. He set major-
league records for most RBIs by a
leadoff hitter and most homers by a
rookie shortstop.
The 24-year-old Garciaparra, the
sixth unanimous winner of the AL
Rookie award, received all 28 first-
place votes and 140 points in ballot
ing by the Baseball Writers’ Associa
tion of America.
Other unanimous winners were
Carlton Fisk (1972), Sandy Alomar Jr.
(1990), Mark McGwire (1987) and Tim
Salmon (1993).
Jose Cruz Jr., an outfielder traded
from the Seattle Mariners to the Toron
to Blue Jays, was second with 61 points,
following by Anaheim pitcher Jason
Dickson (27), Detroit shortstop Deivi
Cruz (12), Cleveland pitcher Jaret Wright
(7) and Chicago White Sox outfielder
Mike Cameron (5).
Ballots were cast before the postsea
son, in which Wright went 3-0.
In a season where the Red Sox floun
dered, Garciaparra led the majors with 68
multihit games and paced the AL with 209
hits and 11 triples. His 30-game hitting
streak from July 26-Aug. 29 set an AL rook
ie record; four more than Guy Curtright’s
previous mark in 1943.
Garciaparra broke Johnny Pesky’s
Red Sox rookie record for hits (205 in
1942), and his 365 total bases broke Ted
Williams’ team rookie record (344 in
1939). He also became the first Boston
player to reach double figures in dou
bles, triples, homers and steals since
Jackie Jensen in 1956.
Garciaparra batted .241 in 24 games
with the Red Sox in 1996, then won the
shortstop job in spring training when
John Valentin was moved to second
base. Garciaparra became the sixth
Boston player to win the award, follow
ing Walt Dropo (1950), Don Schwall
(1961), Fisk and Fred Lynn (1975).