'I didn't want this'

Plaintiff in suit that lead to OSU coach's firing tells SI.com her story

By Stewart Mandel, SI.com

Boban Savovic played four seasons with the Buckeyes, including the 1999 Final Four squad. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Speaking publicly for the first time since Ohio State fired men's basketball coach Jim O'Brien on June 8, Kathleen Salyers, the woman whose lawsuit precipitated an NCAA investigation into the Buckeyes' program, told SI.com that she believes O'Brien was aware she provided extra benefits for former O.S.U. player Slobodan (Boban) Savovic as early as 1998, his freshman season. And Salyers' attorney, Jeff Lucas, showed SI.com phone records that may corroborate her claim that assistant coach Paul Biancardi orchestrated her arrangement with Savovic.

"I would have preferred to settle this case a long time ago, and it wouldn't have come to this," Salyers said on Monday. "I hate to see anyone lose their job. I didn't want this."

Salyers, 47, a part-time housekeeper in the Columbus area, is suing O.S.U. booster Dan and his ex-wife Kim Roslovic, both of whom are Ohio State alums. Salyers, who provided babysitting services for the Roslovic's three children, claims they reneged on a verbal agreement to pay her $1,000 a month plus reimburse expenses if she would provide for Savovic during his four-year career. Savovic initially lived with the Roslovics upon moving to Columbus in June 1998 but was forced to leave after the Ohio State athletic department learned of the arrangement.

Salyers' complaint alleges Dan Roslovic proposed the terms of the agreement to her in a phone call placed from Biancardi's office. Phone records subpoenaed from Ohio State by Lucas show four phone calls to Salyers' home number -- one on July 26, 1998, three on July 28, 1998 -- from a cell phone number labeled on the phone records as belonging to "Basketball Assistant." Both Dan and Kim Roslovic testified in their depositions that Savovic left their home in late July. A letter from the NCAA to Ohio State classifying Savovic's living arrangements as "impermissible" was dated July 24, 1998.

Biancardi,  who is now the head coach at Wright State, released a statement last week denying Salyers' allegations. When told on Monday of the phone records, Wright State spokesman Bob Noss said the school would not comment. Biancardi, speaking through Noss, declined comment and referred to his statement from last week. Karen Lidbrauch, Salyers' former neighbor, testified in her deposition she was in Salyers' home at the time of the call and overheard the conversation between Salyers and Roslovic on a speaker phone.

Salyers claims to have spent more than $100,000 from 1998-2002 on expenses related to Savovic, including food, clothing, cell phone bills, airline tickets and weekly spending money, causing her financial hardship when the Roslovics failed to compensate her. She told SI.com on Monday that she often received instructions from Biancardi to make certain payments on behalf of Savovic. She believes O'Brien was aware of her actions, though not necessarily of her alleged agreement with the Roslovics.

"I met him [O'Brien] on Thanksgiving Day, 1998, and he thanked me for what I was doing for Boban," said Salyers on Monday. She also says O'Brien was aware of two grade changes from Savovic's professors she alleges Biancardi asked her to orchestrate. "Once I told Paul the grade had been changed, he told me his boss would be happy."

When reached on Monday evening O'Brien's attorney, James Zeszutek, said, "I've talked to Coach O'Brien, and he says he's never met this woman and wouldn't know her if he tripped over her. I've read her depositions. I don't like to use the 'L' word -- liar -- but she comes off as less than candid to me." Zeszutek said O'Brien would not be made available for comment.

Salyers says she tried to settle the dispute out of court, even soliciting O'Brien's help in mediating her disagreement with the Roslovics. "Jim O'Brien mentioned to me that Boban was in a situation now where his finances were good -- I believe he was playing [professionally] for Belgrade [in Yugoslavia]," Salyers told SI.com. "He said he was going to try and contact Boban and ask him for the money. I told him Boban did not owe me the money, the Roslovics did."

On Monday, Salyers showed SI.com two large boxes of family photos in which either Savovic or Aleksandar Radojevic -- the one-time OSU recruit whom O'Brien admitted giving $6,000 which lead to his firing -- are present. Several pictures include Savovic with agent Marc Cornstein and Spomenko (Semi) Pajovic, vice president of Cornstein's agency.

Salyers, who in her depositions claimed Cornstein and Pajovic were allowed to enter the Buckeyes locker room after games, said Monday that Pajovic asked her to "slip his or Marc's number" to the parents of former OSU stars Michael Redd and Ken Johnson. She also says Cornstein lavished Savovic with gifts. "I paid for two trips to New York for Boban," Salyers told SI.com. "One of them [Savovic] said was for visa issues, and I was under the impression Semi and Marc were helping him with that. I later found out it was for a huge party with well-known models. Marc wanted him there. He came back with very, very expensive suits. He told me that Marc gave him the suits."

Contact between a player and an agent is forbidden by the NCAA. Natasha Cornstein, who is director of media relations for Marc Cornstein's agency, said on Tuesday that Marc stands by his statement from last week in which he denied the allegations Salyers made in her deposition. Pajovic could not be reached for comment.

Salyers, who did not follow college basketball before meeting Savovic, says she was stunned by what she saw during the player's career at Ohio State. She says she wrote school papers for Savovic and tutored him because he was woefully unprepared upon arriving at college. She said on Monday she agreed to help get Savovic's grades changed because of a threat by Biancardi that Savovic would be sent back to Yugoslavia, which was in the midst of war, if he lost his scholarship. "I was appalled by the lack of integrity of the Ohio State basketball program," she said. "I feel there's so many special provisions for athletes it makes one question if the degree is worth the paper it's written on."

When reached on Monday evening, Ohio State Athletics Director Andy Geiger said he could not comment due to the pending NCAA investigation. Salyers is scheduled to meet with NCAA investigators on June 22.

Stewart Mandel covers college sports for SI.com.