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Improper aid? Michigan's Crawford sole benificiary of nonprofit group
Posted: Thursday February 10, 2000 04:40 PM
SEATTLE (AP) -- University of Michigan basketball star Jamal Crawford was the sole beneficiary of aid provided in 1998 by a nonprofit organization headed by Seattle businessman Barry Henthorn, a newspaper reported Thursday. Henthorn, a wealthy friend of the Crawford family who took the young man in for three of his years at Rainier Beach High School here, is the focus of an NCAA investigation into financial support for Crawford that raises questions about his amateur status. A brochure for the Academic Assistance Foundation -- whose address and phone number are the same as those for Henthorn's telecommunications company, Innovative Communications Technology -- identified Crawford as its 1998 "recipient," the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported. The brochure does not detail Crawford's benefits or considerations, nor does it cite any past winners or history. The brochure lists nine corporate supporters, including ICT, the newspaper reported. Six of those companies do not exist, the newspaper said. Representatives of two other businesses on the list -- Phil Smart Mercedes and Performance Mortgage -- deny any relationship with Henthorn or the AAF. A short list of individual AAF supporters includes NFL veteran Eric Metcalf, now with the Carolina Panthers. Through his agent, Brig Owens, Metcalf denied any knowledge of AAF. Henthorn did not return calls from the Post-Intelligencer, the newspaper reported. Henthorn could not be reached by telephone by The Associated Press. Henthorn has denied acting as an agent for Crawford or a booster for Michigan, characterizing himself as a family friend motivated by altruism. Crawford, Michigan's leading scorer, has been suspended for six games -- five by the NCAA, one by Michigan -- over Henthorn's help. Crawford is eligible to return Feb. 24 against Purdue. The NCAA also has ordered the young athlete to repay Henthorn the approximately $15,000 he has received. Henthorn told the Detroit Free Press he doesn't want or expect reimbursement. "He doesn't have any money," Henthorn said. "I'm his sole source of income." Crawford's mother, Venora Skinner, has reportedly told Michigan officials she was trying to establish Henthorn as Crawford's legal guardian. Percy Bates, faculty representative for Michigan, says university officials believe Henthorn was acting as a guardian and not as an agent. "In terms of the paperwork we saw, the mother clearly intended for [guardianship] to be legal, but it did not go to the courts and therefore was simply not legalized," Bates has said. "But the intent was there." It was unclear whether Michigan officials knew of Henthorn's foundation and its largess, the Post-Intelligencer said. The AAF registered with Washington state's secretary of state in September -- a year after naming Crawford its "recipient." The only name listed is Henthorn's. The AAF has not filed with the Internal Revenue Service as a nonprofit organization, the newspaper said. Marta Cano-Hinz, the principal at Rainier Beach, said she received information from the AAF but ignored it. "Unless we know it is bona fide and sanctioned by the school district, we don't touch it with a 10-foot pole," she said. Rainier Beach athletic director Dan Jurdy and basketball coach Mike Bethea denied any knowledge of the AAF. The AAF brochure lists six objectives, including "support youth in achieving high levels of academic and personal excellence" and "raise funds to provide learning aids and resources." Here is its mission: "The AAF targets youth that have experienced hardship yet exhibit a desire to achieve high levels of academic and personal success. ... It is possible to make dreams a reality with the provision of tutors, mentors, educational aids and financial assistance." The corporate supporters' list included Dancing on the Water Racing Co., Name That Lick L.L.C., One's Design, Performance Auto Body and Try-R-Designs. None has a listed telephone number. Video Marketing Production's listed number has been disconnected. Henthorn's role as Crawford's benefactor falls into a gray area in state regulation. The Legislature last year repealed the 1991 law that established rules and regulations for sports agents because so few had registered. But Henthorn could have been exempt from regulation anyway if he represented or advised no more than one athlete in any given year, said Joyce Roper, assistant state attorney general. "If there was any kind of sanction as a result of that conduct, it would be coming from the private sanctioning authorities," she said. "It's been completely deregulated under state law." The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association became aware of Henthorn during the 1998-99 school year, a year after Crawford led Rainier Beach to the Class 3A championship. At the time, Jurdy asked the WIAA to look into a 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee that Henthorn had provided to Crawford. The WIAA found that Henthorn did not appear to be an agent and that Crawford's use of the vehicle did not violate his amateur status. But Crawford reportedly stopped driving the Cherokee to school after the WIAA looked into the matter. "The reason [Crawford] quit using the vehicle was that we felt he was pushing the envelope a little bit," said Mike Colbrese, WIAA executive director. Colbrese said he had never heard of the AAF.
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