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More trouble for Indiana basketball
Aaron Sharockman, Special to CNNSI.com There weren't any riots. No marches on Assembly Hall. No effigies. But it's been another turbulent week for college basketball in Indiana. IU president Myles Brand and athletic director Clarence Doninger have formally suspended IU senior Rachael Honegger for stealing $2942.73 from a Bloomington-area grocery store. But just two days ago, it looked like Honegger, a starter for Kathi Bennett's Hoosiers, wasn't going to miss any time for her crime. Honegger pleads guilty to forgeryThe twists and turns started when an Associated Press story last Friday said that Honegger, a senior forward, pleaded guilty to forgery, a Class C felony. Honegger took money and wrote phony money orders on 13 occasions from the store where she worked during summers, amassing nearly $3,000, court documents showed. In her confession to Monroe County authorities, Honegger said she took the money because she had plans to marry. Doninger said the University punished Honegger internally after hearing the charges last spring. But Doninger, who will retire in May, would not comment on the terms of the punishment. In the legal system, Honegger was sentenced to six months house arrest. Under the arrangements between the courts and the athletics department, Honegger was still permitted to play and travel with IU in the midst of a crucial stretch with postseason implications. So the story ended Friday. Honegger hopped on a plane to Iowa City, and started in IU's crushing loss Iowa 83-56 Sunday. In 13 minutes, she tallied two points and five rebounds, not great numbers, but Honegger's strength is not in box score stats. IU President left out of mixBrand, who just two weeks earlier, suggested to the National Press Club that college athletics should be downgraded to the club level, issued a harsh statement Monday in response his lack of involvement with the Honegger case. He learned of the problem through news reports. "I am concerned that neither I nor other members of the administration outside of the athletic department had been previously informed about this matter," Brand said. "I am also troubled by any situation in which an IU team member may not be living up to the standards of conduct that we have come to expect from all of our student athletes." Brand appointed a committee to look into the facts of the Honegger case -- the majority of which are not in dispute. The committee was formed with the impetus to see if Honegger had violated the IU athletics conduct code adopted by the board of trustees last fall. In the code, athletes are expected "to exhibit a higher standard of behavior than might be expected of other students and to avoid conduct that is likely to appear improper." That policy was adopted after Honegger's arrest. Doninger said there was a problem communicating the Honegger situation. Her arrest coincided with allegations that Knight choked a former player, Neil Reed. "This matter was not a secret. It happened last summer," Doninger said. "There was a glitch in communicating that matter, and I certainly welcome anyone checking that. The athletics department became aware of this problem during a hectic time relating to the men's basketball program." Brand pushes suspension throughBut a day after appointing a committee, Brand decided the formation of a committee wasn't enough. Brand asked Doninger to suspend Honegger while the investigation continues. Honegger, who had started every IU game this season and averaged five points, sat. Honegger can practice and travel with the team, but won't wear a uniform until the investigation is finished and any further punishment has been levied. Bennett, who had stayed relatively silent during the week, supported Brand's decision, but said she thought the athletic department's initial handling of the matter was appropriate. Brand, who has been the IU president since 1994, has been openly critical of the excesses allowed in college sports. "President Brand determined suspension was not only in the best interest of the student, but also in the best interest of the University," University spokeswoman Susan Dillman said. "He conveyed that to Clarence Doninger, and Doninger agreed." Aaron Sharockman is a reporter for the Indiana Daily Student, the student newspaper serving Indiana University.
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