Nervous in Knoxville

Scandal making Tennessee, SEC look worse and worse

Let's see if we have this straight, now. A good two years after the first hint of scandal around the University of Tennessee football program, the investigator for the Southeastern Conference, Bill Sievers, has made his way to Knoxville, looking to ferret out information on what reads like academic fraud.

What's with the SEC -- is the budget so tight that the boss, Roy Kramer, insisted the ex-FBI agent walk from Birmingham? And incredibly, why had no one from the SEC, until Thursday afternoon, spoken with whistleblower Linda Bensel-Myers, the UT English prof who claims to have the records to back her charges?

This story has turned so goofy it reads like bad fiction. First, you have UT slipping and ducking the Bensel-Myers allegations through two football seasons. Now, in recent days, Bob Gilbert, a former long-time PR guy for the university, has turned and gone public, claiming to have proof supporting the earlier academic fraud charges.

And lest we forget, there was sportswriter Wayne D. Rowe -- who has appropriately since resigned his position with the Mobile (Ala.) Register -- popping into the news almost as if on cue, claiming he was the middleman for payments from a UT enthusiast to former quarterback Tee Martin. The ex-scribe, if he's to be believed, found religion when IRS agents inquired about a couple suspicious checks floating through his account.

The idea of a star quarterback getting $4,500 or so isn't, unfortunately, shocking news. But the thought of widespread academic fraud at a major university, if true, is the stuff that ought to bring shame and embarrassment to Tennessee, the SEC and NCAA.

"I'm not certain I have much faith in the system doing anything about this problem," says Bensel-Myers, finding herself back in the uncomfortable spotlight. "This is the first contact from the SEC. They never called. In fact, the university never talked to me when they did their internal investigation."

So why is the SEC interested now, other than Gilbert put them in a lurch?

"I think Kramer is a little worried about his legacy,'' laughs Bensel-Myers, referring to the commissioner's impending retirement.

Sad to say, it probably also helps that a male voice has entered the fray. Gilbert, employed by UT for 29 years before retiring in 1996, turned over to Sievers copies of transcripts for 37 athletes that hadn't been seen previously by the SEC or NCAA. Bensel-Myers also offered up additional evidence that she said could be confirmed.

The initial reaction of UT faithful might be to be rant about Bensel-Myers, but her credibility in the academic community has grown since she first went public. Evidence of that is her recent appointment as director of the Drake Group, a well-respected national academic reform group.

It also doesn't hurt that some athletic officials at SEC schools have suspected Tennessee of playing loose with the rules. Nor is there a great deal of respect for the conference's investigative efforts.

And at Alabama, where some suspect Tennessee of helping orchestrate the Tide's latest NCAA troubles, there is no sympathy for the Vols.

The story goes back to 1999, when Bensel-Myers began looking at the redacted records of many Tennessee players. She was investigating possible plagiarism by the players, particularly in the tutoring system. What she found might yet present a formidable hurdle to the football program, though AD Doug Dickey continues to insist there is nothing to the charges.

"A lot of their placement scores were under even what the NCAA would accept for recruiting," she says. "They wouldn't go through the Clearinghouse process [to certify transcripts for admission]. They used the learning disability moniker and had their own psychologist label them so they could get admitted. They can't read and write, but they come and they certainly don't have time to learn while they are here.

"I did all the starters, plus I had a few ringers in there so people wouldn't be able to trace individuals. And even after redacting the names, it is very easy because their transcripts were all the same. The system puts the athletes in the courses. And the ones who did try to change classes and start a major, I've got records of their academic history that show they basically would have to drop out of that major in a term or two. And then they would change to another major and finally be undeclared and then be academically dismissed after their last term of competition.''

Bensel-Myers accuses the university's top brass of trying to block her efforts, citing former UT president Wade Gilley with hastily passing a records policy that made it impossible for her to turn over documents to the NCAA. Her focus now is to see that the institution is called on the carpet for compromising its standards, but she also believes that there's enough in the evidence turned over by Gilbert to land Phil Fulmer's program in the NCAA doghouse.

A key issue figures to be a NCAA requirement for athletes to declare a major by their junior year. In short, Bensel-Myers claims a significant number of UT athletes signed degree declaration forms that were forwarded to the NCAA, even though they weren't qualified and were never admitted to the majors.

If true, the Vols will pay.

Political fight over agent law

The proposed law would supposedly serve as a hammer to be used against sports agents who offer money and perks to college athletes, possibly costing them their eligibility. Right now, however, the NCAA only holds schools accountable when they can prove they knew about the payments -- a charge that investigators rarely ever can prove.

"Again, this is taking attention away from the fact that the NCAA has responsibility for these kids," Berkley says. "I was a university regent. It is easy enough to police these programs. When these student-athletes come in, even while you are recruiting them, you sit down with the parents and kids and tell them what you will and will not tolerate if they come to your school and play in your program. And then you enforce the rules.''

Of course, if the academic fraud charges at his own state's flagship university ring true, Gordon might better focus his energies on the crimes of athletic officials and college administrators than fret over the early departure of star football players to the pros.

The business of track

If you ever wondered, here's a nice example of why track and field barely registers with most U.S. sports fans. Maurice Greene, world record-holder and Olympic champ in 100, left Nike to sign a lucrative endorsement deal with shoe rival, adidas. The payback is Nike bankrolls the Prefontaine Classic next weekend in Eugene, Ore., and the shoe company isn't about to meet Greene's standard race fees. So, the world's fastest man is likely to open his outdoor season a week later in Athens, Greece.

Coaching Nuggets

Now that the playoffs are winding down, Denver Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe figures to get serious about hiring a head coach. Vandeweghe, who worked with Dallas for two seasons, is said to have Maverick assistants Donn Nelson and Del Harris on his short list. Scott Skiles, formerly of the Phoenix Suns is another possibility, as is New Jersey assistant Eddie Jordan. If the New York Knicks make a change, Skiles and Mike Dunleavey are rumored as possible replacements.

Mike Fish is a senior writer for CNNSI.com.

 

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