14 ThIc' id hiIaay-Weesday June 5,9 " Si oiu
S PORTS
Michigan State football program awaits NCAA findings.
School officials say they hope internal measures will sway committee from tougher action
By John Leroi
Daily Sports Writer
EAST LANSING - Not many
Michigan fans know that Lloyd Carr's
first-season win total increased by one
long after the Wolverines' season
ended.
Everyone at Spartan Stadium last
Nov. 4 will remember a grand fourth-
quarter that saw four lead changes and
a tremendous effort from Michigan
State quarterback Tony Banks, who
engineered two long touchdown drives
to lead his Spartans over Michigan, 28-
26.
But the record books will say differ-
ently. At least officially, the Wolverines
won the game after Michigan State
Athletic Department officials forfeited
five of the Spartans' wins for using an
ineligible player.
And that is just the start of a pile of
NCAA violations with which former
players have charged the team.
Last Friday, Michigan State officials,
including President M. Peter
McPherson, appeared before the
NCAA infractions committee for a
hearing that will determine the extent
of Michigan State's punishment.
The committee's decision will not be
released for six to eight weeks, but
school officials said they were pleased
at the outcome of the 1-hour meeting.
"We are very pleased at the way
things went," McPherson told
reporters.
"The enormous effort to get prepared
has been extremely helpful," he said.
McPherson said he hoped the com-
bination of a well-prepared agenda and
the fact that the university has already
implemented its own punishments,
MARK FRIEDMAN/Dai
Michigan State's victory over the Wolverines last season has been forfeited after an internal investigation unearthed several
violations of NCAA rules by the Spartans. The NCAA is conducting its own investigation, and may levy further sanctions.
including the forfeitures and the loss of
two football scholarships, would sway
the committee to treat the Spartans
leniently.
The committee could hand out penal-
ties as severe as further loss of football
scholarships and revoking Michigan
State's privilege to play in bowl games.
The investigation stems from 15
charges involving academic fraud,
unethical behavior by Michigan State
officials and improper benefits to ath-
letes.
At the heart of the infractions is the
misbehavior of former Spartan acade-
mic football advisor Greg Croxton,
who was fired as a result of an internal
probe into rules violations by the foot-
ball program earlier this year.
Michigan State and NCAA investi-
gators both stated that Croxton helped
former football player Aaron Jackson
feign a mental illness to avoid taking
exams as well as arrange grade changes
for Jackson and former Spartan Steve
Holman to ensure academic eligibility.
School officials reported hearing of
academic advisors pressuring profes-
sors to issue grade changes for athletes
in 1993. and then-Associate Athletic
Director Clarence Underwood issued at
least one memo stating that such behav-
Continued from Page
the ones the Wolverines have had,
take a tremendous toll. You can't
expect the players to be jumping for
joy out on the court, especially when
they're losing by twenty points -
game after game after game.
But when it starts to look like the
coach doesn't even want to be there
- that's when the program is in trou-
ior would not be tolerated.
Croxton, who was visibly upset at the
hearing, criticized the university in a
20-minute appearance before the com-
mittee. In a prepared statement,
Croxton implied unnamed superiors
shared responsibility for rules viola-
tions.
"I cannot believe that you really
believe this official inquiry stops with
Greg Croxton," his statement read. "All
of you know that persons of power
rarely delegate power and authority
recklessly."
The other issue that occupied a large
chunk of the committee's time was the
ble.
This is why the departure of Trish
Roberts was overdue.
Hopefully, the next coach can turn
the Wolverines on to a key concept:
enthusiasm not only makes basketball
more fun, it is necessary to win.
Obviously, it's easier to be enthusias-
tic when you're winning - but it's
nearly impossible to win if you're not
enthusiastic.
I don't care how many games you
lose in a row, or by how many points
relationship between Spartan players
and Florida youth sports organizer and
Palm Beach (Fla.) County Deputy Dan
Calloway.
According to the rules committee,
Calloway officially became "a repre-
sentative of the school's athletic inter-
ests in May of 1993 when he began
providing Spartan safety Damian
Manson of River Beach, Fla., with as
much as $200 a month for personal use.
Calloway is also associated with
more Spartans, including incoming
freshman defensive tackle Robert
Newkirk, who received $200 from
Calloway to purchase Christmas pre-
sents in December. Calloway gave
Newkirk various amounts of cash and
$1,650 in checks, plus an open-ended
round-trip airline ticket - all alleged
illegal recruiting inducements.
And when Calloway gave Newkirk
at least $600 more after he enrolled at
Michigan State, the NCAA says that
was an improper benefit from a school
booster.
Newkirk maintains that he was "nat-
urally dependent" on Calloway before@
his recruiting even began, after the
death of his mother.
Second-year Spartan coach Nick
Saban, who guided Michigan State to a
6-5 record before the forfeitures and an
appearance in the Independence Bowl
in his first year in East Lansing, was
unavailable for comment. All riles vio-
lations occurred under former coach
George Perles and while either Perles
or Merrily Dean Baker was Athletic
Director. Current A.D. Merritt Norvell*
could also not be reached.
- The Associated Press contributed to
this report.
you lose them. When you're the coach
of a team, the players pick up on how
you act. And when you look like you'd
rather be somewhere else, how can you
possibly expect your players to act any
differently?
The next step
The next coach for the Wolverines is
critical. The right person could bring
the women's basketball program into
line with the rest of Michigan athletics.
The wrong person could keep the
Wolverines in their now-expected posi-
tiori in the Big Ten basement.
There is no reason why Michigan
cannot compete nationally in women4
basketball. Other Big Ten teams --
Iowa, Purdue, Penn State - are among
the nation's elite every year.
The success of the Wolverines'
women's swimming, gymnastics and
softball teams illustrates the potential
Michigan holds for attracting premier
female athletes. Bringing in the right
coach will show a commitment to the
women's basketball program.
Of course the coach has to be
recruiter. Of course tle coach has o be
someone who wants to win.
Most importantly, though, the coach
has to be someone who cn relate to
th players a W he ect
Buy."
ON A.L MICHIGAN
-SHIRTS, SWEATSHIRTS,
AND COTTON HATS.
304 S. State Street OPEN 7 DAYS
4 doors South of Liberty A WEEK
9984480 UNTIL LATE
Pregnancy Cou
Are you Grieving An
Abortion?
Free Confidential Counseling
Help when you hurt!
Beginning June 20th
10 week post abortion bible study
with professional counselor as
group leader.
Call 434-3088 for information.
nseling Center 2950 Packard Rd. Ypsilanti, Mi.
All sen ces arefret 4