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. 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