Another school won't face up to why it backed down

Sporting News, The, July 10, 1995 by Gene Wojciechowski

The moral hot potato that is highschool star/sex offender Richie Parker once again burned the conscience of the latest program to recruit him, this time George Washington University.

Just when it seemed the school was prepared to offer Parker a scholarship and, as Georgetown had done with then-felon Allen Iverson, a second chance, G.W. President Stephen Trachtenberg buckled and then collapsed under the weight of criticism from fellow administrators, alumni, students and media.

It was an impressive verbal tap dance by Trachtenberg, who said in a statement the school was "regrettably" ending its recruitment of Parker, the 6-foot-4 New York guard who averaged 28 points last season, and added that the "balance of factors and the best interests of the university weigh against continuing the admissions procedures."

In short, Trachtenberg is a man of his convictions, but only if it doesn't create any negative publicity. Otherwise, it's "Richie who?"

This is the third school to court Parker and then bow to public pressure. Seton Hall actually offered a scholarship but later chickened out. Utah would have signed him, but assistant coach Donny Daniels botched things. And now George Washington teases Parker with a scholarship, only to pull the lever on the trap door.

Parker wasn't recruited because Seton Hall, Utah and George Washington have hearts of gold. He was recruited because he can score points. Social reclamation was simply a bonus.

Parker's January 1994 crime is certainly no secret. Initially charged with felony firstdegree sodomy (he forced a then-15-year-old schoolmate to perform oral sex on him and a friend), Parker later offered a guilty plea in exchange for a reduced charge of felony sexual abuse. Instead of facing at least a two-year mandatory prison term, Parker was given five years of supervised probation.

As part of a recent civil-lawsuit settlement, Parker apologized to the victim and offered to pay her a portion of any future earnings during a pro career.

This is where the hypocrisy begins. Either you think his crime was too grievous to overlook -- even if it's worth double figures a game -- or you don't. Either you make a commitment from the very start and accept the inevitable howls of protest, or you stay away. Either you think he deserves a second opportunity, that he paid a very public penalty, or you play it safe.

Seton Hall, Utah and George Washington did the worst possible thing. They offered scholarships, but only if it didn't inconvenience their reputations or, worse yet, affect fund-raising. They wanted no smudge on their good names. But by going halfway with Parker, by using bait-and-switch recruiting tactics, the three schools are going to need lots of soap and wire brushes to clean things up.

"Richie Parker was not being given an opportunity to go through the process," G.W. Coach Mike Jarvis tells the Washington Post. "In those circumstances, it's in the best interests of everybody -- especially Richie -- to bring this thing to an end. He wouldn't get a fair chance here even if he was admitted."

Now we'll never know. Instead of standing with Parker, Trachtenberg stood way, way behind him.

Man-to-man

Rick Brewer, sports information director at North Carolina, wrote to remind me that: a) In his nearly 30 years at Chapel Hill, he has not heard Coach Dean Smith use profanity (as I had suggested was the case during a March 11 sideline clash with Clemson Coach Rick Barnes); b) Barnes, not Smith, was assessed a technical foul; and c) Smith later apologized for his behavior, specifically, yelling at Clemson's Iker Iturbe for a hard hack on Jerry Stackhouse.

In response to: a) So noted and an apology issued. But it's safe to say Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Gene Corrigan didn't fine Smith and Barnes $2,500 each for exchanging midcourt sportsmanship tips; b) Barnes deserved the technical, but Iturbe didn't deserve Smith's public wrath; and c) Barnes, as well as Smith, apologized for the incident -- as they should have.

Changes of scenery

Former Indiana guard Michael Hermon is attending Malcolm X Junior College in Chicago and is expected to transfer this fall to Parkland Community College in Champaign, Ill.

Hermon, who averaged 6 points and started 17 games as a freshman at Indiana, lost his scholarship for, among other things, failing to attend classes. Under Big Ten rules, Hermon can't receive an athletic scholarship from another Big Ten school, but he can return as a walk-on, which is what he eventually plans to do at Illinois.

Meanwhile, Syracuse's John Wallace, the Orangemen's second-leading scorer last season, announced he would return to school rather than pursue an NBA career.

Kentucky's Rodrick Rhodes, who initially decided to forgo his senior season in favor of the NBA draft, also changed his mind. A return to Kentucky is an option, but there is talk he might transfer to Long Beach State or Syracuse.