Williams OK'd gifts to players

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jul 16, 2005 by Kevin Haskin Capital-Journal

Boosters' gifts to graduating seniors violated NCAA rules

Roy Williams

left KU for N. Carolina in '03

RELATED

KU puts athletic department on two-year probation for other NCAA violations.

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Athletic director vows to move forward.

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By Kevin Haskin

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

LAWRENCE --- Cradle to the grave. That is, essentially, the time frame athletes must follow in regard to NCAA guidelines prohibiting the acceptance of gifts.

Yet it escaped a coach renowned as a stickler for rules --- Roy Williams.

On Friday, KU detailed NCAA rules violations in three sports, including infractions the men's basketball program committed under Williams, who coached the Jayhawks to 418 wins over 15 seasons from 1988-2003.

In an independent report KU commissioned, then sent to the NCAA, Williams was said to have approved gifts of clothing and cash from three boosters to basketball players who both graduated and exhausted their eligibility.

The violations are considered secondary in nature.

"The mistake is once a student-athlete, always a student- athlete. So you can't receive any funds or any goods once you graduate," KU athletic director Lew Perkins said at a news conference called to reveal the infractions, as well as penalties imposed by KU.

"I really believe it was a misinterpretation. I don't think it was an attempt to gain any advantages," he said.

Perkins announced that the university has imposed a two-year probation on all intercollegiate sports programs in response to NCAA rules violations by the men's and women's basketball programs and the football program. Scholarship reductions were imposed for football and women's basketball.

Williams, who has spent the past two years as head coach at North Carolina and guided the Tar Heels to the national championship this past season, didn't return a message left Friday on his cell phone.

Williams was on the road recruiting but is expected to issue a statement today regarding KU's self-report.

"Coach Williams and I discussed this matter some time in the past and will talk again after both of us have had a chance to review the report," said North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour. "Coach Williams has a long and distinguished record of running a program with integrity and within NCAA rules. His record for more than 25 years as a college coach clearly demonstrates that to be the case."

Although Perkins was apprised of potential violations June 11, 2003, his first day on the job as KU's athletic director, any wrongdoing in the men's basketball program apparently went undetected.

The report KU gave to the media on Friday reveals a scenario in which Perkins visited the basketball office and helped secretary Joanie Stephens pick up some mail she dropped on the floor.

Perkins said he noticed letters addressed to players in care of coach Bill Self, which carried the return address of KU booster Joan Edwards. Perkins was informed by Stephens the letters probably were graduation cards containing small amounts of money.

An investigation into the matter revealed the checks Edwards sent ranged from $25 to $100.

The report KU delivered to the NCAA on June 7, which was compiled by independent investigator Rick Evrard, said Edwards began providing small gifts after the 1988 season. However, the report verified the names of only 17 players who received gifts from the three boosters. Seniors from only the 2001, '02 and '03 teams were listed.

All student names were blocked from the media's copy of the report. The other boosters who were identified as providing gifts to men's basketball players were Dana Anderson and Bernard Morgan. Edwards and Morgan live in the Kansas City area, while Anderson lives in the Los Angeles area.

According to the report, Anderson told investigators Williams said small gifts were permissible to players who had exhausted their eligibility.

Williams is quoted in the report as telling investigators, "there were at least two occasions when I was asked by an alum if they could send a gift to one of the youngsters who have graduated in appreciation for what they've done."

The response from Williams, according to a quote attributed to him in the report, was: "I don't want this to be any humongous check or anything like that if it's truly just a gift for graduation; every graduating senior gets graduation gifts."

Perkins defended Williams when asked about the involvement of KU's former coach.

"Personally, I think there was a misinterpretation of the rule," Perkins said. "The student athletes' eligibility was done. It wasn't used as a recruiting tool. Some people would look at it and say, 'Where was the mistake?' "

In addition, Perkins said Self had no knowledge of any gifts.

"It is unfortunate that the parties involved were unaware that the gifts were improper," Self said. "But Lew and his staff are building a great compliance program that will help prevent incidents like this from happening in the future."

Under Self, KU reported a secondary violation last summer after it learned the cost of surgical expenses for former Jayhawk Alex Galindo was paid for by the athletic business office. A copy of KU's self-report to the NCAA was obtained by The Topeka Capital-Journal in response to an open records request.