Ex-Lobos asst. sues Locksley, regents
July 31, 2010
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)—A former assistant football coach has sued theUniversity of New Mexico and coach Mike Locksley over an altercation between thetwo men last year.
J.B. Gerald filed the lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court in Albuquerqueagainst Locksley and the University of New Mexico Board of Regents.
According to the lawsuit, Locksley attacked Gerald on Sept. 20 by chokinghim, punching him in the face, and cursing at him in front of peers andathletes, and should have to pay damages to Gerald. The suit also claims theuniversity engaged in racial discrimination against Gerald, who is black, byfailing to take appropriate action.
The lawsuit also states that “it was suggested to (Gerald) that his careerwould not benefit if he persisted in complaining of Locksley’s behavior.”
The lawsuit does not specify an amount, but says Gerald experienced physicaland emotional pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages.
Locksley served a 10-day suspension for his role in the altercation. He hassaid he grabbed Gerald’s collar but that he never threw a punch.
UNM spokeswoman Susan McKinsey said in a statement Saturday that theuniversity had not received a copy of the lawsuit , adding that the U.S. EqualEmployment Opportunity Commission dismissed civil rights charges by Geraldagainst the university.
“The University is confident that these judicial proceedings will reach thesame result, and will vigorously defend itself and its employees against theseclaims,” McKinsey said.
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FSU, NCAA to pay legal fees in scandal
July 30, 2010
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)—Florida State and the NCAA are paying $325,000 in legalfees to compensate the attorneys of news media companies that sued to force therelease of documents in the Seminoles’ academic cheating scandal.
The records were part of an NCAA investigation that eventually implicated 61athletes and stripped the school of victories in 10 men’s and women’s sports.
Florida state and the NCAA tried to block the release in a series ofappeals. But the Florida Supreme Court affirmed a lower court decisiondetermining the records were public and refused in May to reconsider the case.
Under the agreement filed Friday in court, the school will pay $65,000 andthe NCAA will transfer $260,000 to the attorneys who represented more than 20outlets, including The Associated Press.
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NCAA meets with 2 Clemson players
July 30, 2010
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)—Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips said Fridaythat the NCAA had been on the Tigers’ campus this week to talk with two membersof the football team.
Phillips issued a statement Friday about the visit, but did not say what theinquiry was about. Phillips also did not identify the athletes, but said Clemsonis cooperating fully.
“We do not have reason for concern,” Phillips said.
The NCAA is investigating Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia and SouthCarolina in connection with possible rules violations at a party in Miami.
A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that theClemson inquiry is not linked to the investigations looking into impropercontact with agents at the other schools. The person spoke on the condition ofanonymity because the subject of the inquiry is confidential.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney did not return messages Friday left by TheAssociated Press. However, Swinney has said that his players are educated aboutthe rules regarding contact with agents and he won’t hesitate disciplining thosewho break them.
“You can’t legislate integrity,” he said at the ACC’s football gatheringin Greensboro, N.C., last week. “People are still going to do things wrong. Itsounds like the NCAA is trying to send a real strong message. I think it’s agood thing.”
The NCAA’s contact with Clemson means both of the state’s major footballprograms have had to respond to inquiries from the governing body. Earlier thismonth, South Carolina tight end Weslye Saunders spoke with NCAA officials abouthis possible link to the South Beach gathering.
Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said Wednesday he had no update on Saunders’status.
Clemson and South Carolina begin summer practice Tuesday night.
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Fisher: Kiffin’s theory on suit ‘absurd’
July 30, 2010
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—Coach Jeff Fisher has one word to describe thetheory that the Titans sued Southern California because the NFL team is in thesame state as Lane Kiffin’s last employer.
Absurd.
The Titans accuse USC and Kiffin of breaching the contract of running backscoach Kennedy Pola a week before training camp. The lawsuit was filed Monday.
Kiffin said Thursday he thought the Titans’ location prompted the lawsuit.Kiffin left his job as the University of Tennessee in January.
Fisher is baffled at the idea that the Titans sued to pacify Volunteersfans. He says: “How one could think they would combine the two is absurd tome.”
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Huggins’ fall blamed on medication
July 30, 2010
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP)—West Virginia University says basketball coach BobHuggins’ rib-breaking fall occurred because medication taken on an empty stomachleft him lightheaded.
President James Clements and Athletic Director Oliver Luck told theCharleston Daily Mail that Huggins stood too quickly, tripped and fell into atable in his Las Vegas hotel room last week.
WVU spokeswoman Becky Lofstead on Friday confirmed the report. She wouldn’tsay what the medication was.
Huggins broke seven ribs and was hospitalized for several days.
Last summer, Huggins got two black eyes when he walked into a door in themiddle of the night.
In 2008, he was checking phone messages on an airport tarmac when he trippedon a cone, fell and hit his head.
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BCS: Big 12 defections have no effect
July 30, 2010
DETROIT (AP)—Bowl Championship Series executive director Bill Hancock says thedefections of Nebraska and Colorado from the Big 12 will not influence the BCS.
Hancock spoke Friday at the Mid-American Conference’s media day at FordField in Detroit.
Nebraska announced recently that it will leave the conference for the BigTen, while Colorado plans to join the Pac-10, along with Utah. The twodefections leave the Big 12 with only 10 teams.
Hancock says: “As far as the BCS’s future and operation, there’s noeffect.”
He also says any potential playoff system would have to include 16 teams,although he wants it known he’s not in favor of a playoff system for collegefootball.
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Aide: Pitino never mentioned abortion
July 30, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)—A longtime aide to Rick Pitino told jurors the Louisvillemen’s basketball coach asked him to take a woman out of town for medicalservices after she said the coach got her pregnant in a one-night tryst at arestaurant.
The aide, Tim Sypher, testified Friday that Pitino did not mention takingKaren Cunagin Sypher to get an abortion. Tim Sypher, 49, said he called clinicsin Indiana and Ohio before taking Karen Sypher to Cincinnati, where sheterminated the pregnancy on Aug. 29, 2003.
Pitino
Tim Sypher testified that he paid for the procedure from $3,000 Pitino gavefor medical insurance.
Karen Cunagin Sypher is accused of trying to extort millions from Pitino.She has pleaded not guilty.
Tim and Karen Sypher, now divorced, would marry less than a year later.
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Masoli accepts invite to visit Ole Miss
July 30, 2010
Former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has accepted an invitation fromMississippi coach Houston Nutt to visit the school this weekend, a personfamiliar with the situation told The Associated Press on Friday.
Masoli made the decision early Friday morning to visit the Oxford campus.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity becauseMasoli has not yet enrolled in school.
Masoli was considered a possible Heisman Trophy candidate after a breakoutseason at Oregon, but coach Chip Kelly kicked him off the team after two brusheswith the law in six months.
Nutt said earlier this summer that the Rebels weren’t interested in Masoli,but the situation changed when backup quarterback Raymond Cotton left the teamlast week, just two weeks before the start of preseason practice.
The Rebels lost last season’s starter, Jevan Snead, when he decided to skiphis senior season and enter the NFL draft. That leaves Ole Miss with just twoscholarship quarterbacks—redshirt sophomore Nate Stanley, whose experiencecame when he played briefly in the Cotton Bowl last January after Snead wasinjured, and junior college transfer Randall Mackey.
Masoli’s been looking for a second chance and a new home this summer. He canplay immediately this season under NCAA rules because he has already earned hisundergraduate degree, but he must be accepted into graduate school.
Masoli joined the Ducks in 2008 as a fifth-string junior college transferwho was expected to redshirt. But he got a chance to play because of injury andheld onto the job. In 2009, he guided the Ducks to their first Pac-10 titlesince 2001 and their first Rose Bowl since 1995. He threw for 2,147 yards and 15touchdowns and rushed for 668 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The San Francisco native pleaded guilty in March to misdemeanorsecond-degree burglary in a plea deal after he was charged with a felony forstealing a pair of laptop computers and a guitar from a fraternity on campuslast January. Kelly suspended him for the 2010 season. He was expected toredshirt and Kelly allowed him to practice with the team during spring practice.
Kelly dismissed him from the team after police cited him for possession ofless than one ounce of marijuana and driving with a suspended license andfailing to stop upon exiting a driveway in June. Masoli entered a guilty pleaand paid a $613 fine last week.
The plea may be considered a violation of his probation for the burglaryconviction, but it was unclear how Lane County prosecutors would handle thecase. Masoli has fulfilled all of his other obligations in connection to thatcase, his attorney said.
A phone message left with the district attorney’s office was not returned.
Nutt and Ole Miss can expect to take criticism if Masoli eventually joinsthe team. Masoli began repairing his image by launching his own website,www.jeremiahmasoli.net, to tell his side of the story and apologize.
“I made a few very poor decisions in the past year, and I apologize to myfamily, friends and fans for them,” a letter on Masoli’s home page reads. “ButI am not the person who has been portrayed in many media stories.
“I am not a thief nor a thug. The people who know me best know that is thetruth.”
The website features pictures of Masoli, including one of him hugging hisgrandmother, a biography, career timeline, endorsements by former coaches andothers he’s close with, a resume and a section entitled media mistakes,detailing inaccuracies Masoli says have been made in stories about him.
Masoli concludes his letter by writing: “I love playing football and wantto continue to play. I’m still trying to figure out where that might be.
“Lastly, I want to thank my family, who I love very much. They have showngreat support and forgiveness for the mistakes I made. I do not ever want to letthem down again.”
AP Sports Writer Anne M. Peterson in Portland, Ore., contributed to thisreport.
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Aide: Pitino gave $3K to pregnant woman
July 30, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)—Rick Pitino asked a longtime aide to give $3,000 to awoman now accused of trying to extort millions from the Louisville men’sbasketball coach after she claimed Pitino got her pregnant in a one-night flingat a restaurant, the aide testified.
Tim Sypher told jurors on Thursday that Pitino asked him to take his nowex-wife Karen Cunagin Sypher to get medical aid and counseling in August 2003.Sypher ended her pregnancy with an abortion in Cincinnati and pocketed the bulkof the money given by Pitino, Tim Sypher said. Tim Sypher drove her to theappointment and the trip started a romance, he said.
Pitino
“We hugged,” he said. “I walked out the door and she said, ‘Is thatit?”’
The two would marry less than a year later.
Tim Sypher is due to continue testifying on Friday.
Karen Sypher, 50, has pleaded not guilty to extortion, lying to the FBI andretaliating against a witness. Prosecutors say she demanded money, cars and ahouse from Pitino to keep secret their tryst in August 2003 at Porcini, anItalian restaurant in Louisville. She also has claimed Pitino raped her thatnight but he has not been charged.
Tim Sypher and other witnesses said he and his ex-wife went to Louisvillefunctions with Pitino, including a holiday party at the restaurant where thecoach and the ex-model had sex.
“She was very friendly with everyone,” Tim Sypher said. “No problems.”
By 2007, Tim Sypher said, finances were tight and the marriage was fallingapart. Attorney Dana Kolter of Louisville sent Tim Sypher a letter on behalf ofKaren Sypher asking for a separation. That’s the first time Karen mentioned therape allegation, he said.
“All of the sudden she started using the ‘rape’ word. It just came out ofthe blue,” said Tim Sypher, who speaks with a strong Massachusetts accent.
Over the next two years, Karen Sypher was “wishy washy” about the marriage— at times hugging and kissing her husband, at other times exploding when Pitinocalled for something work related, Tim Sypher said. All the while, the rapeallegation would pop up periodically, Tim Sypher said.
When Pitino received threatening phone calls in February 2009, Tim Syphersaid the coach sent him a text message asking him to bring Karen Sypher to thebasketball practice facility immediately.
“I didn’t know what to think,” Tim Sypher said.
Tim Sypher arranged three meetings between the coach and Karen Sypher overthe next two days. During those, Pitino and Tim Sypher testified, Karen Syphersaid she didn’t know who made the calls and started demanding money and cars.
Jurors earlier heard testimony from Lester Goetzinger of Louisville, whoacknowledged making the calls in exchange for sexual favors from Sypher.
On March 6, Karen Sypher had a letter delivered to Tim Sypher, withinstructions to forward it to Pitino. Tim Sypher said he gave the coach theletter the night before a game against West Virginia.
“I really didn’t know what was in there. I don’t know,” Tim Sypher said.“She’s nuts.”
The letter, shown to jurors, included a list of seven items Karen Sypherdemanded, with the promise that “If all is accepted, I will protect RickPitino’s name for life.”
Pitino said in March 2009, he received a letter from Kolter, accusing Pitinoof rape and forcing Sypher to have an abortion and demanded a monetarysettlement to prevent a lawsuit from being filed. Jurors saw the letterWednesday
Pitino, worried that his wife and kids would find out he had a one-nightstand, acknowledged Thursday that he didn’t immediately tell police aboutdemands for cars, cash and housing in order to keep the tryst secret.
He told jurors he kept quiet for nearly two months, hoping he could“contain” the damaging information.
No one else has testified to witnessing the sexual liaison after hours at anupscale Italian restaurant. The owner said he left for the night after showingPitino and Sypher how to get out through a self-locking door. Pitino’s driversaid he didn’t see or hear anything because he had stepped behind a partial wallto leave the couple some privacy.
When Pitino’s testimony ended, he had spent about six hours on the witnessstand. His attorney, Steve Pence, said Pitino would return to recruiting laterin the day.
“This matter, certainly his portion, is behind him now,” Pence said. “I’mvery proud of coach Pitino in how he handled this.”
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Source: Masoli accepts Ole Miss invite
July 30, 2010
Former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has accepted an invitation fromMississippi coach Houston Nutt to visit the school this weekend, a personfamiliar with the situation told The Associated Press on Friday.
Masoli made the decision early Friday morning to visit the Oxford campus.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity becauseMasoli has not yet enrolled in school.
Masoli was considered a possible Heisman Trophy candidate after a breakoutseason at Oregon, but coach Chip Kelly kicked him off the team after two brusheswith the law in six months.
Nutt said earlier this summer that the Rebels weren’t interested in Masoli,but the situation changed when backup quarterback Raymond Cotton left the teamlast week, just two weeks before the start of preseason practice.
The Rebels lost last season’s starter, Jevan Snead, when he decided to skiphis senior season and enter the NFL draft. That leaves Ole Miss with just twoscholarship quarterbacks—redshirt sophomore Nate Stanley, whose experiencecame when he played briefly in the Cotton Bowl last January after Snead wasinjured, and junior college transfer Randall Mackey.
Masoli’s been looking for a second chance and a new home this summer. He canplay immediately this season under NCAA rules because he has already earned hisundergraduate degree, but he must be accepted into graduate school.
Masoli joined the Ducks in 2008 as a fifth-string junior college transferwho was expected to redshirt. But he got a chance to play because of injury andheld onto the job. In 2009, he guided the Ducks to their first Pac-10 titlesince 2001 and their first Rose Bowl since 1995. He threw for 2,147 yards and 15touchdowns and rushed for 668 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The San Francisco native pleaded guilty in March to misdemeanorsecond-degree burglary in a plea deal after he was charged with a felony forstealing a pair of laptop computers and a guitar from a fraternity on campuslast January. Kelly suspended him for the 2010 season. He was expected toredshirt and Kelly allowed him to practice with the team during spring practice.
Kelly dismissed him from the team after police cited him for possession ofless than one ounce of marijuana and driving with a suspended license andfailing to stop upon exiting a driveway in June. Masoli entered a guilty pleaand paid a $613 fine last week.
The plea may be considered a violation of his probation for the burglaryconviction, but it was unclear how Lane County prosecutors would handle thecase. Masoli has fulfilled all of his other obligations in connection to thatcase, his attorney said.
A phone message left with the district attorney’s office was not returned.
Nutt and Ole Miss can expect to take criticism if Masoli eventually joinsthe team. Masoli began repairing his image by launching his own website,www.jeremiahmasoli.net, to tell his side of the story and apologize.
“I made a few very poor decisions in the past year, and I apologize to myfamily, friends and fans for them,” a letter on Masoli’s home page reads. “ButI am not the person who has been portrayed in many media stories.
“I am not a thief nor a thug. The people who know me best know that is thetruth.”
The website features pictures of Masoli, including one of him hugging hisgrandmother, a biography, career timeline, endorsements by former coaches andothers he’s close with, a resume and a section entitled media mistakes,detailing inaccuracies Masoli says have been made in stories about him.
Masoli concludes his letter by writing: “I love playing football and wantto continue to play. I’m still trying to figure out where that might be.
“Lastly, I want to thank my family, who I love very much. They have showngreat support and forgiveness for the mistakes I made. I do not ever want to letthem down again.”
AP Sports Writer Anne M. Peterson in Portland, Ore., contributed to thisreport.
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