From: grimlok@hubcap.clemson.edu (Mike Percy)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.college
Subject: Clemson's NCAA response
Date: 16 Aug 92 14:27:43 GMT
Organization: Clemson University


A summary of the Clemson's NCAA Response (from "Inside Clemson", the
faculty and staff newspaper):

1.  Allegation:  That Clemson certified Wayne Buckingham when he should
have been a non-qualifier.
    Response:  The university agrees that Buckingham should have been
ineligible to play in 1989.  New certification procedures have been
instituted, and an assistant director of compliance has been added
to review all academic credentials of prospective student-athletes.

[Mike's comment:  this is a truly sticky problem -- as far as the
university and Buckingham (and his Georgia high school) knew at the
time, Buckingham had completed everything he needed to.  It wasn't
until the principle in his former high-school in Tennessee wrote to the
NCAA (five years after the fact) that in Buckingham's sophomore year
in HS, he (the principle) incorrectly certified a course.  After this
all came out, the NCAA made Buckingham sit out his sophomore year.  As
far as I know, at that time, the matter was considered an honest,
unavoidable mistake.]

2.  Allegation:  That Wayne Buckingham provided false and misleading
information to the NCAA during the investigation about academic courses
he had taken.
    Response:  Incorrect information was provided to the university
and NCAA officials during their investigations.  However, the university
cannot substantiate that this was a deliberate action on Buckingham's
part, particualry since he had nothing to gain by such action.

3.  Allegation:  That Assistant Coach Len Gordy provided first-class
airfare for a prospective student-athlete and paid the difference
between coach and first-class fares himself.
    Response:  The university agrees with the informations and that a
violation occurred but offers mitigating circumstances to part of the
violation.  The univeristy believed at the time that the money came from
the student's family.

4.  Allegation:  That Assistant Coach Len Gordy offered the family of a
prospective student-athlete air transportation to the univeristy for
basketball games.
    Response:  Coach Gordy has denied making the offer, so the university
cannot substantiate that the information is correct.  The university
points out that Coach Gordy has admitted other violations, and in its
opinion, has nothing to gain by not telling the truth about this one.

5.  Allegation:  That Assistant Coach Len Gordy provided free souvenirs
to two prospective student-athletes during a campus vist.
    Response:  The university agrees that the information is correct and
that a violation occured.

6.  Allegation:  That Assistant Coach Len Gordy provided false and
misleading information to the NCAA during the investigation.
    Response:  The university agrees that some incorrect information
was provided, but notes that Coach Gordy subsequently contacted both
the university and the NCAA to clarify remarks he had made earlier.

Self-reported violations:
    As part of the university's on-going compliance efforts and as part
of its own internal investigation resulting from the NCAA inquiry, many
areas of the men's basketball program have been reviewed in recent
months.  As a result of that process, the following information is being
self-reported to the NCAA.
    1.  Assistant Coach Len Gordy provided a former student-athlete with
articles of his used clothing during the 1990-91 basketball season.
    2.  Individuals improperly gained complimentary admission to basketball
games during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons.
    3.  Assistant Coach Len Gordy provided souvenirs to a current
student-athlete and a former student-athlete during official vistis to
Clemson.

Self-imposed penalties:
    Based on the results of its investigation, which has confirmed that
rules violations have occurred, the university has self-imposed the
following penalties:
    1.  The coaching position vacated through the resignation of Len
Gordy will not be filled until July 1, 1993.  This will leave the men's
basketball program with one full-time assistant coach during the 1992-93
academic year.
    2.  All members of the men's basketball staff will be prohibited from
recruiting off-campus from Aug. 7, 1992 to Aug. 6, 1993.
    3.  The men's basketball program will be limited to 13 grants-in-aid
during the 1992-93 academic year.
    4.  The men's basketball program will be limited to 12 grants-in-aid
during the 1993-94 academic year.
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Because of violations committed by the football team, Clemson was on
probation when some of these violations took place, so the basketball
program faces the "Death Penalty."  I understand that the investigators
are not recommending this penalty for Clemson due to the particular
nature of the violations,  but the Enforcement Committee is a loose canon
and may impose the death penalty anyway.

Mike Percy             | grimlok@hubcap.clemson.edu  | I don't know about
Sr. Systems Analyst    | mspercy@clemson.clemson.edu | your brain, but mine
Info. Sys. Development | mspercy@clemson.BITNET      | is really...bossy.
Clemson University     | (803) 656-3780              | (Laurie Anderson)