From: HADCRJAM@admin.uh.edu (MILLER, JIMMY A.)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
Subject: Re: Texas A&M
Date: 21 Dec 1992 14:22:06 GMT
Organization: University of Houston Administrative Computing
Distribution: world
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In <BzKwDt.E9q@news.cso.uiuc.edu> th9708@meibm8.cen.uiuc.edu writes:

> pfleming@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Patrick E Fleming) writes:
> 
> >The Dallas Morning News reported this morning that the Texas A&M football 
> >program is involved in a fedral investigation of a university benifactor who 
> >allegedly has made payements of $400 twice a month to five football players.  
> >The payments were for services rendered as maintainace workers at HUD funded 
> >housing projects.
> 
> In the local papers, i.e. Champaign-Urbana, they said that RC said that all
> of the payments were during the summer and during breaks.  He indicated that
> a fair amount of work was done for the money.  If this is true, is there
> anything wrong with the players working and making money during the breaks?
> I would assume not since RC is openly admitting to this.(This was a serious
> question, not sarcasm or anything)
> 
> The feds usually don't get involved for unfounded rumors. :(:(  Of course

  The developer dude is being investigated for more than his alleged payments
to A&M players.  The fed investigation has been going on for a while, according
to the _Houston Chronicle_, for possible misuse of HUD money.

  I freely admit that I am biased, but several things about the accusations
cannot but make me wonder:

  1.  When the DMN first first contacted A&M, Slcoum and John David Crow (the 
AD) pulled documentation from the developers files refuting the story.  The
DMN then delayed the story a few days, now saying the illegal payments were
from an account the Aggies did not check.  Possible at least, but fishy to me,
like someone was changing his story.

  2.  Of two employees that claim no work was done (and were named), one quit
and the other had been fired within the last year.  The article did *not* in-
dicate that they had been fired for "blowing the whistle", but instead cited
other reasons for their going.

  3.  The players went everywhere claiming to be A&M football players.  They
even called up the firm asking about delayed or missing checks (according to
the article) stating they were football players and that "Coach Cassidy" had
suggested they call to clear things up.  Cassidy is A&M recruiting coach and
is also in charge of the employment program for athletics, to insure that
rules are followed and such.  For people engaged in illegal activity, they
were awfully open about it.

  4.  Supposedly, star running back Greg Hill was paid TWICE A MONTH, ALL YEAR
ROUND!!!  BY COMPANY CHECK!!  Aggie jokes aside, this has got to be the dumbest
way to go about making illegal payments to someone.  Why not use money orders?
Why not pay cash, or use a personal check?  The claimed method leaves one easy
to find paper trail, and I find it hard to believe that after the troubles of
the other SWC schools and our own probation in '89 (not to mention that bit
with the basketball team) that a booster would be so stupid as to make his
illegal payments in such a manner.  It almost defies belief. 

  5.  Timing.  Here we are at the height of the recruiting season, and NOW they
come out with the story.  By itself, this means nothing, but in conjunction with
the other stuff, just makes me wonder all the more.

  It is not against the rules for players to work during semester and summer
breaks.  AS I WRITE THIS, all the evidence supports the player's and A&M's
contention that the players were only paid during summer and semester breaks 
for services rendered.  We will no doubt learn more on the 6 o'clock news,
after the remaining records are searched through.  SO FAR the evidence is only
the word of a (possibly) disgruntled employee or two that they did not do the
work.  Other employees have confirmed that they knew players were being paid,
but that means little since nobody is denying that the kids worked for and were
paid by the firm. 

  Like I said, I'm biased.  What I've seen so far cannot but make me think its
just a witch hunt.  A&M players cannot wipe their nose without the DMN nosing
around and looking to see if boosters illegally gave them the kleenex they
used.  Should this be true, well...we're well and truly fucked and no mistake
about it.  It just galls me that these so-called boosters think they're helping
the program.  At least it's a felony now in Texas to do this sort of thing.  As
in big fine, maybe a little jail time.  But hopefully this is much ado about 
nothing, and maybe we can sue the _Dallas Morning News_ for making accusations 
without documentary evidence -- surely that's negligence or someting.


semper fi,

Jammer Jim Miller 
Texas A&M University '89 and '91
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