New Britain herald., 1922-01-30
ACCUSED FOOTBALL
 MEN OFFER AL|BIS
DeSCh and MOhardt Of N0tre Dame
 Assert Their Innocence

Chicago, Jan, S0-Indicatons are that Gus Desch and John Mohardt Notre Dame football stars, who were said to have played with Carlnville, H., in the professional game last fall against Taylorville, H., which re- suited in disqualification of nine uni- versity of Illinois athletes would be cleared of any connection with the collegiate football scandal .--.
 Developments tend to show that Desch and Mohardt were innocent victims of case of false identity, which was the second instance of double crossing in the bitter rivalry between the two towns over the games. Carlnville people bet ap- proximately S50,0o0 on the game, if is said, after hiring ten college players for their eleven, only to find that Tay lorville had learned of the pan and procured nine Illinois athletes for it's team, which won. l6 to Q.
 Both Dcsch, member of the American Olympic team, and Mo- hardt, an All-American halfback se lection. last night issued formal de- nials that they played in the game
 
 Dame authorities at South Bend, Ind, that they were in school the day of the contest.
 Think They were Imposed Upon.
 When the Carlinvile people, who though they had hired the two play CTS, learned of this, they frankly de- clared that undoubtedly they had been imposed upon by persons using the names of Desch and Mohardt and that, besides being beaten at their own game of safe betting," they had been dupes of the ringers they hired to make the betting safe.
 At South Bend, Desch and Mohardt presented their evidence at an infor- nal meeting of some members of the college athletic committee. Later these members expressed the opinion that the two men were innocent and merely victims of circumstances A formal meeting of the committee will be held at which all information gathered will be gone. over.
 The reports spread through Carlin- vile previous to the game that ten Notre Dame men had been pro- cured to play and that the game had thus been clnched and the betting made safe. "Desch, Mohardt and Chester Wynne" who. the towns people had been informed, were Notre Dame stars, were to appear in the lineup, but Wynne also has positively denied participation in the game, and has announced that he can prove his assertions
 Notre Dame's Investigation.
 Knute Rockne, Notre Dame coac'1, last night told The Associated Press that the authorities undoubtedly would take drastic action if the inves- tigation showed that Notre Dame men had played in the game.
 We do not want to go off half cooked" said Rockne, but we are bending every effort toward thorough investigation of each detail of this affair I believe that Desch and Mohardt are innocent, and can readily see had the Carlinvlle people might have been deceived into believ- il.s that Desch and Mohardt were playing on their team.
 If any Notre Dame man is found guilty of playing professional football or in any way violating the college rules, either in spirit or letter, we shall not be the lease lenient. We cannot, for we must protect our col lege, and we must protect college football from the encroachments pro- fessionalism is trying to make on it.
 We feel the highest regard for the Illinois authorities for their action and I know that Notre Dame will be severe if any of her men are found guilty"
 Rockne has long been known as a staunch enemy of professional foot ball.