The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-06-26
PADDOCK SPEAKS) BITTERLY OF THE AMERICAN 4. A. U.
Champion Runner Says Pro- fessionaIs Are Knowingly
 Kept In Amateur Union
By WESTBROOk PEGLER Gcased Wire to Age-Herald.)
 lCOpyriRht, 1O23.l

NEW YORK, oJune 25.-Charlie Paddock, the fleetest human being the athletic world knows of, already under suspension by the American Amateur Athletic union, probably will be in much worse odor with the controlling body when the officials of the organization learn what he had to say on his return to New York from his troublesome activities in France.
 Charlie, who claims the University of Southern California, his immediate superior and the National Athletic federation his ultimate boss in ath- letics, defied the A. A. US order that he abstain from competition on the wonder side and thereby caused the disqualification of some of the best of the French Olympic athletes.
 Paddock, discussing Olympic mat ttrs. and questions of Jurisdiction in the American amateur athletic field, charged that some of the best men and most famous amateur club athletes. men who draw the custom CTS to the gates at club meets, were, in fact, professionals and that the A. A. U. knew it.
 "Why don't you expose what you know and clean up amateur athletics then?"
 "Because," said the California sprinter, who claims record of 9 2-5 for 100 yards. it would simply ruin us for the Olympics to have so many good men disqualified. I think that after the showdown be- the N A. F. will hvae final author ity and will be able to clean house by starting fresh and forgetting what has gone on in the past"
 Were you ever offered money?"
 Sure" Paddock said. Sure; 1 was offered $1,0O0 If I would stop over in New York and run here when was waiting for my ship to Europe last spring. And-this wasn't an amateur thing, of course-but I got an offer once from Tia Juana of s30,000 for three months work. Of ecu they wanted to tell me how fast I should run-that kind of game"
 Then Charlie recalled the instance of a famous sprinter who was dis qualified some time ago.
 q happen to know the inside Of that case" Paddock declared, and proceeded to say that the athlete had been guaranteed a stipulated sum for running in an A. A. U. sanc- toned meet and had been given only fraction Of the money after leav- ing the track. He raised roar He was disqualified"
 In fact, Paddock said, profession alism is so common that In all those who have been guilty of 1t were to be disuualified, the United States would have to count on many fewer points from the club runners In the next olympics than may be expected from these non-collegian perform CTS as class if nothing Is said about it. He mentioned two other runners with whose cases he claimed to be familiar and told the circum- stances of their being suspended not for receiving money, but because or sauabbles about the money.
 The question of his duty to make affidavts stating his information was put to Paddock in this way: What sort of sportsmanshlp will 1t be. if the United States runs pro- fessionals to win the Olympics?"
 Paddock was floored by that. It wasn't very good sportsmanship, he agreed, to wink at that sort of thing, but he said the instances with which he was familiar would be dif- ficult or impossible to prove, and pointed out that, anyway, the U. s. A. won't be alone in the practice.
 France recently restored tC ellgl- bility, he said, for the purpose or using him in the Olympics. run ner who had been an avowed pro fessional for years, and some other European athletes are said to par ticipate in the gate receipts as can didly as professional prize fight arC do