Opinion ID: 1826657
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether the trial court erred in entering a summary judgment for the NCAA and Culpepper on the claims involving conspiracy media leaks.

Text: Cottrell and Williams contend that the trial court erred in entering summary judgments for the NCAA and Culpepper with regard to their claim of defamation involving conspiracy media leaks because, they say, they presented substantial evidence creating a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the NCAA and Culpepper conspired to defame them. It appears that during the NCAA investigation, information about the NCAA's interviews conducted with Cottrell and Williams was published in various newspapers, sometimes the day after the interview. Cottrell and Williams maintained that the NCAA, specifically Johanningmeier, and Culpepper, leaked information to the media to make them the scapegoats of the investigation, to ruin their coaching careers, and to cast them in a bad light. Cottrell and Williams argue that the leak of the information was particularly objectionable in light of their efforts to cooperate with the NCAA and their refusal to discuss any part of the investigation with the press in accordance with the NCAA confidentiality rule. Cottrell and Williams maintain that although they abided by the confidentiality agreement, the NCAA did not. In support of their argument, Cottrell and Williams cite evidence indicating that Johanningmeier spoke with media persons, including Culpepper and an investigative reporter for the American Broadcasting Company in Memphis, Tennessee, and that Culpepper and the investigative reporter published confidential' information. The news articles that Cottrell and Williams cite, however, referred to their sources as sources close to the NCAA probe and sources close to the investigation. None of the articles cited by Cottrell and Williams stated that the information contained therein emanated from conversations with NCAA personnel. The evidence established that several individuals were present during the interviews conducted by the NCAA. In addition to the person being interviewed and Johanningmeier, the evidence indicates that Marsh, Robbins, counsel for The University, and others attended and asked questions. Cottrell and Williams even stated in their complaint that some of the information came from Marsh. Additionally, Cottrell and Williams conceded in their depositions that they had no facts or evidence indicating that anyone at the NCAA leaked information to the press during the investigation. Finally, Cottrell and Williams did not present substantial evidence indicating that Culpepper made the statements allegedly leaked to the media. Therefore, based on this evidence, only speculation and conjecture support a conclusion that the NCAA or Culpepper conspired to ruin Cottrell and Williams and in furtherance of that conspiracy made these statements. Viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to Cottrell and Williams, we conclude that substantial evidence was not presented that the NCAA or Culpepper were the sources of the leaked information or that they conspired to leak information to the media and to make Cottrell and Williams the scapegoats of the NCAA investigation.