OU blames wrongdoers
By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
8/27/2006
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NORMAN -- A premise emerges from Oklahoma's investigation into NCAA extra-benefit violations committed by two players at Big Red Sports and Imports:
This was the behavior of a rogue booster, Brad McRae, and two players, Rhett Bomar and J.D. Quinn. All three were well-advised of protocol. All three chose to ignore it.
It is a position OU takes in its report to the NCAA, as a means of establishing general institutional control.
McRae, the general manager at Big Red during the time the majority of the violations occurred, was made a culprit in OU's investigation report to the NCAA filed Aug. 21.
"Brad McRae was aware and condoned that (names blacked out) were being paid for time they were not present and working at Big Red," the report states.
In its report, OU acknowledges Big Red's role as a Sooner "booster."
At the same time McRae is portrayed as someone out of step with what OU expected of businesses in its summer job program for players.
"I had no knowledge that he had hired some of those . . . student-athletes who were out there. He did that on his own," Merv Johnson, the OU director of football operations who oversees the summer job program, said in an Aug. 3 interview. "I urged him
not to, simply because I wanted to send other people I felt needed it the most, not just somebody that thought it'd be a fun thing to do.
"But Brad had a tendency to, (uh, uh) if he liked a guy, to go ahead and hire him."
According to OU's report, McRae employed 14 football players over the summers of 2004 and '05. The testimony of three Sooner coaches reveals an effort was made by OU to monitor the employment.
"I called (McRae) making sure . . . that the players were there," head coach Bob Stoops said in an Aug. 3 interview. "Were they doing the right things. Make sure that they're working hard, (um) and to make sure things were done right.
"I had specifically asked to make sure that (um) that they're working the hours they're supposed to work, that they're getting paid as they should, that they're treating them like you would your other employees . . ."
In an Aug. 3 interview, defensive coordinator Brent Venables said "I always follow up. I want to know where my guys are working."
Asked during his interview about the extra-benefit issue related to Big Red, Johnson said: "I urged (McRae) not to get into that, not to go that route."
McRae, however, did go that route with Bomar and Quinn, who, according to testimony within OU's report, were well-versed on NCAA legislation.
"We have our compliance staff (uh) come over and walk through and talk through all the forms to be filled out and what they all mean and one of 'em is in regard to extra benefits," Stoops said Aug. 3.
OU interviewed two unidentified players Aug. 3, who were also employed by Big Red.
One was asked, "Is it fair to say that you have known throughout your career at OU that you can't get extra benefits?"
"I understand," the player answered.
"You think all the players knew that?" the player was asked.
"Everybody should know," the player answered.
The guilty parties did know, as OU states in its NCAA report: "The student-athletes committed these violations, even though they were aware that being paid for work not performed is a violation of NCAA rules."
The three coaches and two players interviewed Aug. 3 all testified that they had no prior knowledge of the extra-benefit violations, not even in the form of rumor. They all testified that the summer-job program is not used as any kind of recruiting inducement. And all of them downplayed their personal relationship with McRae.
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Guerin Emig 581-8355
[email protected]
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Online: Read other stories about OU football and the OU blog by writers John Hoover and Guerin Emig at www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra..