BoonesFarmSooner
7/13/2007, 09:21 AM
This was written back in August, but thought it would be good to revisit....
Labor pain: NCAA athletes' jobs tough to track
Keeping track of athletes a full-time job for school officials
Saturday, August 5, 2006
By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News
Nothing wrong with athletes having summer jobs to earn extra money.
But compliance officials at Southwest schools said little can be done to prevent overzealous boosters from giving money to eager athletes who know it's against NCAA rules.
"What happened at Oklahoma could happen anywhere, even with the systems in place" Texas compliance director Lori Smith said. "You can't control what people do."
Oklahoma officials dismissed quarterback Rhett Bomar of Grand Prairie and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn of Garland last week after an internal investigation revealed they accepted money for work they did not perform at a local car dealership.
The players would clock in at Big Red Sports/Imports, go back to campus for class or practice and then clock out, according to two university sources. This happened last summer and fall.
Former Big Red general manager Brad McRae told The Oklahoman that he was unaware of the players' actions. McRae was fired soon after it was revealed Big Red loaned a used Lexus to running back Adrian Peterson for several weeks last spring before securing financing. OU announced no NCAA violations occurred.
Big Red has employed 20 to 25 OU players the last several years, the university sources said. OU generally does not want its players working during the season. OU coach Bob Stoops said he did not know Bomar and Quinn continued working into the fall, possibly through the 2005 season.
OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said the school self-reported the violation to the NCAA. The dealership was sold in April, and the new owner, David Hudiburg, said he has helped OU officials by turning over what records he can. The school had to get other records from the previous owner, Mike Donohue, who did not return phone calls.
Most schools have programs that help athletes find summer jobs. Castiglione would not say if OU helped Bomar and Quinn land at Big Red, though.
Businesses are required to inform the school and complete substantial paperwork whenever they hire athletes. Hudiburg said he has not employed any athletes at his dealership since the ownership change.
"We don't employ student-athletes for the very reason that it's a hassle," said Hudiburg's attorney, Jeff Atkins. "The risks well outweigh any benefits."
OU fans may wonder how the school doesn't know what its athletes are doing at all times, especially a high-profile player such as Bomar, the Sooners' 2005 starting quarterback.
"Well, that person doesn't realize that we have almost 500 student-athletes to track," Castiglione said Thursday.
Stoops said that at some point players must know the difference between right and wrong. That sentiment was echoed by other university officials.
"You do the best you can educating your kids and the employers, and then you hold your breath," Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said.
The UT compliance office, which includes five full-time employees, monitors athletes' jobs by requiring detailed paperwork from the athletes and employers. Athletes file notice of their employment with the compliance office. The employer certifies the job description and outlines the wages.
Rhonda Place monitors where UT athletes work. She said boosters are counseled on the rules, and the school conducts spot checks in places such as San Antonio and Houston to ensure nothing is wrong. Place said that if 20-25 athletes worked at one location, the school would investigate.
"That would raise a red flag, and we would look into it," Place said.
A scandal involving a booster paying athletes for work they didn't perform resulted in NCAA sanctions for the Texas A&M football team in the early 1990s.
Texas A&M has 700 athletes, and approximately 150 had summer jobs this year. A&M compliance director David Batson outlined a similar policy that UT has. But he said the system ultimately relies on honesty
"That's always a concern if the student-athletes or anybody you're dealing with is not telling the truth," Batson said. "You can ask questions, but if they say they're not working and you don't have anything to contradict that, there's not much you can do."
SMU helps current and former players find jobs through a program called PALS – Preparing Achievers for Lifetime Success.
Whitney Cahoy recruits college campuses for Guaranty Bank. She said SMU women's soccer player Susanne Collins had a paid summer internship in the bank's credit department. All of the bank's interns are paid the same rate and work the same hours, Cahoy said.
"We're kept pretty much in the loop on what the NCAA rules are," Cahoy said. "We take our role here very seriously."
Texas Tech compliance director Jennifer Brashear said even the best compliance program can miss the signals.
"It comes down to one student, one staff member, one coach making a decision," Brashear said.
Staff Writers Chip Brown, Rachel Cohen and Keith Whitmire contributed to this report.
Labor pain: NCAA athletes' jobs tough to track
Keeping track of athletes a full-time job for school officials
Saturday, August 5, 2006
By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News
Nothing wrong with athletes having summer jobs to earn extra money.
But compliance officials at Southwest schools said little can be done to prevent overzealous boosters from giving money to eager athletes who know it's against NCAA rules.
"What happened at Oklahoma could happen anywhere, even with the systems in place" Texas compliance director Lori Smith said. "You can't control what people do."
Oklahoma officials dismissed quarterback Rhett Bomar of Grand Prairie and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn of Garland last week after an internal investigation revealed they accepted money for work they did not perform at a local car dealership.
The players would clock in at Big Red Sports/Imports, go back to campus for class or practice and then clock out, according to two university sources. This happened last summer and fall.
Former Big Red general manager Brad McRae told The Oklahoman that he was unaware of the players' actions. McRae was fired soon after it was revealed Big Red loaned a used Lexus to running back Adrian Peterson for several weeks last spring before securing financing. OU announced no NCAA violations occurred.
Big Red has employed 20 to 25 OU players the last several years, the university sources said. OU generally does not want its players working during the season. OU coach Bob Stoops said he did not know Bomar and Quinn continued working into the fall, possibly through the 2005 season.
OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said the school self-reported the violation to the NCAA. The dealership was sold in April, and the new owner, David Hudiburg, said he has helped OU officials by turning over what records he can. The school had to get other records from the previous owner, Mike Donohue, who did not return phone calls.
Most schools have programs that help athletes find summer jobs. Castiglione would not say if OU helped Bomar and Quinn land at Big Red, though.
Businesses are required to inform the school and complete substantial paperwork whenever they hire athletes. Hudiburg said he has not employed any athletes at his dealership since the ownership change.
"We don't employ student-athletes for the very reason that it's a hassle," said Hudiburg's attorney, Jeff Atkins. "The risks well outweigh any benefits."
OU fans may wonder how the school doesn't know what its athletes are doing at all times, especially a high-profile player such as Bomar, the Sooners' 2005 starting quarterback.
"Well, that person doesn't realize that we have almost 500 student-athletes to track," Castiglione said Thursday.
Stoops said that at some point players must know the difference between right and wrong. That sentiment was echoed by other university officials.
"You do the best you can educating your kids and the employers, and then you hold your breath," Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said.
The UT compliance office, which includes five full-time employees, monitors athletes' jobs by requiring detailed paperwork from the athletes and employers. Athletes file notice of their employment with the compliance office. The employer certifies the job description and outlines the wages.
Rhonda Place monitors where UT athletes work. She said boosters are counseled on the rules, and the school conducts spot checks in places such as San Antonio and Houston to ensure nothing is wrong. Place said that if 20-25 athletes worked at one location, the school would investigate.
"That would raise a red flag, and we would look into it," Place said.
A scandal involving a booster paying athletes for work they didn't perform resulted in NCAA sanctions for the Texas A&M football team in the early 1990s.
Texas A&M has 700 athletes, and approximately 150 had summer jobs this year. A&M compliance director David Batson outlined a similar policy that UT has. But he said the system ultimately relies on honesty
"That's always a concern if the student-athletes or anybody you're dealing with is not telling the truth," Batson said. "You can ask questions, but if they say they're not working and you don't have anything to contradict that, there's not much you can do."
SMU helps current and former players find jobs through a program called PALS – Preparing Achievers for Lifetime Success.
Whitney Cahoy recruits college campuses for Guaranty Bank. She said SMU women's soccer player Susanne Collins had a paid summer internship in the bank's credit department. All of the bank's interns are paid the same rate and work the same hours, Cahoy said.
"We're kept pretty much in the loop on what the NCAA rules are," Cahoy said. "We take our role here very seriously."
Texas Tech compliance director Jennifer Brashear said even the best compliance program can miss the signals.
"It comes down to one student, one staff member, one coach making a decision," Brashear said.
Staff Writers Chip Brown, Rachel Cohen and Keith Whitmire contributed to this report.