The University of Kentucky athletic department has banned a student newspaper from a basketball media event after a reporter apparently tried to interview players without its permission, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported Tuesday.
The action was taken Monday by DeWayne Peevy, the university's associate athletics director for media relations, after he learned that a reporter for the Kentucky Kernel had asked two walk-on men's basketball players for an interview.
Peevy said the reporter violated the "understanding between the media members and the University of Kentucky" to direct all interview requests through his office.
The paper disputes this version of events -- and one commentator has gone as far as to suggest the department's ban is a violation of the First Amendment.
The Kernel's editor-in-chief, Taylor Moak insists that, at the time of the interview request, the two students had not been officially announced as walk-on members of the Wildcats basketball team. Therefore there was no need to seek permission.
Moak said Peevy informed him that the Kernel's reporters would not be allowed to attend Tuesday's event, at which the team will be made available to various media outlets.
Moak said Peevy characterized the decision as a "punishment," the Herald-Leader reported.
Peevy said he used the term "for lack of a better word" and promised that the Kernel's access to players will resume after Tuesday.
One attorney told the Herald-Leader that the ban is a clear violation of the First Amendment.
"(The decision) is so clearly a violation of First Amendment rights for the university to condition access on gathering or publishing information the way the university wants you to do it," said Kentucky First Amendment lawyer Jon Fleischaker.
"It's especially wrong for a university to act that way," he added.
