CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Miami senior Dyron Dye has agreed to meet
for a third time with NCAA investigators, who want to know why there are
discrepancies between what he told them in 2011 and what he wrote in a
recent affidavit to support a former Hurricanes assistant coach.
And
according to that affidavit, Dye's explanation is simple. He claims he
said what the NCAA told him in 2011 was necessary to preserve his
career.
Dye's attorney, Darren Heitner, said Saturday that his
client stands by what he wrote, which has been obtained by The
Associated Press. The NCAA has told Miami that it wants to interview Dye
as soon it can, even over Memorial Day weekend, amid "Bylaw 10.1
concerns" -- the rule covering unethical conduct by those involved in
collegiate athletics.
"My client stands behind the statements he
made in his affidavit, which we understand is supported by affidavits
signed by other former players," Heitner said. "Nevertheless, we will
cooperate with the NCAA and comply with its request for a third
interview."
Dye has already been sanctioned once for his
involvement with the scandal that has dogged the Hurricanes for more
than two years and was sparked by claims made by former booster Nevin
Shapiro, a convicted felon who is currently serving a 20-year federal
prison sentence for masterminding a $930 million Ponzi scheme.
After
the scandal broke in 2011, Dye had to sit out four games and repay $738
because the NCAA found -- primarily through his own acknowledgement --
that he accepted impermissible benefits from Shapiro, who was linked to
dozens of Miami athletes, recruits and coaches over about a decade.
The
stakes are higher this time. If the NCAA successfully pursues a 10.1
charge against Dye, his remaining eligibility would almost certainly be
gone.
"I feel that it is unfair that the NCAA has twisted my
testimony," Dye wrote in his statement, filed on behalf of former
Hurricanes assistant coach Aubrey Hill, who faces one of the unethical
conduct charges -- the 10.1 -- that the NCAA included in the notice of
allegations it sent to Miami in February.
Former Miami
quarterback Jacory Harris echoed Dye's claim of NCAA intimidation in
another affidavit on Hill's behalf, and it's now expected that more
former players involved in the Hurricanes case will say the same thing
happened to them during their interviews related to the investigation.
The
NCAA has not commented about the affidavit from Dye, who played tight
end last year and was planning to switch to defensive line for his final
collegiate season. He is recovering from surgery needed after he got
hurt on the final day of Miami's spring practice season, but remains
hopeful that he will be able to play in 2013.
Dye appears several
times in the notice of allegations, which is what Miami will be facing
when it appears before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions for a hearing
scheduled to begin June 13 in Indianapolis.
Dye, the AP has
learned, was one of at least 38 football players who the NCAA said was
entertained at Shapiro's home. The NCAA also said Dye, Ray-Ray Armstrong
and Andre Dubose were provided "impermissible transportation and
benefits" such as a strip-club trip during an unofficial recruiting
visit. Dye also allegedly was allowed to stay at the homes of two former
football assistant coaches -- Hill and Clint Hurtt -- for no cost
during unofficial visits.
The NCAA said Dye stayed at Hurtt's home at least two nights, and at Hill's for at least two other nights.
More
allegations involving Dye included that he, Debose and Armstrong were
picked up by Hill about halfway between Miami and Orlando and driven by
the then-assistant to South Florida for a visit; that Hurtt arranged a
trip to a gathering with Miami players at Shapiro's home; that he played
in a pool tournament at Shapiro's where the booster was offering a cash
prize; and that he dined at an Italian restaurant with Hill and others,
with Shapiro paying.
In his affidavit, Dye denied many of those
allegations, including that he stayed at Hill's home, that he got
transportation from Hill for an unofficial visit, and that he did not
dine with a group that included Hill at the Italian restaurant.
With
regard to one of his previous interviews with the NCAA, conducted Aug.
16, 2011, Dye said now-retired investigator Rich Johanningmeier
threatened his scholarships and remaining eligibility, according to the
documents obtained by AP.
"I felt compelled to testify in a
manner that would be consistent with the manner in which Mr.
Johanningmeier was directing me in order to keep my eligibility," Dye
wrote.
