CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -- 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.
