College football programs from the talent-rich Southeastern Conference
are having to defend themselves in the wake of allegations of money
being funneled to players.
Yahoo Sports reported Wednesday that
five SEC players received improper benefits during their college
careers, including former Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray -- now with
the Kansas City Chiefs -- and former Alabama offensive tackle D.J.
Fluker, casting yet another dark cloud over college sports.
The
players were Bray, Fluker, who started on two national championship
teams, Tennessee defensive lineman Maurice Couch, and Mississippi State
defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and wide receiver Chad Bumphis.
The
report cited text messages and financial records of former Alabama
defensive end Luther Davis and an unnamed NFL source who said Davis was a
go-between for the players with NFL agents and financial advisers.
All three schools issued statements Wednesday saying they are investigating the allegations.
The
report comes on the heels of Sports Illustrated articles outlining
alleged widespread misconduct within the Oklahoma State program,
including academic fraud and illegal payments. Before that, Texas
A&M Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel was investigated -- and
ultimately suspended for the first half of the Aggies' season opener --
for what the school called an "inadvertent" violation involving signing
autographs.
The Yahoo report named three NFL agents and three
financial advisers who Yahoo said engaged in transactions totaling at
least $45,550 with Davis between September 2011 and December 2012.
Davis, who played on Alabama's 2009 national championship team, declined to comment in the Yahoo report.
Yahoo
said records show Davis distributing at least $12,700 in cash, airfare
and other expenses to the five players. The report included a 49-item
invoice totaling $33,755 from February 2013 that Davis emailed to
Fluker's onetime financial adviser, Hodge Brahmbhatt.
Agents Andy
Simms, Peter Schaffer and John Phillips and financial adviser Mike
Rowan each confirmed giving money to Davis, according to Yahoo, but said
they didn't instruct the former player to provide benefits to players,
and didn't know of him doing so.
Yahoo said financial advisers Jason Jernigan and Brahmbhatt declined comment.
The transactions could violate NCAA rules prohibiting benefits from agents or representatives.
Southern
California received heavy sanctions for improper benefits to Heisman
Trophy-winning tailback Reggie Bush, including a two-year bowl ban, four
years of probation, 30 lost scholarships and 14 vacated victories.
Couch
is a senior for the Volunteers. Fluker, Bray and Cox are currently
playing in the NFL, while Bumphis was recently released by the Miami
Dolphins.
Alabama athletic director Bill Battle said in a statement that the university was aware of the Yahoo report.
"We
have been aware of some of the allegations in today's story and our
compliance department was looking into this situation prior to being
notified that this story was actually going to be published," Battle
said. "Our review is ongoing. We diligently educate our student-athletes
on maintaining compliance with NCAA rules, and will continue to do so."
Crimson
Tide linebacker C.J. Mosley said after Wednesday's practice that if the
allegations did occur, nothing like that is happening now.
"It
was upsetting to hear, but at the end of the day, that's what happened
in the past," he said. "The coaches do a great job of informing us and
our parents about agents and things like that. So I'm pretty sure that
won't be happening again."
Alabama coach Nick Saban said he was confident the university will "handle the situation appropriately."
Saban,
who is preparing his top-ranked Tide for Saturday's visit to No. 6
Texas A&M, said he hadn't read the report, but praised how Alabama
players have avoided temptations.
"For as many high-profile
players as we've had around here, I'm fairly pleased with the way most
of them, for the most part, have managed their circumstances and their
situation and focused on what they need to do for the University of
Alabama," he said.
But Saban quickly became irritated with
questions about the report, saying he wanted to talk only about the
game. No more questions came and he walked out of the interview room
saying, "Appreciate your interest in the game."
He's right, the constant allegations of rules violations are taking the focus away from the field.
The latest allegations could lead to investigations by Secretary of State offices regarding agent laws.
"Mississippi
State University has always been responsive and cooperative to any
inquiry by our Agency," Mississippi Secretary of State of Delbert
Hosemann told The Associated Press in a statement. "However, it is the
policy of the Secretary of State's Office to neither confirm, comment or
deny any current or potential investigation our Agency conducts."
Mississippi
State spokesman Gregg Ellis said the university "constantly educates
our student-athletes about agent-related issues. We've also worked
closely with the Mississippi Secretary of State's office in recent years
to strengthen the Mississippi Uniform Agent Act. As always, we will do
our due diligence to evaluate any potential concerns."
Mississippi State and Tennessee are both on probation for other NCAA violations until the summer of 2015.
Tennessee athletic department spokesman Jimmy Stanton also said the university emphasizes rules compliance.
"The
education of our student-athletes regarding NCAA rules and extra
benefits is and will continue to be the central focus of our compliance
efforts," Stanton said. "We are aware of the article and are examining
all of the relevant facts, and we will not comment further."
Tennessee
coach Butch Jones said on his weekly radio show Wednesday night he
could only comment on what had taken place since he took over the
program in December.
"All I can tell you is this," Jones said,
"we're well aware of (the report). We've been educating our players
since the minute we walked in the door, and we'll see what happens."
