University President Lee Bollinger addressed the latest allegations surrounding the relationship between Michigan basketball players and Detroit booster Ed Martin at yesterday's meeting of the Board of Regents.
"Any time there is a credible allegation we will investigate it," Bollinger said. "We have to have a goal of no violations. We cannot have a policy of no minor violations. We should be scrupulous and energetic in investigating any plausible allegations."
Bollinger said he could not verify if the charges made by an anonymous source in yesterday's edition of the Detroit Free Press were credible.
"If we knew who this was coming from then we can assess if it's credible," Bollinger said. "Since it's anonymous, it's a very complicated matter and puts the University in a very difficult position."
An unnamed source in the Detroit Free Press article claimed basketball players received cash envelopes hidden inside cake boxes and channeled money through players' girlfriends.
"It's scary," said Regent Andrea Fischer Newman (R-Ann Arbor). "These allegations are very scary. I hope we can get to the bottom of these allegations and prove that they are false. But obviously the Free Press has someone talking."
Vice President for University Relations Walter Harrison said the University first heard of these allegations in June of last year, and at this point the University has thoroughly investigated all of the allegations. He added that there is one charge in the paper that he had not come across before. Harrison would not say what that allegation is.
"I would like more time to make sure what was in the paper yesterday has all been looked into," Harrison said.
"There was one pathway of this money that I don't recall hearing about," Harrison said. "We are committed to following up on all leads. We all want to be absolutely certain that we are running this program with equal integrity as any in the country."
Newman said she wishes the newspapers could assist in the investigation because it is difficult for the University to communicate with sources that don't want to be identified.
"If there are any allegations then they must be looked into," Newman said. "We have to do a thorough investigation, but I just wish that the newspapers could work with us. It would make it a lot easier."