The complete report detailing the seven-month investigation into the Michigan men's basketball program revealed no major violations, but called into question the relationship between Detroit booster Ed Martin and the team.
At a press conference yesterday, University President Lee Bollinger and Athletic Director Tom Goss delivered copies of the finished report to members of the media. The names of students had been deleted. A copy of the report also was delivered to the NCAA for further review.
"I'm gratified that there's no major violations," Goss said. "But ... absolutely there are things in the report about the program that are troublesome."
 |
| MARGARET MYERS/Daily Athletic Director Tom Goss and University President Lee Bollinger discuss a 250-page report detailing the recent activities of the Michigan men's basketball team. The report came after the University admitted minor NCAA infractions last March.
|
The firm concluded that "it is debatable whether Martin has been a representative of Michigan's athletics interests." This contradicts earlier findings the University released in March, which in its joint inquiry report with the Big Ten, asserted that Martin was a "nontraditional" representative of the University.
"It's not clear cut," said Scott Tompsett, an attorney with Bond Schoeneck & King. "He may be (a representative). There are good arguments saying that he is a representative. There are also good arguments that he is not."
The discrepancy is central to the firm's interpretation of the University's actions with Martin.
"If Ed Martin is not an Athletic Department representative, then there probably are no NCAA violations with him providing players with benefits," Tompsett said. "It is a very important question. NCAA institutions are only responsible for representatives of their institutions."
Though Bollinger said there were no major violations, documents in the report suggest the existence of potential infractions.
For example, during each of the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Final Four Men's Basketball Championships, Martin, through the coaching staff's office, used his personal credit card to reserve hotel rooms. These rooms were set aside for players' families, Athletic Department staff members or "friends of the program," according to the report.
However, members of the coaching staff denied they were aware of the reservations, despite the fact that on April 2, 1992, two days prior to Michigan's first Final Four game, Fisher placed a "four-minute call to Martin's home," according to Athletic Department phone records.
Another account in the report details a conversation between Martin and a confidential source, in which the source states Martin brandished a shoebox full of receipts, which Martin claimed came from the purchase of "various items" for two Michigan student-athletes. Martin would not agree to be interviewed by the firm.
Documents show the source said that at the time of the incident, Martin was angry because the two players cut off contact with him. Martin directed the sources attention to a black Ford Bronco II parked in a nearby lot.
Martin claimed that he purchased the vehicle for an athlete, who "either drove the vehicle for only a brief period of time and then returned it or never accepted it in the first instance," according to the report.
The University admitted to committing two minor NCAA violations in early March through association with Martin. The violations - all of which involved Martin providing players with benefits - consisted of a birthday cake, airplane tickets sent to a player's parents and down payments on players' apartments.
Following the announcement of the violations, the basketball program was faced with an onslaught of allegations, most of which came from unnamed sources. The firm was unable to substantiate any of the claims that major violations may have been incurred.
Allegations against the program ranged from accounts of Martin passing monetary gifts to players through girlfriends and cake boxes to rumors that he arranged and assisted players in obtaining car and apartment leases. The most serious of the claims alleges that former Michigan stars Chris Webber and Maurice Taylor each accepted more than $100,000 from Martin.
In response to the allegations, Bollinger hired the firm, which specializes in NCAA infractions and compliance, to investigate and compile a report of its finding to be released to the NCAA and the public. At yesterday's press conference, Goss said that though all the bills have yet to be tallied, he estimates the University will owe the firm about $142,000.
"The allegations, if true, would clearly establish major violations within the program," Bollinger said. "In the face of those reports in the media I decided that our own investigation A - might be wrong - and B - might lack public confidence. At that point, I asked the Kansas City firm to conduct its own independent investigation."
Bollinger viewed the retainment of the outside firm as a move that would gain credibility for the University. However, NCAA Group Executive Director for Enforcement David Berst said the commission of an outside firm has no bearing on the NCAA's decision-making process.
"We don't favor it," Berst said. "That doesn't mean we oppose it. What it means is that we only care that the information is complete and accurate."
The firm blames its inability to confirm or deny the allegations of unnamed sources who refused to come forward.
"The (firm's) investigation was impacted by the fact that many of the individuals who reported allegations to newspaper reporters, including the most serious allegations, were not identified and, thus, were not interviewed," the report states.
- Daily Sports Writers James Goldstein, Mark Snyder and Dan Stillman contributed to this report.
| Details revealed in yesterday's report: | |
|---|---|
| * Three minor violations were uncovered by the probe, all of them pertaining to Detroit booster Ed Martin's gifts to players. | |
| * Martin reserved hotel rooms through the basketball office for the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Final Four Men's Basketball Championships. | |
| * Martin told an unnamed source that he purchased a variety of items for a pair of Michigan student-athletes, including a car, which was refused. | |
| * The report maintained there was not sufficient evidence to label Martin a representative of the University's athletic interests, contrary to the findings of the University's internal review. | |
| * Handwriting experts determined that Steve Fisher inscribed an assistant's initials on a complimentary ticket order for Martin five of six times. |
| Next Article |
should be sent to: daily.letters@umich.edu | should be sent to: online.daily@umich.edu |