Questions remain on Fisher's future

Though seven months of investigation were unable to expose any major violations in the Michigan men's basketball program, University officials refused to say yesterday whether coach Steve Fisher's job is secure.

University President Lee Bollinger and Athletic Director Tom Goss distributed copies of the final 250-page report, which documents the investigation of the basketball program. Bollinger and Goss dodged questions about Fisher's future at the University during yesterday's press conference, saying they had no answers at the time.

Fisher did not attend the conference. He is currently on vacation.

Goss said he will review the report with Fisher when he returns, and together they will examine the University's conduct.

"I am concerned that some of our own practices and procedures that we have here with our own standards need to be reviewed over the next few days as we get into this report," Goss said. "At that time, we will better understand overall the standards."

Goss said the report is no longer the issue.

"The issue is how we run our athletic programs," Goss said. "Quite frankly, there's no major violations. At this point in time, we have to make sure the things we do here at Michigan are within the practices and standards we set."

During the investigation, the complimentary ticket lists from 1991-94 were obtained and examined to determine who authorized the tickets that Detroit booster Ed Martin received.

Fisher requested tickets for Martin 16 times during the three-year period. On six occasions, the initials "PW" were used to identify that former coach Perry Watson requested the tickets. Watson denies ever signing such lists.

The report states that the firm acquired the help of a handwriting and ink analyst to discover who wrote the initials "PW" next to requests for tickets for Martin.

"The forensic document analyst concluded that the initials 'PW' were written by Fisher in five of the six instances," the report states.

Bollinger said since the investigation has not yielded any major violations, the University should not face any major penalties from the NCAA.

"The standard for Michigan athletics is not to take pleasure in not having major NCAA violations," Bollinger said. "Our standards have been - and will continue to be - far, far higher than that. We owe this to the students and to their parents, to the University and to the public.

"We must have it to have credibility in the regional and the national discussion about the nature of intercollegiate athletics," he said.

Goss said that though the report reveals no major violations, some "troublesome" information was uncovered. He has already begun meeting with coaches from all Michigan athletic teams in group sessions "where coaches have articulated the values with which they plan to manage their teams.

"All of our coaches are held to certain responsibilities and accountabilities," Goss said.

The report was delivered to the NCAA on Wednesday afternoon - the same time the University received it. The NCAA will review it, but the process could take months.

David Berst, NCAA group executive director, said it is difficult to speculate about the time it will take to receive a response from the NCAA. The NCAA will review the report and then decide if the information is significant.

"It depends on how complex the issues are and how available people are to talk to us," Berst said. "So the timeline is normally a lot longer than what you think it should be."

Bollinger said the University needs to conduct itself in a manner consistent with standards it sets for itself, adding that it is the athletic director's responsibility to guide the course.

"The formulation and the articulation of these values rests with the athletic director," Bollinger said. "The president and the University, especially the faculty, participate in the formation of these values. But in the end, it must be the athletic director that we turn to for direction."

Suspicions arose after '96 accident
Feb. 16, 1996: Michigan players visit Detroit booster Ed Martin's house with recruit Mateen Cleaves.
Feb. 17, 1996: After attending a hotel party that may have involved alcohol, strippers and illegal narcotic substances, Michigan forward Maurice Taylor's Ford Explorer rolls over on M-14 with four other players and a recruit aboard.
March 11, 1996: An inquiry is sent from the NCAA to the University asking for information on players' automobiles.
March 15, 1996: Former Athletic Director Joe Roberson receives an inquiry letter from NCAA Enforcement Representative Guy Troupe.
June 27, 1996: Following a joint inquiry, the Big Ten and the University submit a report to the NCAA.
August, 1996: The NCAA makes known new allegations against the basketball program. The NCAA asks for more information from the University.
Sept. 4-5, 1996: Troupe visits campus and conducts investigative interviews with Michigan coach Steve Fisher, assistant coach Scott Perry and student-athletes.
Sept. 16, 1996: Fisher and Perry are interviewed by Roberson and Faculty Representative Percy Bates.
Jan. 23, 1997: Fisher and Perry are interviewed by assistant athletic Director Jeff Long and Robert Vowels from the Big Ten Conference Office. The interview examines their relationships with Martin and their knowledge of the allegations against the program.
Feb. 7, 1997: The University submits a more extensive report to the NCAA.
March, 1997: The University disassociates Martin from the basketball program.
March 10, 1997: The University publicly releases the joint inquiry report to the NCAA in response to allegations involving the basketball program.
March 17, 1997: The University hires Kansas-based law firm Bond, Schoeneck & King to investigate the allegations.
April, 1997: The University releases complimentary ticket lists. The lists show that Martin received complimentary tickets on 30 occasions. Fisher gave written authorization of the lists on eight occasions.
May, 1997: The University releases transcripts of interviews conducted between Fisher, Vowels and Long.
June, 1997: Unnamed sources allege that former Michigan stars Chris Webber and Maurice Taylor accepted more than $100,000 from Martin.
July 24, 1997: Fisher's friends throw a party in his honor, the "We Believe in Steve" rally, to show their support for the coach.
Aug.-Sept., 1997: The report form the law firm is scheduled to be released.
1997-1998: For a one-year period, the University will reduce the number of permissible off-campus contacts from three to two as a self-imposed corrective action.

10-10-97