Athletic Director Bill Bradshaw and head basketball coach Joey Meyer say they ”welcome” De Paul`s internal investigation to determine if basketball players accepted illegal gifts from a booster in violation of NCAA rules.
”To my knowledge, nothing illegal has been done at De Paul,” Meyer said on Friday. ”If something is found, we`ll self-report it to the NCAA.”
”We are not under investigation by the NCAA,” Bradshaw said. ”If we were, I`d know. I`ve told everyone on our staff to co-operate fully with the school`s own investigation. We have, and we will.”
For more than a month, De Paul associate law professor Katheryn Dutenhaver has conducted the investigation independent of the athletic department. At question is whether De Paul booster Jeffrey P. Tassani, who pleaded guilty in 1991 to federal bank fraud charges, broke rules when, as some sources claim, he offered players free rooms and other benefits.
Federal authorities have been investigating Tassani`s use of bank money, including use of bank-owned apartments, while Tassani was senior vice president at First Chicago Corp.
Tassani has been a longtime supporter of De Paul athletics. NCAA rules forbid athletes being offered benefits that are not available to students who are non-athletes. The NCAA expects its member schools to exercise
”institutional control” over boosters and booster groups.
”We instruct our athletes and our Foundation membership on the rules,”
said Bradshaw. ”We thought we had good control.”
Tassani had told federal authorities that De Paul players had used the bank`s apartments only on one or two occasions. But new evidence about frequent use of the apartments surfaced in February.
At that time, Ronald Gray, the former head of a real-estate managing company hired by the bank to find apartments for the financial institution, met with federal agents and bank attorneys.
Gray, who is cooperating with investigators, told authorities his office maintained two sets of books for the apartments. One was showed to the bank, and another was to keep track of those individuals, including De Paul players and their parents, whom Tassani let use the apartments, according to sources. Authorities have been searching for those records for several weeks, but they have been unable to locate them, sources said.
According to those familiar with the investigation, De Paul players used the apartments on ”dozens and dozens” of occasions.
Records obtained by federal agents show that one former player, after leaving De Paul, had the use of one apartment for several weeks and ran up a large telephone bill with long-distance calls.
Gray`s attorney, James Burns, said in a February court hearing that his client had met with the FBI for two days. ”This is one defendant who never lied to the FBI . . . and that will continue,” Burns said. ”Whatever the bank wants, whatever the FBI wants.”
Meyer is believed to be a coach who demands strict compliance to the most detailed of NCAA rules.
”I had Jeff (Tassani) right in my office,” Meyer recalled, ”and he said, `I know how much this means to you. I`ve done nothing wrong.`
”The school has asked me to say nothing specific about its investigation,” Meyer said. ”I`d like to refute some of the charges, but I will say nothing more. I go to bed and sleep well.”
When De Paul`s internal investigation is finished it will be submitted to Jim Doyle, vice president of student affairs and De Paul`s faculty representative to the NCAA.
”There is no timetable,” Doyle said. ”Katheryn needs to have whatever time is necessary. Naturally, we`d like it done as quickly, yet as thoroughly, as possible.”
At the close of a tough day, Meyer finally had a hearty laugh. He told how he heard his former star, Rod Strickland, now with the San Antonio Spurs, asked in a TV interview if he ever had received a free hotel room or other special benefits while at De Paul.
”Rod made me laugh,” said Meyer, ”when he answered, `If any school is clean, it`s De Paul. They`re so cheap, they never gave me anything!` ”
