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SALT LAKE CITY — From deals on cars to free food and reduced rents, some college athletes around the country have been receiving perks for years from so-called boosters trying to buddy up to players half their ages.
Nick Emery’s case is the latest to gain public attention, with the NCAA investigating to determine if the junior guard on the BYU basketball team got extra benefits from a booster. The Salt Lake Tribune was the first to report the allegations after being provided documentation.
“It’s a huge problem,” said Norm Chow, a 40-year veteran of college coaching during a radio interview on The Sports Network.
As the offensive coordinator at USC when the Trojans went 34-3 from 2002-04, Chow said it was common knowledge that some players were receiving benefits outside of NCAA regulations. As a result of violations involving Reggie Bush, the NCAA later ordered USC to disassociate with the star running back, who forfeited his title as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner.
“Everybody knew,” Chow said. “Everybody wanted to be with Reggie Bush because he was the one who had the keys to the Playboy mansion. He could go to the Playboy mansion, not the coaches, so the coaches were playing up to Reggie so they could go with him.”
Fight on.
As a quarterback at BYU, Brandon Doman acknowledged there are many opportunities to run afoul of NCAA regulations. Breaks on everything ranging from a simple free lunch to actual cash are available, he said.
“Had I not been a little more careful, I probably easily could have had some violations along the way,” Doman said.
Citing Emery’s situation in general as an example, Doman gets irritated at the idea of boosters trying to have friendships with much younger players. From his experience as a player and later a coach, he said not all boosters are well meaning.
“Sometimes they are weasels,” Doman said. “I’m speaking generalities. I don’t know the specifics of Nick Emery.”
In Emery’s case, as the Tribune reported, the NCAA is looking into if a booster paid for travel to concerts and an amusement park in addition to letting him use a new car. Brandon Tyndall, a 40-year-old member of BYU’s Cougar Club, told the Tribune the two are friends and Emery paid for everything. NCAA rules allow for certain exceptions for boosters who have longstanding relationships with an athlete.
BYU is working with the NCAA on Emery’s situation and has hired a lawyer who represents universities suspected of NCAA violations. Three years ago, the BYU football program was in a similar situation but no players were suspended from competition.
Related:
BYU basketball supporting junior guard during NCAA, school investigation
BYU basketball guard Nick Emery was discovered to be under investigation by the NCAA nearly a week ago for possible misconduct penalties, stemming from allegations that he received free trips and concert tickets from a BYU booster.Emery, who is practicing with the team and played in an exhibition game last week at New Mexico, could face a suspension. BYU also could decide to hold him out of regular-season games as a precaution and a show of good faith with the NCAA.
“You got boosters that want to be involved at levels they have no business being involved in,” Doman said. “They think they got the inside track, they all think they’re best buddies with the athletes.
“This one really bugs me. In many cases you got boosters that have no business participating in the way they do. Athletes need to be smarter.”
Across the board, Doman believes athletic officials need to be more diligent in educating their players about the dangers of boosters looking to associate with particular teams. Many often have ulterior motives.
Athletic departments negotiate a fine line with donors who often contribute large sums of money.
“Sometimes I think the administration isn’t careful enough about which boosters they allow to participate with the athletes at varying levels because the need for money is so important,” Doman said. “There’s a wide variety of ways for these boosters to not consider themselves boosters but consider themselves (friends of players).”
Now retired, Chow advocates paying college athletes. In recent years, the NCAA has approved providing a stipend to cover the cost of attendance in addition to the scholarships.
Chow expects more of these issues to continue to plague college athletics.
“It’s a real problem,” he said, “and something that has to be addressed in a hurry.”
