Ducks release investigation docs that are almost all redacted
EUGENE, Ore. – For the past 18 months, the University of Oregon football program has been operating under the cloud of an NCAA investigation of possible recruiting violations.
On Friday afternoon, in response to a public records request from KATU News, the University of Oregon released a set of heavily redacted e-mails related to the NCAA investigation.
The e-mails don’t provide many details, but they do show the NCAA and school officials have talked about possible penalties the university might face.
The controversy around the program started with a report on Yahoo Sports in 2011 about a so-called “street agent” named Willie Lyles. Then, in February of this year, KATU broke the news that the NCAA had formally accused the school of violating recruiting rules by paying for recruiting services it didn’t receive.
The 28 pages of documents contain e-mails primarily between three people: Randy Geller, the university’s general counsel; Mike Glazier, a private attorney specializing in college sports law who was hired by the school; and Steve Duffin, the associate director of enforcement for the NCAA.
The vast majority of the e-mails are fully or partially redacted. A school spokeswoman said they were redacted in compliance with Oregon law protecting attorney-client privilege.
They also only cover e-mails sent before May 9. KATU made our original request on May 10, although we didn’t receive the documents until August 31.
While we can’t connect too many dots from the redacted documents, the e-mails do show that an NCAA enforcement official was having frequent conversations with university lawyers through May, after the NCAA had formally accused the school of wrongdoing.
In one e-mail, Duffin from the NCAA talks about how the university could potentially face penalties for “major violations.”
In an e-mail dated March 23, Duffin wrote to Glazier saying, “I’m assuming that the institution is cognizant that NCAA bylaw 19.5.2.1.1 MAY be applicable in this case based on the COI’s (Committee on Infractions) 6/23/04 Infractions Report concerning the institution.”
That particular bylaw concerns penalties for “major violations.” Penalties laid out include a probationary period, limiting recruiting trips, losing scholarships or some staff members being suspended or fired.
The 2004 infractions were about “impermissible contact and violations” related to an assistant coach administering a “National Letter of Intent,” which the letter a recruit signs when committing to a school.
Also of note, a school can be considered a “repeat offender” if a violation occurred within five years of a previous penalty being issued. That means if the UO is found to have committed violations before June 2009, five years after they were last penalized, they could be considered a repeat offender and face stiffer penalties.
Other e-mails
On May 2, Duffin suggested that he was still working on the “drafting process,” although it’s not clear what exactly he was drafting.
On May 8, another NCAA official sent an e-mail to athletic director Rob Mullens and Glazier with the subject “secure website access to evidentiary materials.” The e-mail mentions an attachment, but the university did not give us any attachment.
The e-mails also indicate that, as of May, the university was still working with the NCAA on a “summary disposition.” That’s a process where the university agrees to not fight the allegations and work with the NCAA to reach a resolution.
However, it’s not clear where the school and NCAA currently are in the summary disposition process.
While the e-mails do offer a glimpse into the investigation process, it’s hard to draw any firm conclusions from them. The school has remained silent about the process, so we’re not able to fill in the gaps.
In fact, it’s still not clear if the investigation is ongoing, or what, if any, penalties the UO might face.
Hey KATU. Why don't you spend some time investigating Obama and his whole crowd for all of the criminal action that's been going on for the last 3.5 years instead of a college football program that's just trying to compete with the big boys, who have been getting away with alot more for alot longer?! Get your priorities straight! Or are you bought out just like the rest of the MSM. Get a backbone will ya?!
"Executive privliage?
GO DUCKS............FLY tomorrow................
I hope they bring the Duck football program down a peg.Â
Why even bother to release them?
This is worse than the 18 missing minutes from the watergate tapes.
Way to keep the records open and clear big O
Boy, Phil baby is going to have to cough up some serious $$$ to get this swept under the rug........
WOW. Are those more documents from Fast and Furious?
"While the e-mails do offer a glimpse into the investigation process, itâs hard to draw any firm conclusions from them."
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I can draw a conclusion from these emails. Â It shows that they are hiding information about a public investigation into a public school and that U of O definitely was involved in some misdeeds. Â Imagine what the redacted stuff says, probably something along the lines "you know you broke this rule/law, right." Â UO probably responds "actually the way the law/rule is worded doesn't apply to us or this situation..." and they talk themselves out of it. Â There is so much at stake and so much money involved that its pretty clear there is some kind of corruption going on at the top levels.
The other day I heard someone talking about the University of Oregon as if it were something other than a football team. I corrected them.
@JTesla The funny thing is, most universities with a top ranked football team can be described the same way.
It's funny people thinks it's unusual for attorney client correspondence to be kept private.
Big Daddy Phil will just cut a fat check to the NCAA and this will all go away, as long as the ducks keep winning and sporting that nike gear Phil will keep covering for them.
Of course Kelly and crew are dirty. It won't change the fact that Kelly will keep getting his millions. Neither Kelly nor Phil Knight care how they put numbers in the W column as long as they put them there. And the U of O? It's big money so they turn a blind eye. Ever wonder why this country's ethics have gone down the drain? That is exactly what happens when one adopts an "end result justifies the means" philosophy.Â
@I812 Whenever Kelly retires, I wonder what his PERS monthly payment will be.
@I812 They're just following the examples that have been put up by the SEC, Big 12, and USC.
 @Motorhead79  @I812 LMAO. Typical Liberal. Justifying bad behavior by pointing out someone else
@Motorhead79 That's no excuse. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. My guess is there will be a lot of ramifications from the Penn State debacle and they will extend far beyond alleged crimes. Sandusky opened Pandora's box and what's inside is not a pretty sight. The most scathing rebuke from the report was centered on the "football culture" and the "untouchables." The NCAA has taken notice.
Nah they're not hiding anything.