Home     News     Obituaries     Sports     Dallas Cowboys     Features     Entertainment     Opinion     Classifieds

SPORTS Local Baseball Basketball Dallas Cowboys Football Golf Motor Sports Outdoors Recreation Soccer Tennis Tiger Woods Track and Field Other Sports

PRINT THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE Tuesday, July 14, 1998 Report: Texas Tech allowed receiver to play despite NCAA information HOUSTON - Texas Tech allowed a receiver to play after learning of an NCAA memorandum suggesting he was improperly readmitted to the university in 1995, according to newly released documents examined by the Houston Chronicle. Texas Tech knew about an NCAA memo written by a senior official in the membership services department weeks before the Red Raiders played their Dec. 29, 1996, Alamo Bowl game, the newspaper reported in Monday's editions. However, the Lubbock school allowed junior Malcolm McKenzie to play, and McKenzie continued playing last season, catching 42 passes for 462 yards and two touchdowns. His eligibility is among several possible rules violations under review by the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions, which heard the Texas Tech case last April in Cleveland. School officials expect a decision to be announced by month's end. The school already has imposed three years' probation on its athletic program, including substantial scholarship cuts in six sports. The NCAA committee could add to Tech's punishment. Texas Tech Chancellor John T. Montford said school officials didn't believe they were bound to react to the memo because it was not an official rules interpretation and because the university thought it was doing nothing wrong. "I can tell you there may have been wrong decisions made at the time, but I believe they were good-faith decisions based on evidence and advice of counsel," Montford said. "I don't think there was any flagrant disregard of a memo or anything like that." The memo was part of a case summary prepared by the NCAA enforcement staff prior to the hearing. It was released June 23 to reporters who have been requesting it under the Texas Open Records Act for the previous two months. The McKenzie situation was one of several allegations submitted by the NCAA to Texas Tech in an official letter of inquiry last October. The letter accused the school of widespread mistakes in 18 areas. Rampant errors in academic certification and financial aid distribution uncovered by an internal audit accounted for two of the 18 matters covered in the NCAA letter. Texas Tech agreed with many of the allegations in a response made public April 14, but disputed the charges related to McKenzie. McKenzie, suspended for academic reasons in the spring of 1995, was readmitted because he made an A in American History during a San Antonio College summer school course. McKenzie only earned a B, but a San Antonio College professor agreed to raise the grade if he did extra-credit work during the fall. McKenzie needed the A for readmission to Tech. When McKenzie didn't complete the assignment, Thomas M. Settles, the San Antonio College professor, sent a letter to the Texas Tech registrar's office in December 1995 complaining he'd been "conned" by McKenzie and Tech coaches who promised to help the player do the extra-credit project. The NCAA contends McKenzie received special treatment for his athletic status and that Texas Tech failed to act when confronted with evidence of possible infractions. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below: texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local Sports Texas Sports Copyright ©1998, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below:

Search current site:        Search archives for:

© 1995- The E.W. Scripps Co. and the Abilene Reporter-News. All Rights Reserved. Site users are subject to our User Agreement. We also have a Privacy Policy.