USC is told of possible violations
By JEFF WILSONSTAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITERBy JEFF WILSON
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/13523393.htm
A common recruiting tool used by Southern California's top-ranked football program is under review by the school for possible NCAA violations after trips to a Los Angeles-area restaurant owned by a former Trojans player were detailed by separate news organizations this week.
A story Sunday in the Star-Telegram and a Thursday report on CBS Sports Line.com centered on visits by USC recruits to Papadakis Taverna, a Greek restaurant in San Pedro, Calif., owned by former USC linebacker John Papadakis.
Papadakis is a central part of the restaurant's standard entertainment, which includes Greek belly dancers, traditional Greek dances and the customary breaking of plates. Athletic prospects, the stories reveal, are subject to impassioned speeches by Papadakis, who as a former player is considered a "representative of athletics interests" by the NCAA and is prohibited from speaking to recruits about the Trojans.
The eatery is 25 miles from the USC campus and prices for entrees are as high as $59.95. The combination of distance and expense appear to go beyond the NCAA stipulation that a recruit's meals should reflect those comparable to normal college life.
Tim Tessalone, sports information director at USC, said the Trojans' compliance department was informed Tuesday of the possible violations, after the Star-Telegram questioned whether any recruiting rules were broken. He said the campus is closed through the Rose Bowl, which pits USC against No. 2 Texas on Wednesday, and gave no timetable for a possible internal ruling.
Per university policy, Tessalone offered no details as to how the compliance office would proceed. A spokesman for the NCAA said the offices were closed this week and that no one could be reached for comment. Papadakis, reached Friday at his restaurant, said he has not been contacted by USC about possible violations.
However, a compliance director at a Division I-A school said the stories raised a red flag, and the source would not permit similar practices at his school. The source's top concern was Papadakis' involvement, which falls under Articles 13.02.13 and 13.1.2.1 of the NCAA Division I Manual.
"Alumni are not allowed to be involved in the recruiting process," the source said. "He has a right, if they go there, to use his facility. But to have him involved in the meal, and serving the restaurant, singing and entertaining and dancing, that's just illegal."
Papadakis, who lettered at USC in 1970-71, told the Star-Telegram earlier this week that he gives recruits a speech about the significance of the Trojans' cardinal and gold uniform colors and closes the dining experience by urging recruits to declare, "I want to be a Trojan."
The CBS Sports Line story quotes Papadakis as saying he called a prospective recruit a "dumbass" if he didn't go to USC. The player, offensive lineman Jeff Byers, signed with the Trojans in 2004.
"I cringed for the USC people," the compliance director told the Star-Telegram. "That's just not permissible."
The source indicated that the definition of a "comparable meal," as indicated in Article 13.6.6.7, falls into a gray area and varies by campus. For instance, the cost of a meal in New York City or Los Angeles varies greatly from one in Manhattan, Kan., or Athens, Ga. However, a meal deemed too extravagant could be considered an act of inducement, the source said. NCAA rules state that recruits' meals "must be comparable to those provided to student-athletes during the academic year."
The source said USC players who were taken to Papadakis Taverna would remain eligible unless their meal exceeded the $100 NCAA limit. If that occurred, players become ineligible, must reimburse the amount over $100 (payable to a charity) and have to be reinstated.
By JEFF WILSONSTAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITERBy JEFF WILSON
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/13523393.htm
A common recruiting tool used by Southern California's top-ranked football program is under review by the school for possible NCAA violations after trips to a Los Angeles-area restaurant owned by a former Trojans player were detailed by separate news organizations this week.
A story Sunday in the Star-Telegram and a Thursday report on CBS Sports Line.com centered on visits by USC recruits to Papadakis Taverna, a Greek restaurant in San Pedro, Calif., owned by former USC linebacker John Papadakis.
Papadakis is a central part of the restaurant's standard entertainment, which includes Greek belly dancers, traditional Greek dances and the customary breaking of plates. Athletic prospects, the stories reveal, are subject to impassioned speeches by Papadakis, who as a former player is considered a "representative of athletics interests" by the NCAA and is prohibited from speaking to recruits about the Trojans.
The eatery is 25 miles from the USC campus and prices for entrees are as high as $59.95. The combination of distance and expense appear to go beyond the NCAA stipulation that a recruit's meals should reflect those comparable to normal college life.
Tim Tessalone, sports information director at USC, said the Trojans' compliance department was informed Tuesday of the possible violations, after the Star-Telegram questioned whether any recruiting rules were broken. He said the campus is closed through the Rose Bowl, which pits USC against No. 2 Texas on Wednesday, and gave no timetable for a possible internal ruling.
Per university policy, Tessalone offered no details as to how the compliance office would proceed. A spokesman for the NCAA said the offices were closed this week and that no one could be reached for comment. Papadakis, reached Friday at his restaurant, said he has not been contacted by USC about possible violations.
However, a compliance director at a Division I-A school said the stories raised a red flag, and the source would not permit similar practices at his school. The source's top concern was Papadakis' involvement, which falls under Articles 13.02.13 and 13.1.2.1 of the NCAA Division I Manual.
"Alumni are not allowed to be involved in the recruiting process," the source said. "He has a right, if they go there, to use his facility. But to have him involved in the meal, and serving the restaurant, singing and entertaining and dancing, that's just illegal."
Papadakis, who lettered at USC in 1970-71, told the Star-Telegram earlier this week that he gives recruits a speech about the significance of the Trojans' cardinal and gold uniform colors and closes the dining experience by urging recruits to declare, "I want to be a Trojan."
The CBS Sports Line story quotes Papadakis as saying he called a prospective recruit a "dumbass" if he didn't go to USC. The player, offensive lineman Jeff Byers, signed with the Trojans in 2004.
"I cringed for the USC people," the compliance director told the Star-Telegram. "That's just not permissible."
The source indicated that the definition of a "comparable meal," as indicated in Article 13.6.6.7, falls into a gray area and varies by campus. For instance, the cost of a meal in New York City or Los Angeles varies greatly from one in Manhattan, Kan., or Athens, Ga. However, a meal deemed too extravagant could be considered an act of inducement, the source said. NCAA rules state that recruits' meals "must be comparable to those provided to student-athletes during the academic year."
The source said USC players who were taken to Papadakis Taverna would remain eligible unless their meal exceeded the $100 NCAA limit. If that occurred, players become ineligible, must reimburse the amount over $100 (payable to a charity) and have to be reinstated.