Posted on 05/03/2003 5:14:14 AM PDT by John W
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Larry Eustachy, already suspended by Iowa State for his behavior at late-night parties, was suspended for one game by the NCAA on Friday for a secondary rules violation.
The NCAA found Iowa State guilty because Eustachy twice paid players for making free throws. The university was ordered to suspend Eustachy for one game, but that might become moot because athletic director Bruce Van De Velde has recommended Eustachy be fired.
Iowa State had reported the violations to the NCAA and will not appeal the ruling, said associate athletic director Bill Smith, the university's compliance coordinator.
Van De Velde's recommendation to fire Eustachy followed newspaper reports that he drank and partied with college students after games in Columbia, Mo., and Manhattan, Kan.
Photos from the Columbia party show Eustachy kissing young women and being kissed by them on the cheek. Eustachy disclosed this week that he is an alcoholic and is seeking treatment.
The payments to the players -- the most anyone received was $20 -- took place during the 2002-03 season. Van De Velde said the violations, while troubling, had nothing to do with his recommendation to fire Eustachy, who has until Monday to appeal.
"This was not the decision maker," Van De Velde said Friday night.
The university reported the violations to the NCAA and sent the organization a report of its own investigation on March 27.
In that report, the university imposed its own penalties:
A letter of reprimand to Eustachy and a freeze on his salary for the fiscal year starting July 1.
A letter of reprimand to Bob Sundvold, the basketball program's administrative assistant.
Requiring the basketball staff to attend educational sessions on NCAA compliance.
Reinforcing to players the importance of recognizing potential violations and then reporting them.
The NCAA accepted those penalties and added the one-game suspension. The findings, received by the university on Wednesday, also said the NCAA was "extremely concerned" by Eustachy's actions and said he should "avoid any further similar violations."
"We've self-reported and there are no major sanctions on the institution other than the suspension of our basketball coach for one game," Van De Velde said.
"But it does put our program under a microscope and the NCAA had articulated that in their letter back to us."
Eustachy would lose about $8,000 because of the sanctions, Iowa State said. He is paid about $1.1 million a year.
The NCAA agreed with Iowa State's findings that Eustachy paid a player, whose name was blacked out in the report, $20 for making a free throw in Iowa State's 74-70 victory over Baylor on Feb. 1.
According to the report, the player made a free throw to win the game. In the game, Iowa State secured the victory with one free throw by Marcus Jefferson and two by Jake Sullivan.
On Feb. 13, Iowa State's report said Eustachy had his team play a game of "cutthroat" free throw shooting at practice and the winner would receive $10. Five players received $10 each for winning their contests, the NCAA said.
Eustachy told a trainer to take the $10 out of the players' meal money so it would not be a violation, the report said. But the report said the trainer misunderstood and nothing was deducted from the meal money.
The university began its investigation Feb. 19 and two days later, declared the five players ineligible for the Cyclones' Feb. 22 home game with Kansas State.
But the players repaid the money and were allowed to play, the university said.
Smith said the violations were reported by someone in the athletic department, but he could not reveal that person's name.
"I have to protect the confidentiality of the athletic department staff member who brought that information to me," Smith said.
Van De Velde said he was upset that someone other than Eustachy reported the violations.
"Any time cash is exchanged and you have to learn about it through other people, then you get concerned because you wonder what else is out there that hasn't come to you from other people," Van De Velde said.
"If a coach had come to me and said I want to tell you about this, it wouldn't have bothered as much. But I had to learn from other sources. That really concerns me."
The athletic department brought in an outside consultant to help in its investigation. Van De Velde estimated the investigation cost the department from $5,000 to $6,000.
On Friday, students demonstrated again in support of Eustachy.
Joined by members of the basketball team, about 300 students displayed pro-Eustachy T-shirts and posters as they protested outside the office of the university president. It was their fourth demonstration in two days.
Also Friday, assistant coach Steve Barnes denied using threats or intimidation to rally support for Eustachy. Barnes was suspended with pay Thursday for making what the university said were threatening remarks against school and athletic officials in a telephone call to a player's parents.
Another assistant, Randy Brown, is facing federal child pornography charges and is to be tried June 2. Brown has been on leave since Jan. 29.
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