MajorMike
10-09-2009, 09:02 AM
OSU-NCAA meeting set for Tuesday
A compliance officer from OSU will visit with the NCAA on Bryant's behalf.
By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Published: 10/9/2009 2:25 AM
Last Modified: 10/9/2009 7:29 AM
During a hearing tentatively scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, Scott Williams, Oklahoma State's associate athletic director for compliance, will meet with NCAA staff members on behalf of Dez Bryant.
After Bryant admitted that he lied to an NCAA investigator about interaction with former NFL star Deion Sanders, OSU announced on Wednesday that the All-American junior wide receiver was suspended and will not play in Saturday's Big 12 opener at Texas A&M.
Bryant is ineligible only for participation in games. He is allowed to practice with the 15th-ranked Cowboys, who take a 3-1 record to College Station, Texas.
While meeting with NCAA officials, Williams will make a case for Bryant's reinstatement. Resolution next week would be unlikely.
There is a possibility, a source said, that Bryant would remain ineligible for the rest of the 2009 season.
According to copies of OSU-NCAA e-mail correspondence obtained by the Tulsa World through an open-records request submitted to the university, the NCAA requested Bryant's January-July cell-phone logs.
Bryant was interviewed on July 24 and Sept. 15 by an NCAA investigator, and each interview occurred in Stillwater.
The NCAA became concerned about a Bryant-Sanders meeting because of a rule prohibiting student-athletes from entering into any type of agreement with an agent until their eligibility has been exhausted.
Sanders resides in the Dallas area and is associated with sports agent Eugene Parker. As an NFL player, Sanders was Parker's client.
Bryant admitted to participating in a training session with Sanders at a Dallas-area gym and to having dinner at Sanders' home.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Bryant indicated that when he was questioned by the NCAA about his time with Sanders, he denied that it occurred because he believed that it had been a violation.
In an e-mail to OSU, the NCAA stated that "the matter stems from Bryant's interaction with a former NFL player not affiliated with OSU, and the fact the student-athlete was not completely truthful when discussing details of that interaction with the NCAA."
The New York Times quoted Sanders as saying, "The kid (Bryant) panicked, man. He panicked. He thought it was a violation to come over to my house and it isn't. He said no, that he hadn't been over here, and I (told the NCAA), yeah, he had been over here. I don't lie and he panicked."
Sanders told the Times that he has served as a mentor to Bryant for two years.
During Thursday night's Nebraska-Missouri telecast, ESPN's Jesse Palmer addressed the Bryant suspension.
"You wonder if lying to the NCAA should garner missing the rest of the season," Palmer said. "I certainly don't believe that, but of course the NCAA is going to investigate this and we'll find out if any rules were broken."
This season, Bryant has 17 receptions for 323 yards and four touchdowns. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. currently rates Bryant the No. 8 prospect overall for the 2010 NFL draft.
As a junior, Bryant is eligible for early entry in the draft.
A compliance officer from OSU will visit with the NCAA on Bryant's behalf.
By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Published: 10/9/2009 2:25 AM
Last Modified: 10/9/2009 7:29 AM
During a hearing tentatively scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, Scott Williams, Oklahoma State's associate athletic director for compliance, will meet with NCAA staff members on behalf of Dez Bryant.
After Bryant admitted that he lied to an NCAA investigator about interaction with former NFL star Deion Sanders, OSU announced on Wednesday that the All-American junior wide receiver was suspended and will not play in Saturday's Big 12 opener at Texas A&M.
Bryant is ineligible only for participation in games. He is allowed to practice with the 15th-ranked Cowboys, who take a 3-1 record to College Station, Texas.
While meeting with NCAA officials, Williams will make a case for Bryant's reinstatement. Resolution next week would be unlikely.
There is a possibility, a source said, that Bryant would remain ineligible for the rest of the 2009 season.
According to copies of OSU-NCAA e-mail correspondence obtained by the Tulsa World through an open-records request submitted to the university, the NCAA requested Bryant's January-July cell-phone logs.
Bryant was interviewed on July 24 and Sept. 15 by an NCAA investigator, and each interview occurred in Stillwater.
The NCAA became concerned about a Bryant-Sanders meeting because of a rule prohibiting student-athletes from entering into any type of agreement with an agent until their eligibility has been exhausted.
Sanders resides in the Dallas area and is associated with sports agent Eugene Parker. As an NFL player, Sanders was Parker's client.
Bryant admitted to participating in a training session with Sanders at a Dallas-area gym and to having dinner at Sanders' home.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Bryant indicated that when he was questioned by the NCAA about his time with Sanders, he denied that it occurred because he believed that it had been a violation.
In an e-mail to OSU, the NCAA stated that "the matter stems from Bryant's interaction with a former NFL player not affiliated with OSU, and the fact the student-athlete was not completely truthful when discussing details of that interaction with the NCAA."
The New York Times quoted Sanders as saying, "The kid (Bryant) panicked, man. He panicked. He thought it was a violation to come over to my house and it isn't. He said no, that he hadn't been over here, and I (told the NCAA), yeah, he had been over here. I don't lie and he panicked."
Sanders told the Times that he has served as a mentor to Bryant for two years.
During Thursday night's Nebraska-Missouri telecast, ESPN's Jesse Palmer addressed the Bryant suspension.
"You wonder if lying to the NCAA should garner missing the rest of the season," Palmer said. "I certainly don't believe that, but of course the NCAA is going to investigate this and we'll find out if any rules were broken."
This season, Bryant has 17 receptions for 323 yards and four touchdowns. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. currently rates Bryant the No. 8 prospect overall for the 2010 NFL draft.
As a junior, Bryant is eligible for early entry in the draft.