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NCAA moves to keep closer tabs on
potential gambling
The NCAA is stepping up its anti-gambling efforts, expanding
background checks on game officials and attempting to more closely
monitor betting lines.
The moves, recommended by a task force headed by Notre Dame's former
president, the Rev. Edward Malloy, come a little more than a year after
a sobering study of college athletes' betting tendencies. That study
found that more than one in three male athletes, and one in 10 females,
had engaged in some type of sports wagering in violation of NCAA rules.
Most alarmingly, almost 5% of the football players surveyed — a total of
more than 100 — said they had taken money for playing poorly, knew of a
teammate who did, provided or been asked to provide inside information
about a game or been threatened or harmed because of sports betting.
The NCAA's new safeguards were laid out Tuesday to its Division I
Management Council, which ended two days of meetings in Anaheim, Calif.
Beginning this school year, game officials who work NCAA playoffs in
baseball and men's ice hockey will be subject to the same background
checks conducted the last several years in men's and women's basketball.
Sports books accept bets on each of the sports.
The NCAA also will "re-establish our lines of communication with Las
Vegas," hoping to stay abreast of suspicious fluctuations in betting
lines or bookmakers' removal of games from their boards, according to
Rachel Newman-Baker, the association's director of agent, gambling and
amateurism activities.
"What this shows is that the NCAA is trying to do its part to prohibit
anything from happening," Newman-Baker said. "You know what? It still
could happen. But we're giving it an effort, being proactive, trying to
take a preventive approach."
Claims from ex-Alabama assistants dismissed: Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Circuit
Judge Steven Wilson dismissed many of the remaining claims Tuesday that
went against two former Alabama assistant football coaches in their
defamation suit against the NCAA and recruiting analyst Tom Culpepper.
Wilson ruled ex-coach Ivy Williams is a public figure, making it more
difficult for him to prove his claim. The judge also dismissed his
claims of defamation and invasion of privacy against the NCAA, much as
he did earlier in Ronnie Cottrell's part of the suit. The NCAA had
mistakenly posted on the Internet that schools wanting to hire the
Crimson Tide assistants would have to show cause after NCAA sanctions
against the Alabama program.
Picking winners: Louisville is an overwhelming favorite among media
members to win the Big East football title in its first year in the
conference. The Cardinals were picked first by 24 of the 25 media taking
part. Pittsburgh, under first-year coach Dave Wannstedt, is picked to
finish second.
• Despite losing its coach, Urban Meyer, and starting quarterback, Alex
Smith, Utah is the pick to win the Mountain West for the third year in a
row. The Utes received 18 first-place votes in balloting by a panel of
30 media members. New Mexico was picked second. Smith was the No. 1 pick
overall in the NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers, and Meyer was hired
by Florida.
Back on field: Football players at Missouri resumed voluntary
conditioning workouts Tuesday, a day after attending the funeral of
teammate Aaron O'Neal, who died last week after one of the workouts.
About 30 players attended Tuesday's workout, which was supervised by
athletics trainers and conditioning specialists rather than coaches, who
are barred from such sessions under NCAA rules.
The session was closed to reporters.
"It was the team's decision," athletics spokesman Chad Moller said.
"They were really anxious to try to get back to somewhat of a normal
routine. This is the first step."
Briefly: Vanderbilt football coach Bobby Johnson is sporting a sling on
his left arm after breaking his collarbone Friday in a bicycle accident
while on vacation in South Carolina. Johnson said he had surgery Monday
on the shoulder. ... Safety Rodney Harris has left the Kansas football
team for personal reasons, coach Mark Mangino said. Harris started every
game last year as a sophomore and was second on the team in
interceptions and fourth in tackles.
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