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Gamecock Criminals StoriesJames Holderman
THE STATE
Thursday, May 23, 1991
Section: METRO/REGION
Edition: FINAL
Page: 1A


HOLDERMAN NEGOTIATING GUILTY PLEA
EX-USC PRESIDENT FACES COURT HEARING
By JOHN ALLARD, Staff Writer
Former USC President James Holderman is expected to plead guilty Tuesday to
charges he used his office for personal profit and did not pay state income
taxes on money he improperly received, sources said Wednesday.
The sources, who insisted on anonymity, said Holderman's attorneys have
discussed a plea agreement with 5th Circuit Solicitor Dick Harpootlian and State
Law Enforcement Division investigators.
The discussions are expected to be concluded before Tuesday, when Holderman is
scheduled to be arraigned in Richland County on a state income- tax evasion
charge, the sources said.
Holderman is expected to be sentenced immediately after entering his guilty plea
at the arraignment, according to sources familiar with SLED's investigation of
Holderman. The judge who will preside over the arraignment has not been named.
Harpootlian will not recommend a sentence in the case or agree to dismiss any
charges under the plea agreement being discussed, the sources said.
Holderman will plead guilty to state income-tax evasion and accepting extra
compensation, according to the sources. The felony charge of state income-tax
evasion carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine,
while the misdemeanor charge of accepting extra compensation carries a maximum
five years and a $500 fine.
Public officials cannot receive money beyond their salaries unless authorized to
do so by state law.
A third charge of using an official position for personal gain could not be part
of the plea agreement because it is similar to the extra-compensation charge and
is based on the same set of facts, the sources said. The misdemeanor carries a
maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
It would be unusual for Holderman to receive any jail time because of the amount
of money involved in the case, sources said.
No additional charges are expected to be filed.
SLED is scheduled to complete its investigation by Friday. No other charges are
expected because much of the money Holderman received was intended to be
advances for trips he took as USC president, the sources said. Incomplete or
missing records on the transactions made it difficult to determine whether the
money was for Holderman's personal use and whether it was paid back.
Harpootlian refused Wednesday night to confirm or deny that Holderman will plead
guilty.
Holderman's attorneys, Kermit King and W. Thomas Vernon, also declined to
comment.
Holderman, 55, who lives and works in Jacksonville, Fla., has refused to talk
with the news media. He resigned as USC president last May under fire for his
spending practices. Holderman is free on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond
while waiting for his criminal case to be resolved.
He and his attorneys met with Harpootlian and SLED investigators for several
hours Tuesday afternoon at SLED headquarters on Broad River Road to discuss the
plea, the sources said.
The Richland County grand jury indicted Holderman on the charges March 22 and
April 11. The indictments charge he improperly received $25,000 from the
influential McNair Law Firm for helping one of its clients avoid prosecution in
an international drug case.
Investigators with the state Tax Commission and SLED determined Holderman did
not report the $25,000 on his state income tax returns when he received the
money in separate checks of $8,000 in October 1986 and $17,000 in February 1988.

Holderman initially told SLED investigators that he had given some of the
$25,000 to a friend who helped him out on the drug case and donated the
remainder to a charity, the sources said. But he never produced any checks or
receipts that showed anyone else ever received any of the $25,000. Holderman
also told investigators that he considered the money to be his personal fee for
work on the drug case.
Harpootlian has said there is no evidence of wrongdoing by the McNair firm
because he said the firm produced records showing the $25,000 was intended to be
a donation to a university-affiliated foundation that was not to be used for
Holderman's personal expenses.
Tax Commission and SLED investigators, assisted by retired Internal Revenue
Service agents hired by SLED, have gone through 12,000 to 15,000 vouchers for
money given to Holderman by USC and university-affiliated foundations. Most of
the money was for travel that Holderman undertook as USC president.
The investigation included reviewing audits of the Carolina Research &
Development Foundation and the USC Educational Foundation dating back to 1982.

Sexual Harassment
EX-SOUTH CAROLINA PRESIDENT ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT
CPS -- University of South Carolina administrators are asking faculty and former
student interns for information about sexual harassment allegations against
former president James Holderman.
South Carolina Gov. Carroll Campbell has also gotten involved and has asked the
state solicitor to investigate claims that Holderman made sexual advances toward
some male students.
The Charlotte Observer broke the story on Oct. 20, quoting three students who
said Holderman asked them to go to bed with him. A fourth student told the
newspaper Holderman put his hand on the student's buttocks.
Holderman stepped down as president of USC after he was accused of mishandling
the university's money -- allegations which subsequently led to a criminal
charge of tax evasion.
Holderman did not comment on the Observer's story, but his attorney said he
denied the charges. On Oct. 22, Holderman checked into a Columbia hospital for
treatment of depression and exhaustion.
Meanwhile, current USC President John Palms issued a statement regarding the
current status of Holderman, who has been on tenured leave without pay. Palms
said he planned to begin tenure revocation hearings against Holderman on Dec. 1.
"The alleged incidents as reported constitute very serious violations of the
ethical standards expected in university life," he wrote.
The story also alleged Holderman spent university money on gifts of clothing and
jewelry he gave to the student interns.
"The possible improper use
of university finances and alleged attempts to intimidate students cannot be
tolerated on any university campus," Palms said.
Palms has written letters to faculty and previous presidential interns asking
for any information about Holderman's alleged improprieties.


Spousal Abuse

State, The (Columbia, SC)
May 30, 1991
Section: METRO/REGION
Edition: FINAL
Page: 1A


PUBLIC VEIL HID ABUSIVE MARRIAGE, HOLDERMAN'S WIFE SAYS
MARGARET N. O'SHEA, Senior Writer

For years the draped windows of the antebellum President's House at USC veiled a
violent marriage between James Holderman and his wife, who said in court
documents that they fought bitterly in private and never made love.

The documents filed Wednesday ask for a legal separation, contending that
Carolyn Holderman was pummeled, both with physical blows and with hurtful words
that wounded her self-esteem. And they say that for 10 years, the Holdermans did
not share "the normal acts of intimacy between husband and wife."

While she appeared frequently at Holderman's side at official functions or at
intimate dinners with donors, the first lady of the University of South Carolina
was emotionally neglected and abused, she said, and was the victim of dishonesty
and deceit.
The documents imply that Carolyn Holderman believes her husband of 31 years was
lying when he claimed to be nearly broke during a criminal court appearance
earlier this week. He pleaded guilty to using the USC presidency for personal
gain and to evading state taxes on some of that money.

In that hearing, Holderman listed a negative net worth of $36,900, including
life-insurance policies that can't be cashed in until he is 69 -- nearly 15
years from now. He cited debts totaling $649,000.

But Carolyn Holderman is asking for temporary alimony, support payments,
separate maintenance, health insurance, supplemental medical coverage and a
division of property. She wants to keep the 1990 Buick she is driving, and she
wants Holderman to keep it insured.

She also is asking for a court order to keep her husband from concealing any
assets until she can get her share.

According to the court file, which was sealed late Wednesday after reporters
sought copies, Jim Holderman always controlled all the family finances and
records.

The request for a separation apparently is precursor to an anticipated divorce
action in Richland County Family Court, where a hearing is scheduled June 26 to
consider Carolyn Holderman's initial requests.

She first filed for separation last Wednesday, but the petition was dismissed
two days later while the Holdermans tried to negotiate their differences, his
criminal attorney, Kermit King, said. He did not use the word "reconciliation."

Those documents have been sealed, and it's not known what differences, if any,
are reflected in the new ones filed Wednesday.

The negotiations apparently did not involve an attempt to mend the marriage, but
dealt with what the public would know about its dissolution.

One point of disagreement apparently has been whether Carolyn Holderman could
file a domestic action against her husband in Richland County, since their legal
residence has been Florida. King said Holderman still lives in Florida, and
Carolyn Holderman has not been in Columbia long enough to be considered a
resident, although she'd lived here 13 years while at USC.

When Holderman resigned the USC presidency -- a year ago today -- during a wave
of controversy over his lavish spending, his wife stood with him outside the
campus mansion while the announcement was made. Afterward, they walked inside
with arms around each other.

They moved together to Jacksonville, Fla., where Holderman stepped into a job
with one of USC's biggest donors, real estate magnate Ira Koger.

But Carolyn Holderman returned to Columbia April 7 "with the intention of
remaining in South Carolina and re-establishing a residency" here, the court
file says. The couple's three grown daughters live in Richland County.

Just before she left Florida, another violent episode occurred, the separation
petition says. Without describing what happened, it says the event was the most
recent in a pattern of physical abuse and personal violence.

Jim Holderman could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Other family members said that Carolyn Holderman will not have any more to say
than she has said in the court record.

The Holdermans had disguised their domestic problems well, and some friends
who'd believed themselves close knew the marriage was strained, but not that it
was falling apart. Others who might have known kept silent at the Holdermans'
request.

But everyone who knew Jim Holderman described him as a coiled spring. He rarely
slept more than five or six hours a night, and his waking hours were wired with
frenetic activity. There was 15 telephones in the President's House, and even
when he traveled, Holderman's hotel records showed he spent hours on the
telephone.

His criminal attorneys say he suffers from manic-depression, which fueled his
extravagance and his active life.

One former student intern said that Holderman curtailed his spending and his
travel briefly in 1985 after Carolyn Holderman learned from another intern that
many of his overnight trips included students, on whom he lavished gifts and
favors. At that point, Holderman was spending thousands a week on hotels,
limousines and meals.


Holderman Indicted on Additional Charges

State, The (Columbia, SC)

March 20, 1996
Section: METRO/REGION
Edition: FINAL
Page: B1


HOLDERMAN INDICTED ON ADDITIONAL CHARGES
Twila Decker, Staff Writer

Former University of South Carolina President James Holderman was indicted
Tuesday on additional charges of money laundering and bankruptcy fraud,
increasing his potential prison sentence by at least two years.

The indictment comes a few weeks after Holderman refused to accept the
government's plea offer, and in the midst of a dispute between Holderman and the
U.S. attorney's office over where he should undergo a court-ordered mental
evaluation.
Holderman was indicted in October on eight counts of bankruptcy fraud. The new
charges of money laundering and bankruptcy fraud are related to activities
surrounding his 1994 bankruptcy filing. They also relate to crimes alleged in
the October indictment.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Beattie Ashmore refused to say why the government waited
five months to indict Holderman on the additional charges. He also wouldn't say
whether he was trying to increase the pressure on Holderman for a plea, although
he admits it ups the stakes.

``I can say, this significantly increases the exposure Dr. Holderman faces,'' he
said.

Last month, the government offered to drop some of the charges against Holderman
if he would plead guilty and not ask a judge to reduce his sentence based on
claims he suffered from diminished mental capacity. Such a plea would have made
it likely that Holderman spend time in prison, or in a halfway house.

Holderman's attorney, Joe McCulloch, said he was aware that the government was
considering adding the charges. He said he doesn't believe it was in retaliation
for not agreeing to plea.

With only the bankruptcy fraud charges, Holderman was facing from zero to six
months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines if convicted. With the new
charges added, he faces from 33 to 41 months.

The additional bankruptcy charge alleges that Holderman lied under oath when
asked why he gave Ralph Raby $1,500. He said during bankruptcy proceedings that
he was paying Raby for consulting work, when he actually was buying an antique
four-poster bed, the new indictment says.

The money laundering charge alleges that Holderman tried to conceal $8,000 by
transferring it by wire from First Citizens Bank in Columbia to Jefferson
National Bank in Virginia in January 1994.

A U.S. magistrate has not yet ruled on where Holderman will undergo his mental
evaluation.

His attorneys want him evaluated as an out-patient in Charleston, where he
lives. The government wants him admitted to a federal prison for up to 45-days
for the evaluation.

Twila Decker covers federal law enforcement agencies and courts. She can be
reached at 771-8339 or by fax at 771-8430.
The charges against former USC President James Holderman may increase his
potential prison sentence by at lease two years.


Holderman Launders Again

(Columbia) March 27, 2003 - Federal authorities, in court documents obtained by
WIS News 10, say former USC President Jim Holderman and another man worked
together to provide visas for an undercover agent who told them he needed them
because he was a member of Russian organized crime and an international
fugitive.

The FBI says Holderman also agreed to help launder $2 million. The undercover
agent told Holderman it was proceeds from drug trafficking.

The man said to be holderman's co-conspirator is identified as Rafael Diaz, a
vice president at Brookhaven College in Dallas.

The FBI says Holderman accepted thousands of dollars in cash down payments with
some of the money showing up last year in his South Carolina bank account.

The agency says during a meeting videotaped on Tuesday, the agent put $400,000
on a table in front of Holderman and Diaz. The FBI says the men agreed to take
$250,000 as a fee for introducing the agent to people in the Dominican Republic
who would launder his money.

The agency says Holderman and Diaz were arrested as they began counting the
money.

Holderman was convicted of official misconduct while he was USC president. He
pleaded guilty to perjury and bankruptcy fraud in 1997.

A spokesman for South Carolina's US Attorney tells WIS News 10 the current case
against the former school leader will be handled by federal authorities in
Miami.
By Jack Kuenzie



Holderman in Lexington
Holderman resettles in Lexington residence

After prison, former USC president moves to retirement community

Former USC president James Holderman has moved to a Lexington County apartment
community that caters to retirees.

He was released a week ago from a federal prison.

Holderman, 70, declined a Friday request for an interview, saying he intends to
steer clear of publicity and will focus on getting acclimated to his new
residence on the outskirts of downtown Lexington.

The co-manager of the three-story complex said Holderman’s family requested the
staff respect his privacy and not comment about his presence there.

Efforts to reach members of his family were unsuccessful.

Holderman left a North Carolina prison June 27 after serving about 2½ years of a
three-year sentence for his role in laundering drug money and obtaining fake
visas. A prison system spokeswoman said last week that early releases to a
halfway house or a private dwelling are routine to assist prisoners’ transition
back into society.

Holderman’s sentence ends Sunday.

Holderman said he is looking forward to visits with his immediate family in the
Columbia area, including eight grandchildren.

Holderman was president of the University of South Carolina between 1977 and
1990, but fell from grace when public scrutiny focused on his questionable
handling of finances. After leaving public life, he was convicted of tax evasion
and was given probation. He also was sentenced to 10½ months in prison in the
mid-1990s on perjury charges stemming from a federal bankruptcy case.

He was arrested in March 2003 by federal agents, who accused him and an
accomplice of conspiring to launder drug money. He testified that he was
desperate for money to pay for medical care.

While serving his sentence, he spent time in a prison hospital for treatment of
undisclosed ailments.

Reach Robinson at (803) 771-8482.


John Palms
Palms will reimburse university for using its jet
USC president to pay part of cost for D.C. trip

By CHRISTINE SCHWEICKERT, JEFF STENSLAND and LEE BANDY Staff Writers


University of South Carolina President John Palms will pay $800 for his trip on
the USC airplane to meet with Democrats in Washington about a possible U.S.
Senate run, a school spokesman said Friday.
South Carolina Republican Party chairman Henry McMaster had called on Palms to
reimburse the state for Wednesday's flight.
"This is an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds and a tremendous lapse in
judgment by Dr. Palms," McMaster said Friday. "He should immediately reimburse
the state for all or a portion of the cost of the flight."
USC officials said Palms already had planned the trip for university business,
so he combined those matters with his political venture.
"This is new territory. It's a first-time occurrence for him," USC spokesman
Russ McKinney said. "(Palms) said because part of the trip was political, it was
appropriate for him to pay for some of it."
Palms met with national Democratic officials Wednesday to discuss the possible
bid for the seat held by Republican U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond. Thurmond, 98, has
said he will not seek re-election when his term expires in January 2003.
Palms flew on the university's seven-passenger, twin-engine King Air, which is
operated by the USC Development Corp.
McKinney estimated the trip cost $2,000. Palms would pay about 40 percent of the
trip's cost.
McKinney said Palms arrived at the $800 reimbursement "very roughly."
The plane makes regular trips to Washington on almost every Tuesday and
Thursday.
Meanwhile, USC trustee Michael Mungo said he wishes his colleagues on the board
would quit speculating about whether Palms will run for U.S. Senate.
Mungo, who organized the search that brought Palms to Columbia 10 years ago,
said Friday he and his fellow trustees would be "terrible ingrates if we did not
give the man 30 days" to make a decision.
He wants trustees to hold their tongues in the meantime, whether they're
speaking about Palms' pending deadline or speculating about who might replace
him.
"It's very important for the university right now to have everyone cool it and
let the chairman speak for us," said Mungo, a Columbia developer. "We want to
look like very deliberate, not emotional, people."
Unless trustees can keep their opinions to themselves, Mungo said, no one will
want to be a president working for bosses who can't agree. So far, he said,
"there's been no collective thought" on who might be Palms' successor.
Board chairman Mack Whittle of Greenville said if USC has to choose a new
president, it should look for someone who can help it reach goals trustees
formulated late last year. The goals largely mirror Palms' goals, including
seeing USC emerge as a nationally known research institution.
Whittle said he's content to wait until an April 12 board meeting to hear Palms'
decision on the race. Palms has said he'll decide by May 1.
Board members set that meeting to discuss whether to increase the size of next
year's freshman class, but the Palms issue probably will seize more attention.
Whittle, as a handful of his fellow trustees did earlier in the week, also
wondered Friday whether Palms has wounded himself by having political
aspirations.
"We've got issues that we didn't (have) before" Palms said he might be a
Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, Whittle said. "There should be nothing
political about (the presidency), and anything that we do that makes it
political distracts from the mission of the university.
"Everybody probably has a label, but actively using that label ... is where you
kind of step over the line.
"This needs to be something that (Palms) needs to deal with until the board
meets," Whittle said. "Once he's definite about it, he and the university need
to separate. The decision needs to be made sooner rather than later."
Unlike presidents, university trustees are political animals, said Whittle,
who's active in Republican politics. Most trustees serve geographical areas and
win their posts in legislative elections. The governor appoints two others.
Past chairman Eddie Floyd of Florence said he hadn't really thought about who
might replace Palms and didn't think he should have preconceived notions on the
subject.
"You don't narrow yourself down to what you exactly want because when you get
out there to look, you don't know what you'll find," he said.
Floyd also thinks Palms "certainly has not helped himself. I just don't think
this is healthy for the university or is healthy for him."
Floyd acknowledged that Palms hadn't started the speculation (--) it got out in
front of him.
But Floyd said "it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that in South
Carolina, if you're going to talk to all these people, it's going to get out."
Should Palms step down, former governor and U.S. Education Secretary Dick Riley
would make a wonderful replacement, trustee Toney Lister of Spartanburg told The
Greenville News.
Riley was traveling and couldn't be reached for comment.


Pam Parsons
According to several news accounts, in February 1982 Sports Illustrated
published an article entitled "Stormy Weather at South Carolina," in which Miss
Parsons, the women's basketball coach at the University of South Carolina, was
accused of having a lesbian relationship with one of her players. Miss Parsons
was then fired. She accused Time, Inc., which owned Sports Illustrated, of libel
and and sued the company for $75 million. The case was brought in United States
Federal District Court in South Carolina. Time defended on the grounds that its
story was true and, therefore, not libelous.
During the course of the trial, a 17-year-old player on Miss Parsons' basketball
team was identified as having had a sexual relationship with her. Miss Parsons
and the player denied, under oath, that they had been lovers. In other words,
they swore in a civil case that they had not had sex with each other.
Unfortunately for them, late in the civil trial Babette "Babs" DeLay, a
bartender at an establishment called the "Puss n' Boots" in Salt Lake City,
learned about Miss Parsons' libel suit from the television news. She contacted
Sports Illustrated. Miss DeLay then testified during the trial that she
witnessed Miss Parsons and her young player dancing intimately and openly
proclaiming that they were lovers. Needless to say, the jury returned a verdict
for Time, Inc.
Importantly, when the civil case ended, the presiding federal judge, Clyde
Hamilton, referred the matter to the United States Attorney's office and the FBI
to investigate possible criminal perjury by Miss Parsons and her lover - both of
whom denied ever frequenting "Puss n' Boots." The judge said that the witnesses
had blatantly lied under oath. Again, the perjury involved these two individuals
lying under oath in a civil case for the purpose of covering up their sexual
relationship.
Soon thereafter, then-United States Attorney Henry McMaster filed perjury
charges against the coach and her player. In November 1984, both women pleaded
guilty to one count of perjury each. In February 1985, Judge Hamilton sentenced
them to three years in prison -- four months of which they actually served in a
Lexington, Kentucky penitentiary.


Pam Parson's Project
Former Gamecocks coach Parsons talks about her downfall
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Apr 1, 1996 - 11:09 EST) -- Once, Pam Parsons stood on the edge
of success with South Carolina's women's basketball team.
Her 1980 team finished third in the nation. The next year, the team was ranked
No. 2 and was undefeated when it all came crashing down after Parsons was caught
in an affair with one of her players.
"I want to apologize to all those players I hurt, and I want to apologize to
their parents," she told The Charlotte Observer in a story Sunday. "They gave me
their most prized possessions -- their daughters. Those girls had hopes and
dreams, and I let them down."
Parsons' relationship with Tina Buck, who was then 17, tarred the sport, coaches
said.
"Pam Parsons left a cloud over women's basketball," said North Carolina coach
Sylvia Hatchell, incoming president of the Women's Basketball Coaches
Association.
Parsons made the stereotypes seem true -- that untrustworthy lesbians pervade
women's basketball and they entice impressionable young people.
"Pam Parsons created fear because she represented the worst stereotype," Central
Connecticut State coach Brenda Reilly said. "But she really was the extreme."
Parsons, 48, now lives in Atlanta with Buck, 33. The couple get by on $15,000 a
year.
In her day, Parsons was one of the best. She went 49-31 in her first coaching
job at Old Dominion from 1974 to 1977, but she agonized over her sexuality.
"It was a terrible struggle," she says. "I was dating men, but I almost always
had a secret relationship going with a woman."
After taking over the Lady Gamecocks, she went 51-20 in her first two years. In
1980, the unranked Gamecocks fought their way into the Final Four -- ultimately
finishing third in the nation with a 30-6 record.
That same year, Parsons met Buck in an Atlanta bar. Parsons, then 32, says she
didn't know Buck played high school basketball or that she was 17.
On Nov. 2, 1980, the couple got caught. A private detective documented that Buck
had spent a night at Parsons' house -- violating recruiting rules because Buck
was considered a visiting high school recruit.
Parsons admitted her affair after a confrontation with South Carolina's athletic
director, but she still offered Buck a scholarship.
"If I had it to do over, I would have gone to a different college," Buck said.
"That way, we could have continued seeing each other, and maybe all the crazy
stuff wouldn't have happened."
With Buck, who had a 30-point high school average, the Lady Gamecocks won their
first seven games in 1981. But in December, a player told her mother she'd seen
Parsons and Buck embrace and kiss.
Later that month, Parsons resigned, citing health problems.
In 1982, Sports Illustrated reported that Parsons was a lesbian. Parsons sued
for $75 million. She and Buck testified in a 1984 trial that they were not
lesbians and that they had not been intimate.
But then Babs DeLay, a disc jockey from Salt Lake City, testified that Parsons
and Buck frequently visited a gay bar there called the Puss 'n' Boots.
"That's the one thing people ask me most: Why did you lie?" Parsons says. "All I
can say is I wasn't thinking clearly."
The couple pleaded guilty to perjury and spent 109 days in a minimum-security
prison in Lexington, Ky.
Since then, they've worked as house painters, waitresses and yard keepers,
making less than $5,000 in some years. As for basketball, Parsons says she'd
like to coach or help market the women's professional basketball league -- "if
they'll have me."
She believes she lost her way because she felt forced to lie about her
sexuality.
"I finally found what I was looking for -- peace," she said. "I'm not afraid of
being found out. I don't have to lie or concoct an image. It's an amazing space
to be in. It is something I've wanted more than a national championship."



Pam Parson's Testimony

Hearing Focuses on Perjury's Effect
By LAURIE KELLMAN / Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) From judges and retired military officers to two women
prosecuted for lying in sex cases, the House Judiciary Committee heard Tuesday
from witnesses who said perjury undermines the court system and, if committed by
a president, can weaken the military.
"We're exploring whether there's one rule of law for the powerful and the rulers
and another for the ruled," Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., told the 37-member
panel. "I just think it's important to understand that there are consequences
for perjury."
But the legal witnesses were split on whether President Clinton committed
perjury when he misled questioners under oath about his relationship with Monica
Lewinsky, and if so, whether that would be an impeachable offense.
"Perjury has gradations. Some are serious, some are less," said A. Leon
Higgenbotham, a former federal appeals judge. For impeachment purposes, he said,
lying about a sexual affair is about the same as lying about exceeding the speed
limit in a car.
Democrats said Republicans had staged the perjury session to rally support for
impeachment articles, which House leaders hope to bring to a floor vote later
this month.
"This is an effort to increase votes on the floor because they're in a little
bit of trouble," Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said.
"We did not need this panel of witnesses to explain the obvious," said Rep.
Maxine Waters, D-Calif.
Several times, the panel veered off into debates about the purpose and direction
of the impeachment inquiry, with Democrats angry that Republicans were seeking
information about Clinton's campaign finances.
"We'll do it our way," Hyde snapped at one point.
The hearing featured 11 witnesses, some chosen by each party. Republicans
questioned two women prosecuted for lying in sex cases as they explored whether
Clinton should be held to the same standard.
One was Barbara Battalino, a former Veterans Affairs hospital psychologist who
is serving a home detention sentence after pleading guilty to lying about a
sexual relationship with a patient. She said she would expect a presidential
pardon if Clinton is not impeached.
"If indeed there is no reason for anything ... more than censure, then certainly
I would hope that the administration would consider leniency for me," she said
under questioning by Rep. James Rogan, R-Calif.
"Because a president is not a king, he or she must abide by the same laws as the
rest of us," Battalino said.
The committee also heard from Pam Parsons of Atlanta, a former University of
South Carolina women's basketball coach who pleaded guilty to a federal perjury
charge in the mid-1980s for giving false testimony in a civil case about a
sexual relationship she had with a player. Parsons spent four months in prison
and was put on probation for five years.
The punishment for lying under oath should be the same for everyone, Parsons
said.

MCCOLLUM: Am I correct that the subject of your perjury was consensual sex?
PARSONS: No.
MCCOLLUM: No? What was the subject of the perjury then?
Please clarify that.
PARSONS: Well, it's really kind of funny. There is a gay bar called "Puss and
Boots" in Salt Lake City, Utah. It wasn't easy to say I'd been there.
That occurrence was two years after the things that I was suing "Sports
Illustrated" for. It wasn't a pretty picture for me. I thought I had many
reasons for why I couldn't -- could say no, but it was an out-and-out lie. I had
been there.
MCCOLLUM: And that's what the perjury was about? About whether you had been to
that bar or not?
PARSONS: Yes. Now, I went to the FBI about that.
MCCOLLUM: All right.


George Felton

THE STATE
Sunday, June 23, 1991
Section: METRO/REGION
Edition: FINAL
Page: 1B

EX-USC COACH FELTON CHARGED WITH DUI
By JOHN ALLARD, Staff Writer
Former USC basketball coach George Felton was arrested Friday night in
Litchfield on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, the South
Carolina Highway Patrol said Saturday.
A Highway Patrol trooper signaled for Felton, 38, to pull over after he spotted
Felton driving erratically on U.S. 17, said Cpl. T.G. Cottingham. He said
Felton, who was fired May 14 as head basketball coach at the University of South
Carolina, was not speeding.
"Felton was weaving lane-to-lane when the trooper drove up behind him,"
Cottingham said. "He pulled over right away."
Felton declined to discuss his arrest when contacted Saturday night at his home
in Litchfield. "Right now, I have no comment," Felton said.
Cottingham said Felton was arrested on a charge of first-offense DUI after he
took a Breathalyzer test at the Georgetown Police Department. He said the test
showed the level of alcohol in Felton's blood was above 0.10 percent -- the
limit at which a driver can be presumed to be under the influence under state
law.
Col. Ronald Alford, the Highway Patrol's commander, refused to release the
specific result of the Breathalyzer test because he said it would prevent Felton
from receiving a fair trial.
"I can only tell you whether the results were positive or negative because the
pretrial publicity could hurt us when he comes to court," Alford said. "The
result was positive."
The trooper did not require Felton to perform a field-sobriety test and did not
report any abnormal behavior by Felton, Cottingham said.
"There was nothing unusual about the arrest," Cottingham said.
Felton was released about 2 a.m. Saturday from the Georgetown County Jail after
paying $287 in bail, a booking officer said.
After announcing that Felton had been fired, USC Athletic Director King Dixon
refused to discuss the reasons for firing the coach. Dixon said the decision was
based on "accumulated weight and abundance of reasons."
When asked whether the reasons included rumors about a drinking problem and
Felton's relationship with players and the media, Dixon said he did not find any
truth to the rumors.
Felton had been the head coach at USC since 1986. He received a bachelor's
degree in education from USC in 1975 and was a two-year letterman in basketball.




Tank Black
Black convicted of defrauding NFL players

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Sports agent William "Tank" Black was convicted of
federal fraud charges Thursday for swindling up to $14 million from the
professional football players he represented.

A federal jury convicted Black of defrauding the federal government, conspiracy
to commit mail fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and obstruction of
justice.

Black's co-defendant, Linda Wilson, was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire
fraud and defrauding the government. Black hung his head and Wilson was
teary-eyed after the verdict was read.

Black faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced May 6. Wilson faces
up to five years in prison.

Black's attorney, Jon Uman, vowed to appeal.

"I'm extremely disappointed," Uman said.

Prosecutor Jerry Sanford praised the jury and the law enforcement officers who
investigated the case.

"It was a very rewarding verdict," Sanford said.

One of the officers who investigated the case, Darren Baxley of the University
of Florida Police Department, was upset with remarks Uman made in his closing
arguments Wednesday. The officer told Uman as they were leaving the courtroom,
"If I wasn't a police officer, I would ... kill you," according to witnesses.

When asked about the statement Thursday, Baxley said, "I thought his closing
argument was unprofessional and off the mark."

Uman said he would consult his lawyer before deciding whether to take action,
such as filing a complaint with Baxley's bosses.

In closing arguments, Sanford said Black abused his clients' trust and stole
between $12 million and $14 million from them without remorse.

Sanford pointed to the NFL players who testified that Black used his position
as their agent to steal millions from them through bogus investments.

Last week, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor choked back tears as
he testified that he was swindled out of most of his $5 million signing bonus by
Black.

"I trusted him with my life, with my daughter's life," Taylor said.

He said he would ask how his money was performing and would receive a sheet
saying the funds had been reinvested. "It was make-believe," Taylor said.

Ike Hilliard, a New York Giants receiver, testified he was bilked out of as
much as $2.5 million by Black, and former player Robert Brooks said he lost $2.5
million by investing in a bogus car-title loan company called Cash 4 Titles.

The Securities and Exchange Commission shut down the company in 1999, calling
it an illegal pyramid scheme. By then, it was too late for Brooks.

"I gave Tank 30 days notice (to get me out of Cash 4 Titles), and two weeks
later, he said some guys got arrested or whatever and I couldn't get my money,"
Brooks testified.

"They placed their trust with him and he betrayed every single one of them,"
Sanford said. "This man has no integrity, no honor, no respect, no remorse."

Uman argued his client never stole anything but was a victim of bad advice from
his business lawyers.

"The government wants to paint a picture of Black as an extremely intelligent
man who had control over this sophisticated overseas empire," Uman said. "He did
nothing but follow the advice of his attorneys."

Earlier Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Stephan P. Mickle dismissed charges
against Black's secretary, Lisa Adams, saying prosecutors had failed to prove
her guilt.

Last summer, Black was sentenced to six years, 10 months in federal prison for
laundering $1.1 million for a drug ring in Detroit.



Rolando Howell

South Carolina freshman arrested on forgery charge
Sept. 1, 2000
AP
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) South Carolina basketball recruit Rolando Howell surrendered
to police Friday on charges of forgery and conspiracy.
Howell, a 6-foot-9 forward-center, was charged Friday with two counts of
conspiracy and four counts of forgery.
Prosecutors said Howell and two other defendants, Mary Jones and Penny M. Moore,
cashed hundreds of dollars in bad money orders obtained from a Columbia Bi-Lo
grocery store.
"Basically, he and two co-defendants were alleged to have gotten money orders
without paying for them and then using them for their own personal use," said
Fifth Circuit Solicitor Warren "Barney" Giese.
Gamecocks coach Eddie Fogler said he would not comment while the case is active.
Athletic department spokesman Kerry Tharp said Howell would be suspended from
basketball-related activities until the case is cleared.
Howell, a graduate of Lower Richland High School in Columbia, is considered one
of the top recruits signed during Fogler's seven-year tenure at South Carolina.
Giese said each of the six counts against Howell is a felony and carries a
penalty of up to five years in prison. It was unclear what charges Jones and
Moore faced.
Giese said Howell was alleged to have gotten about $1,600 from the scheme.



Rolando Howell2
Howell charged with assault
Posted Monday, August 11, 2003 - 9:17 pm


By Rick Scoppe
COLUMBIA BUREAU


COLUMBIA — University of South Carolina basketball player Rolando Howell has
been charged with criminal domestic violence.
The 6- foot-9, 240-pound Howell, a two-year starter who averaged 10 points and
six rebounds last year, was arrested Saturday morning by the Richland County
Sheriff's Department.
Howell was released on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond, a Richland County
Central Court spokeswoman said. A court date has been set for Sept. 17, the
spokeswoman said.
According to the arrest warrant, Howell, 21, and a woman had a "verbal dispute"
and Howell grabbed "the victim around the throat with his hands in a choking
manner while in the closet area of the bedroom" of the apartment.
Howell "grabbed the victim's hair" and later "assaulted the victim ... by
hitting her about her face, arms and legs," according to the arrest warrant.
Howell then followed the woman out of the apartment, grabbed her cell phone and
threw it to the ground, "breaking it in several pieces," the incident report
said.
Howell could not be reached for comment.
USC basketball coach Dave Odom issued a statement, saying he "met with Rolando
Howell today. I have been alerted to the allegations and at this point all the
facts are not in. Until that time, we will have no further comment."


Carlos Powell
Powell arrested on traffic charges
Posted Friday, June 11, 2004 - 9:05 pm

COLUMBIA — University of South Carolina senior forward Carlos Powell, who led
the Gamecock basketball team in scoring and rebounding last season, has been
charged with driving with a suspended license and driving left of center.
Powell was arrested Wednesday after officer M.L. Gooding spotted him at 7:45
a.m., according to a university police report.
A check of Powell's driving record showed his license had been suspended because
of "excessive points," the report said. Powell's car was towed to the city
garage. He has a June 25 court date scheduled.
Powell could not be reached for comment.
"Coach (Dave) Odom is on top of it, and there's things that Carlos has to do to
get this behind him," sports information director Kerry Tharp said. "He's in the
process of doing that. It's certainly something he needs to take care of."
Powell, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound rising senior from Florence, averaged 12.2 points
and 6.2 rebounds last year. He played in all 34 games, starting 31.
— Rick Scoppe


Josh Gonner
Hoop notes: Player arrested
Posted Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 11:34 pm

By Rick Scoppe
COLUMBIA BUREAU



COLUMBIA — University of South Carolina guard Josh Gonner was arrested during
the weekend on charges of driving without a license, according to a police
report.
Gonner, who could not be reached for comment, was USC's second-leading scorer at
11.8 points a game last season.
He is the second USC basketball player arrested on a traffic violation in less
than a week.
On June 9, Carlos Powell was charged with driving with a suspended license and
left of center. Powell led USC in scoring and rebounding during the 2003-04
season.
Coach Dave Odom said he wasn't happy with the arrests of two rising seniors that
he is expecting to fill the leadership void left by the graduation of point
guard Michael Boynton.
"The challenge I gave to this group of seniors was to work extremely hard to
supply quality leadership ... and to show our incoming freshmen and transfers
that we try to do things the right way off the basketball court as well as work
hard on the basketball court," Odom said on Tuesday.
"To that end, I'm not pleased. So we're looking at two traffic violations in the
purest form. But they're two traffic violations that clearly could have been
avoided. ... But there can be some good to come out of this. This allows me to
make a point to these two ... (and teach them) a lesson without anybody getting
hurt."
Odom said he planned no disciplinary action in either case.
Gonner was arrested by at 2:53 a.m. Sunday after the car he was driving hit a
"cement pole," which was not damaged, according to a report by the Columbia
Police Department. Gonner spent two nights in jail before being released.
Schedule talk: USC's basketball schedule, which some criticized a year ago for
being too soft, will be notably upgraded for 2004-05 with trips to Kansas and
Pittsburgh, Odom said.
USC will travel to Kansas on Dec. 18 and to Pittsburgh on Dec. 29, Odom said.
Pittsburgh will come to Columbia in 2005-06 and Kansas will visit in 2006-07, he
said.
Odom said USC also will have home games with Temple on Nov. 27 and Clemson on
Dec. 4.
Odom said he was "disappointed" his nonconference schedule wasn't done, saying
he has contracts pending with three or four other teams.




Sheafight

Posted on Sat, Mar. 25, 2006


Linemen arrested following bar fight


Spurrier: Freshman McKeen ‘probably finished’ warrant issued for Lindsey

By JOSEPH PERSON
-email-

A current USC football player was arrested and a former player is facing arrest
following a bar fight early Friday morning in Five Points.

Defensive end Shea McKeen has been suspended indefinitely after being jailed on
charges of disorderly conduct, trespass after notice and failure to stop on
police command. McKeen, a freshman from Mays Landing, N.J., was released Friday
from the Richland County jail on a personal-recognizance bond, according to a
jail spokesperson.

“In all likelihood, he probably won’t play for us anymore,” USC coach Steve
Spurrier said. “We’ll wait until the investigation comes out. It’s unfortunate,
but he’s suspended indefinitely and he’s probably finished unless something
reveals a different story from what happened.”

Warrants also have been issued on the same charges for ex-Gamecocks linebacker
Dustin Lindsey, who failed out of school in January. As of Friday night,
Columbia police had not served Lindsey with the warrants.
According to the incident report, the fight broke out just before 2 a.m. at Pour
House on Harden Street when McKeen and Lindsey created a disturbance by using
“loud and abusive language.” The two refused repeated requests to exit the bar.

A female witness who was not identified in the report said the 6-foot-4,
258-pound McKeen pushed her after she tried to get McKeen and Lindsey to leave.

When officer L.C. Reeves arrived in his cruiser, he saw McKeen and Lindsey
walking across the 2100 block of Greene Street. The two began running when they
saw Reeves’ cruiser and continued to run when Reeves used him loudspeaker and
ordered them to stop, according to the report.

Reeves got out of his car and chased the two on foot, eventually arresting
McKeen in the parking lot of Harper’s restaurant. McKeen, 19, and the
20-year-old Lindsey had been drinking, according to the report.
Pour House general manager Sam Abraham said the bar was crowded Thursday night
for a fraternity mixer.

Abraham said the fight involved members of his security staff as well as those
from a nearby establishment. He said it lasted several minutes and resulted in
injuries, but he did not know the extent of the injuries.

“I think it was uncalled for,” Abraham said. “You’ve got a bar full of customers
that pay $80 a ticket to watch these guys play, and they’ve got to worry about
taking a fist to the face.”

Abraham said Lindsey’s twin brother, USC defensive end Jordin Lindsey, also was
at the bar but “didn’t start the altercation.”

Spurrier said he gave Jordin Lindsey the day off Friday but expects him back for
today’s scrimmage.
Dustin Lindsey, who started four games and was the Gamecocks’ third-leading
tackler in 2005, was arrested for DUI last May in his hometown of Mobile, Ala.
His father, Billy Lindsey, said last fall that the charge was reduced to
speeding.

Billy Lindsey said Friday he was unaware of the most recent incident.
McKeen, rated by Rivals.com as one of the nation’s top 10 tight end recruits
when he signed with USC in 2005, played briefly against Central Florida, then
was reshirted after injuring his back. He began spring drills listed as the
backup to Jordin Lindsey at defensive end.

Attempts to reach McKeen and Dustin Lindsey were unsuccessful.
During Spurrier’s first year at USC, there were 14 arrests involving current or
former players on charges ranging from marijuana possession to first-degree
burglary. McKeen becomes the first Spurrier recruit to be charged.

“It is embarrassing, and I apologize because this is a guy we recruited. When
you recruit one and they are troublemakers, or appear to be, it makes you feel
bad,” Spurrier said. “So we’ve got to do a better job recruiting the right kind
of kids. We’re going to mess up occasionally. It looks like we did on this one
guy.”
Reach Person at (803) 771-8496.





Dustbuster

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina football player has been charged with DUI
in Alabama over the Memorial Day weekend.

A report from the Mobile, Alabama, Police Department says Gamecock sophomore
Dustin Lindsey was stopped for speeding early Saturday and found to be driving
while under the influence.

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier says the team will handle the situation
the best it can. Spurrier says Lindsey won't be kicked off the team.

Lindsey appeared in eight games for South Carolina last year as a freshman
linebacker. His twin brother, Jordin Lindsey, is also a
Gamecock linebacker.

The Mobile Register reports that Lindsey was released on $1,000 bail. The paper
reports at least 34 people were arrested for DUI in Mobile County during the
weekend.

reggie Anderson, sports
Updated: 5/31/2005 7:26:47 PM



Dumblimba

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Kalimba Edwards of the Detroit Lions was arraigned Tuesday
on charges of resisting arrest and failing to produce a driver's license during
a confrontation with police following a weekend traffic stop.
According to Michigan State Police, the Lions' defensive end refused to produce
his driver's license after being pulled over by a trooper Sunday evening in
Southfield. The trooper warned him that if he did not show his license, he would
be placed under arrest, state police said.

When he refused again, the trooper asked Edwards to step out of his vehicle and
proceeded to arrest him, but Edwards resisted by not allowing the trooper to put
both handcuffs on him, state police said.

The trooper called local police for backup, and when the officers arrived,
pepper spray was used to force Edwards to comply, they said.

State police stressed that Edwards was not aggressive and did not attempt to
assault the officers.

Edwards and the trooper were treated for pepper spray in their eyes and Edwards
was taken to the Oakland County Jail.

"We're aware of the situation, and we're gathering information," Lions coach
Steve Mariucci said. "I'm not able to comment on anything. The authorities are
taking care of it. I hope (he'll be back) soon."

The Lions drafted Edwards in the second round, 35th overall, in 2002. He led the
team in sacks his rookie year.

Associated Press



Gamethugs1
SEC considers one-game suspensions for players involved in brawl
Posted Tuesday, November 23, 2004 - 6:50 pm


By Heidi Coryell Williams and Ed McGranahan
STAFF WRITERS


Clemson players clash with South Carolina players during a fourth-quarter brawl
Saturday in Clemson. Anderson Independent-Mail, Ken Ruinard


Southeastern Conference officials said Tuesday they are contemplating one-game
suspensions for University of South Carolina football players who participated
in the Clemson-Carolina game brawl.
Also Tuesday, Clemson University Police said they are investigating an assault
complaint filed by a member of the school's color guard, who told The Greenville
News an unidentified Carolina player punched her in the back of the head prior
to the game.

USC, the SEC and the Atlantic Coast Conference said they continue to evaluate a
tape of the game with an eye toward disciplining individual players.

Clemson President James F. Barker said Monday the school would take no further
action against Tiger players, and Clemson University Police Chief Gregory Harris
said no criminal charges would be filed in connection with the brawl.

On Tuesday, Harris said that a member of the Clemson color guard has filed a
formal complaint stemming from the pregame fracas when players from both teams
began shoving one another following Clemson's run down the hill.

Harris said his officers have opened an investigation into the matter, but he
declined to provide any additional details.

The report provided to The Greenville News classifies the incident as an assault
and battery but provides no additional details of what occurred and does not
identify a possible suspect.

No other complaints have been brought forward from Saturday's game, Harris said.

USC officials said late Tuesday they had not been told about the complaint.

"That's the first I've heard of it," said USC spokesman Russ McKinney. "I think
we would probably want to see what, if anything, investigators say about it."

He said the school would cooperate with Clemson's investigation.

Jessica Patterson, a 20-year-old Clemson junior, reported the incident to campus
police minutes after Saturday's game began, according to the report. She said
she returned to Frank Howard Memorial Stadium in time to march in the halftime
show.

Patterson, a Kershaw native who has been in the university's color guard for
three years, said in an interview Tuesday that several Gamecock players were
running around near the band before the start of the game.

"On the way back, one of them punched me in the back of the head," Patterson
said. "Some of the other ones that were running through, they pushed me, and one
of the dudes took my flag and just threw it. Just jerked my whole body around
and threw my flag out of my hand."

She said she was more upset than she was injured.

"I hadn't done anything to them, and what type of man would hit a young lady?"
she said. "I would think they'd have a little more respect for themselves than
that."

She said she was unable to identify who hit her, but that university police told
her they planned to review the game tapes to see if they could determine which
players were involved.

Clemson University band director Mark Spede said he had heard that Patterson was
among several band members who become caught in the middle of the pregame
fracas, even though marching band members were no closer than usual during the
traditional "run down the hill."

"Our pregame is the same pregame every home game," he said. "We did exactly the
same thing we've been doing for years."

Clemson and USC announced Monday they would not accept bowl invitations as a
result of what occurred at the game. SEC officials said the conference could
take additional action.

"What's on the table right now is a one-game suspension for the individuals
involved in the fight," said SEC spokesman Charles Bloom.

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said in a statement Monday that the schools'
decision "not go to a bowl game sends the important message . . . that
intercollegiate athletics will not tolerate the kind of behavior we saw in the
South Carolina-Clemson game last Saturday."

ACC spokesman Brian Morrison declined to comment while Commissioner John
Swofford continues to evaluate a tape of the fight. Heidi Coryell Williams can
be reached at (864) 298-4297.
Wednesday, November


Gamethugs2
(Columbia-AP) Dec. 10, 2004 - University of South Carolina President Andrew
Sorensen says he expects to receive a report Friday on items that were taken
from a football locker room area last month.
Sorensen is investigating whether serious disciplinary measures still are
possible and says there could be criminal investigations.
The school said earlier this week that $18,000 worth of missing items had been
recovered, but Athletic director Mike McGee says, "It has come to my attention
that the information we conveyed to University authorities and to the media
concerning the return of the football video/computer equipment was inaccurate.
... This Department takes seriously its duty to provide accurate information. As
Athletics Director, I take full responsibility when there is a failure to do
so."
The athletic department told campus police that three laptop computers, two
video projectors and 12 pictures were taken from South Carolina's locker room
area.
The school said Thursday one of three laptop computers was still missing and
"considered stolen," despite earlier reports all the items were returned. No
word on the dollar amount of the current items reported stolen.
McGee said in a statement the school also was uncertain if it had recovered all
missing player action photographs.
Athletics spokesman Kerry Tharp says they aren't sure exactly how many photos
are gone, "We rotate those photographs throughout the red carpet area of the
stadium throughout the season. And, when we went back over there today,
actually, it appears that there are less than a dozen that we had earlier
reported that are still unaccounted for. But we still haven't been able to
pinpoint that exact number."
Tharp did says a check with the equipment manager, and over 250 helmets in
inventory, shows all are accounted for.
The thefts of about $18,000 in video equipment and framed football photographs
were reported last month after the Gamecocks were told they would not go to a
bowl game. Gamecock players met with McGee at Williams-Brice Stadium in the days
that followed the fourth quarter brawl between USC and Clemson
McGee told the players they would not be going to a bowl game. Both Clemson and
Carolina made the announcement on November 22nd, despite having bowl eligible
6-5 records. The fight broke out with 5:48 left in the game when South Carolina
failed to convert on fourth down. Both teams were assessed unsportsmanlike
conduct penalties and the game was halted for about ten minutes. Clemson won the
game 29-7.
An incident report from USC Police filed November 26th suggests in response,
angry players walked off with three laptop computers, two video projectors and a
dozen framed photos with a total value of $18,000. The report called the case
"Grand Larceny."
A second report filed almost a week later says the items had been returned and
no larceny had taken place.
USC said initially the incident has been dealt with internally and at least one
player has been disciplined.
When WIS News 10 asked a university spokesman on December 1st what he could tell
us about the incident, he told us he had no idea that football players were
connected to the disappearance of the items.
Another USC official compared the university's response to what happened in
October when several students stole the ball from the top of the Maxcy monument
on the USC Horseshoe. The ball was returned after a three day absence. The
incident was described as a prank by students. Their leader was later ordered to
perform 15 hours of community service, but the university handled the case
through internal student disciplinary procedures and did not file a criminal
charge.
Late Wednesday afternoon, USC spokesman Russ McKinney told WIS the allegations
are now under review by President Dr. Andrew Sorensen. McKinney says Sorensen
will continue to look at the circumstances for the next couple of days and that
additional disciplinary measures will be considered. He is said to be "very
concerned" about the case.
Names of the players involved in the alleged thefts have not been released.
Football isn't the only athletic program struggling to improve its image. Late
last month, women's volleyball took a hit with two players dismissed and three
suspended for incidents including theft of pillows from a hotel. One player,
Iris Santos, was suspended and forced to apologize after spitting at a fan in
Florida.
By Jack Kuenzie

Gamethugs3


(Columbia) Jan. 21, 2005 - Six current and former University of South Carolina
football players are charged in connection with the theft of computer and video
equipment and framed photographs from Williams-Brice Stadium two-months-ago.
Five of the players have been released on their own recognizance after a
Thursday night bond hearing.
The sixth player, Brian Brownlee, was arrested Friday. No word on when his bond
hearing might be scheduled or his current status with the Gamecock squad.
The arrest warrant states that Brownlee was videotaped on November 22nd taking
two laptop editors, valued at $4000 each, and two computer projectors, valued at
$850 and $1675. The combined items being more than $10,500, which resulted in a
charge of grand larceny over $5000.
The players charged:
Syvelle Newton , a second-year student from Wallace, petit larceny
Dondrial Pinkins , a fourth-year student from Camilla, Georgia., petit
larceny;
Freddy Saint-Preux , a fourth-year student from Brooklyn, N.Y., petit larceny;

Woodly Telfort , a fourth-year student from Miami, Florida, grand larceny
Rodriques Wilson , a former student from Cross, petit larceny.
Brian Brownlee, a redshirt senior from Abbeville, grand larceny
Telfort is suspended indefinitely from the team. Saint-Preux and quarterback
Syvelle Newton are both suspended until their cases are resolved. Dondrial
Pinkins and Wilson no longer have college eligibility.

While they're suspended, they will not be able to participate in any team
activities, including the winter conditioning program.
Four of the players were released on $1500 personal recognizance bonds Thursday
evening. Telfort's bond was set at $5000, but he was still released on a PR
bond. Pinkins worked in his attorney Josh Kendrick's office last summer, "Worked
as a summer job. Was always an outstanding kid. We know the other students
through him."
All five were notified by phone earlier Thursday on the warrants and they all
turned themselves in.
In South Carolina, petit larceny has a maximum of 30 days in jail and a $1000
fine. Grand larceny charges carry a maximum of 5 years in jail and a $5000 fine.
None of the players addressed the media after their release Thursday evening.
The charges now head to the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office. Solicitor Barney
Giese declined comment, but a spokeswoman says the university's statements
Thursday afternoon speak for themselves. A prosecutor did tell WIS at the bond
hearing he would be surprised if any of the men saw any jail time.
Head Coach Steve Spurrier is on the road recruiting, but has issued a statement,
"This incident at the stadium unfortunately is the aftermath of the brawl which
took place during the Clemson game followed by the announcement that we wouldn't
be going to a bowl game. A few of our players made a terrible decision on how to
deal with their frustrations. The current members of the team who were involved
have been suspended. Hopefully, we'll never have a situation like this happen
again."

University officials report that all computer and video equipment originally
reported missing has now been recovered. Most, if not all, of the wall display
items in the football locker room areas are believed have been recovered.
Although, reportedly a laptop video editor stolen by Telfort made it all the way
to Miami, Florida, which accounts for the grand larceny charge.

The value of the items originally stolen is reported to still be approximately
$18,000.

USC President Andrew Sorensen, who has supervised a review of the matter in the
weeks after the thefts, stated, "I regret very much that these incidents
occurred, and they certainly cast a negative light upon the University of South
Carolina. However, I believe that they (incidents) are in no way indicative of
the overall character and behavior of the hundreds of student athletes who
represent Carolina in a positive way each and every day of the year."

Sorenson says the actions taken are the correct ones, "I feel the actions we are
taking are appropriate, and I look forward to the final disposition of the
matter once all student disciplinary proceedings have been concluded."
South Carolina athletic director Mike McGee took some blame Tuesday for
conditions that preceded the thefts. McGee, who on Tuesday announced his plans
to retire in June, says construction of the stadium's nearly completed South End
Zone project left the area too wide open.
Plus, the football team was caught between coaches after the resignation of Lou
Holtz and before the official hiring of Steve Spurrier as replacement.
The thefts apparently took place the evening of November 22nd after McGee had
informed the squad that it would not go to a bowl game as punishment for its
on-field brawl with Clemson two days earlier.
Both Clemson and Carolina made the announcement on November 22nd, despite having
bowl eligible 6-5 records. The fight broke out with 5:48 left in the game when
South Carolina failed to convert on fourth down. Both teams were assessed
unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and the game was halted for about ten minutes.
Clemson won the game 29-7.
Several players say the team was disappointed, hurt and angry. An incident
report from USC Police filed November 26th suggests in response, angry players
walked off with the equipment.
The report called the case "Grand Larceny." A second report filed almost a week
later said the items had been returned and no larceny had taken place. McGee
issued a statement Thursday that dealt, in part, with the initial confusion,
"Unfortunately, based upon the information we had at the time, the athletics
department initially made an inaccurate assessment that five pieces of the
video/computer equipment had been returned. When that error was discovered, it
was reported. University Law Enforcement has informed us that the final laptop
has been recovered. As I previously stated, as Director of Athletics, I accept
responsibility for that mistake."
South Carolina's first football game of the Coach Spurrier era will be televised
in prime time, as ESPN will showcase the Gamecocks' 2005 season opener against
the University of Central Florida on Thursday night, September 1st at
Williams-Brice Stadium. Kickoff for the nationally televised contest will be
shortly after 7:30pm.
Updated 1:57pm by BrettWitt with AP



NewtonThug 1
Newton allegedly punches Williams
SG president files, withdraws simple assault charge against USC receiver, opts
for 'mediation-type deal'
By Jonathan Hillyard
Sports Editor
Published: Friday, April 15, 2005
Student Government President Justin Williams and USC receiver Syvelle Newton
were involved in a scuffle at the Masonic Temple on Gervais Street early
Saturday morning. Williams filed a simple assault charge against Newton, but
decided Wednesday to drop the charge, according to the warrant division of the
Columbia Municipal Court.

Williams, a third-year public relations student, filed an incident report with
Columbia police officer S.E. Thomas at 1:30 a.m. Saturday. The report said
Williams claimed he "attempted to calm down several other people who were
talking," and that Newton "punched him in the left side of his face."

According to the same report, Williams told police that as he was struck, Newton
said, "Yeah [censored], that's how we get down," and immediately left the scene.

Williams said he wasn't talking to The Gamecock, but he told The Associated
Press he "found a better solution for handling that, more of a mediation-type
deal."

The report said Williams claimed to have been sprayed with pepper spray by an
unknown subject. Williams suffered no visible injuries, but the report did say
that he had complained of non-visible injury.

Newton, a sophomore from Marlboro County, is a two-year letterman on the USC
football team and played quarterback last season. He was moved to receiver for
this year's spring practice under coach Steve Spurrier. Spurrier told the AP
that Newton will take part in Saturday's Garnet and Black spring football game.

"We're going to give him a little benefit right now," Spurrier said. "But if
he's at these scenes of scuffles and brawls too many times, then he won't play
for us."

Newton was unavailable for comment.

The incident report identified Newton as "starting receiver." Columbia Police
Department public information officer Skot Garrick said he didn't know why that
distinction was made.

On Tuesday, Newton, along with former quarterback Dondrial Pinkins, applied for
the state's pretrial intervention program in response to petit larceny charges.
The players confessed to taking action photographs from the locker room area of
Williams-Brice Stadium, according to arrest warrants.

Williams is in his second month as SG president. He was inaugurated March 3.



Dumb and Dumber
Bond Set for USC Football Player

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP & WLTX) - Friday morning, a judge set bond at $20,000 for USC
football player Kevin Tyler Mainord. Authorities have arrest warrants for a
second player, senior Moe Thompson.

Mainord was arrested on Wednesday and charged with two counts of burglary in the
first degree and two counts of simple larceny. Mainord made his first court
appearance Wednesday night.

A USC student told News19 that she had more than $500 in video equipment stolen
from her dorm room. The incident happened on February 23. After filing a report
with USC police, the student (who News19 is not identifying) was told that
fingerprints found at the scene matched those of two USC football players.

"I've been with investigators, we've had fingerprints done, but I'm not gonna
say names or anything," the student said.

Thompson has not been arrested or charged in the incident, university spokesman
Russ McKinney said.

USC football coach Steve Spurrier says that players who embarrass the football
program will not play for the Gamecocks.

This week, Spurrier kicked leading rusher Demetris Summers off the team and told
two players police connected to a campus burglary
that they were gone too if they are found guilty.

"We're obviously disappointed in the actions of a couple of our individuals,"
USC Football Coach Steve Spurrier said on Thursday. "We cannot control
everything that our guys do all the time, but we can control who plays and who
puts on a uniform and represents our team. If these accusations prove to be true
against these two guys, then obviously they won't play for us anymore."

Thompson had 24 tackles and three sacks in 11 games last season. He is one of
six players suspended for the Gamecocks season-opener against Central Florida on
Sept. 3 for his part in an on-field brawl against Clemson last season.

He also was one of several players not allowed to work out with the team last
summer because of poor classroom attendance.

USC Athletic spokesman Kerry Tharp said the suspensions will last pending the
outcome of the investigation.

"We've had some misfortune over the past several days with some of our
student-athletes," Tharp said. "However I can assure you this athletics
department and football coaching staff will handle this situation decisively and
appropriately."

Spurrier says senior offensive lineman Woody Telfort would also not return if he
is convicted on a felony charge of grand larceny.

Telfort is one of six players charged in connection with a theft at
Williams-Brice Stadium in November. The theft occurred after the team was told
they would not go to a bowl game as punishment for the fight with Clemson.

Others charged include quarterback Syvelle Newton and lineman Freddy
Saint-Preux.

Athletic Department spokesman Kerry Tharp says those two players have been doing
community service and should return to the team by the time spring practice
begins March 19th.

Spurrier also says he is ending the practice of barring Gamecock players from
transferring to Clemson or another Southeastern Conference school.

News19 will continue to follow this story and bring you the latest as it becomes
available.

CLICK HERE to let us know what you think about the latest trouble involving USC
football players.
Mike Garber, News Director
Updated: 3/4/2005 11:59:15 AM
WLTX & AP

USC players charged in dorm thefts

Duo accused of burglarizing female students’ rooms

By JOSEPH PERSON

Staff Writer

Another day, another black eye for USC’s football team.
A day after starting tailback Demetris Summers was kicked off the team for
failing a drug test, two defensive players were suspended Wednesday after they
were charged with breaking into the dorm rooms of several female students and
stealing electronic equipment and other items.
Defensive end Moe Thompson, a three-year starter and the state’s Mr. Football in
2001, and reserve defensive lineman K.T. Mainord face criminal charges for the
Feb. 23 break-ins at East Quad, a dorm where many football players live.
Mainord, a freshman from Coalmont, Tenn., who was redshirted in 2004, was
arrested Wednesday on two counts each of first-degree burglary and petit
larceny, according to arrest warrants. Mainord was in the Richland County jail
Wednesday night pending a bond hearing.
Warrants were issued for Thompson on five similar counts, but the junior had not
been arrested late Wednesday.
First-degree burglary is a felony punishable by a minimum of 15 years in prison;
petit larceny is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum $500 fine or 30 days in
jail.
USC first-year coach Steve Spurrier suspended both players indefinitely and
apologized to Gamecock fans for the latest in a string of embarrassing,
off-the-field incidents involving USC players.
“We are all extremely embarrassed by the alleged actions of two of our current
players. As head coach, I apologize to everyone who loves the University of
South Carolina,” Spurrier said in a statement.
“ ... I can assure you that if these charges prove to be true, these two will
never wear the garnet and black and represent our university on the football
field.”
According to the warrants, Thompson and Mainord, both of whom live at East Quad,
entered a first-floor room around 3:30 a.m. and took a TV and DVD player while
the three female occupants were sleeping.
The women told USC police $12 in cash and various linens also were missing.
Mainord gave a written statement to police in which he said “he did plan earlier
that evening to enter various (residences) in E. Quad and steal various items
and that he was responsible for the burglary,” according to the warrants.
Between 1:30 and 3:30 a.m. the same day, Mainord allegedly entered the
fourth-floor room of another female student with an unnamed co-defendant and
stole a Toshiba combination TV/DVD/VCR, according to two separate warrants.
In each case, the electronic equipment was valued at less than $1,000.
In a USC incident report, the resident of the fourth-floor room said she was
missing a pair of football-themed DVDs — “Rudy” and “Radio.” The DVDs are not
mentioned in the warrants.
The suspensions were the latest blow for the Gamecocks, who brawled with Clemson
in November, prompting school officials to pass on a bowl trip. Minutes after
learning they would not go to a bowl game, players allegedly stole $18,000 worth
of video equipment and framed action photographs from Williams-Brice, resulting
in six arrests.
Among those charged were the starting quarterbacks from the ’04 season, Dondrial
Pinkins and Syvelle Newton, along with two of the four team captains, Pinkins
and linebacker Rod Wilson.
USC then lost its leading rusher when Summers failed a drug test for the second
time, sources said.
Thompson, who has 140 tackles, six fumble recoveries and two interceptions
during the past three years, is one of six players suspended for the Sept. 1
opener against Central Florida for his role in the Clemson brawl.
He recently decided to return to school for his senior season rather than enter
the NFL draft. The Goose Creek native was one of seven players former coach Lou
Holtz suspended in July for poor attendance in class and summer workouts.
“I’m going to stick by my son — and the other young men who have been affected
by adversity — through thick and thin,” Trish Thompson said Wednesday night.
“We’re going to be fine. This is not the end of the world for us.”
Staff writer J.R. Gonzales contributed to this report. Reach Person at (803)
771-8496 or -email-.



Moe-Run
Police still looking for USC player

Thompson’s mother says lawyer made deal for lineman to turn himself in after
spring break

By JOE PERSON

Staff Writer



Posted on Sat, Mar. 05, 2005


While authorities continued to seek USC junior Moe Thompson on Friday, the
mother of the Gamecocks’ defensive end said the family’s attorney previously
made arrangements with law enforcement officials for Thompson to turn himself in
next week following spring break.
On Wednesday a local magistrate issued arrest warrants that allege Thompson and
defensive tackle Kevin Mainord on Feb. 23 broke into the dorm rooms of several
female students and removed electronic equipment. Mainord surrendered to USC
police on Wednesday and spent two nights at the Richland County jail before
being released Friday on a $20,000 surety bond.
USC police have entered Thompson’s name in a national database that informs
other law enforcement agencies that there is an outstanding criminal warrants
for him, USC spokesman Russ McKinney said Friday.
But Trish Thompson said Friday that her son’s attorney, Debra Chapman, had
spoken with officials about Thompson surrendering next week. USC’s spring break
began Friday, and classes do not resume until March 14.
“That’s the absolute truth, as I understood it,” she said.
McKinney said neither the university nor the university police department had
received any information about a plan for Thompson to turn himself in.
Barbara Lindsay, a spokeswoman for the Fifth Circuit solicitor’s office, said
that while her office received a phone call from someone from the office of
Thompson’s attorney, she did not know of any arrangement and said her office
would not be involved in such discussions until after warrants are served.
Attempts to reach Chapman were unsuccessful.
At Friday’s bond-setting hearing for Mainord, Fifth Circuit assistant solicitor
Dolly Justice told chief administrative judge Reginald Lloyd that “the
co-defendant was considered to be on the run,” adding that prosecutors did not
know where Thompson was.
Trish Thompson, who lives in Northeast Columbia, said Friday that her son had
left Columbia, but when asked where he was she would not divulge his location.
She said Moe Thompson left town Wednesday after meeting with USC coach Steve
Spurrier, who suspended Thompson and Mainord indefinitely.
“Nobody told him that he couldn’t go anywhere,” Trish Thompson said.
“When Moe gets back we’re gong to do what we need to do,” she added. “Of course
he’s going to turn himself in, but the fact is, he has to be available to do
that.”
Thompson, a three-year starter at USC and the state’s Mr. Football in 2001,
reportedly faces five counts of burglary- and larceny-related charges. He and
Mainord are accused of entering two rooms at East Quad, a coed dorm on Blossom
Street, in the middle of the night and taking a TV, a DVD player and a
combination TV/DVD/VCR among other items, according to warrants.
Justice said the majority of the items have been returned.
The warrants allege that in one case, the three female residents were asleep
when Thompson and Mainord entered the room. Thompson, a junior from Goose Creek,
and Mainord, a freshman from Tennessee, both live in East Quad.
Public defender Deborah Ahrens, who represented Mainord at his bond hearing,
told the judge that her client might have been influenced by Thompson.
“We think this may be the case of a young individual being led around by an
older individual,” said Ahrens, adding that Mainord did not have a criminal
history.
Lloyd set three conditions on the bond: Mainord is to remain in the state, have
no contact with the victims and abide by any restrictions imposed by USC, which
is kicking Mainord out of the dorm.
Linda Mainord, who drove through the night to attend the 9:30 a.m. hearing, was
distraught after seeing her son in a blue, jail-issue outfit in court.
“I know everything’s been said, but I don’t know what the truth is,” said Linda
Mainord, who has another son, Russell, who helped out in the Gamecocks’
equipment room before graduating last year.
Kevin Mainord, who redshirted this past season, faces a minimum of 15 years in
prison if convicted of first-degree burglary, a felony charge.
“He’s a good kid,” Linda Mainord said. “He’s just done some bad things. He just
has to straighten it out, if it can be straightened out.”
Reach Person at (803) 771-8496 or -email-.


Moe in Custody
(Columbia) March 8, 2005 - USC junior defensive end Moe Thompson is in custody
at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County after turning himself
in around 9:00am Tuesday morning.
His bond hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning at 9:00am for General
Sessions Court.
He faces two counts of burglary and three counts of petit larceny stemming from
break-ins February 23rd. Police say Thompson and teammate Kevin Mainord entered
at least one dorm room in the East Quad and took items including a TV set and a
DVD player.
Police have been looking for Thompson since the charges were announced, although
it's unclear at this time how active officers were in searching for him.
Mainord's public defender said in court last Friday morning that Thompson
appeared to be "on the run."
The public defender's office says Mainord wants to stay at USC and is not a
flight risk or a danger to the community. The defense said at Mainord's bond
hearing last week he went through a "frightening" experience in jail and,
apparently alluding to Thompson, described the situation as one of a "younger
individual being led around by an older individual." Mainord is 19. Thompson is
21.
The court set bond at $20,000 for Mainord, but he was released on ten percent.
The terms of the bond specify he cannot have contact with the young women whose
dorm rooms were burglarized.
Both Mainord and Thompson have been suspended indefinitely from the team.
Thompson is one of six players suspended for the Gamecocks season-opener against
Central Florida on September 3rd for his part in an on-field brawl against
Clemson last season.
Head coach Steve Spurrier spoke to the media last Thursday, "I have a policy
that says a person that brings complete embarrassment to our football program is
subject to not being with us. And I think you have to look at every situation
individually somewhat, but certainly if this situation proves out, the players
won't be with us."
Thompson is from Goose Creek. He's a three-year starter at South Carolina. He
had 24 tackles and three sacks in 11 games last season. He emerged as an All-SEC
performer at defensive end in 2003. He was named honorable mention All-SEC by
the Associated Press and started all 12 games. He was the team's third leading
tackler with 60 total stops, 38 of which were solo hits. He was tied for team
lead with five quarterback sacks.
The Gamecocks have had a busy off season this year. There was the brawl after
the Clemson-Carolina game last season. Six USC players allegedly stole video
equipment and other items from Williams-Brice Stadium after they found out the
team would forgo a bowl appearance due to the brawl. Last week it was announced
star running back Demetris Summers was kicked off the squad for team rules
violations.
Four other USC football players were scheduled to be in magistrates court
Tuesday accused of the Williams-Brice thefts, but those court appearances have
been postponed.

According to the court docket, Syvelle Newton and Dondrial Pinkins have
requested jury trials which have not been scheduled. Rod Wilson and Freddie
Saint Preux have tentatively rescheduled their appearances for April 12th.
Updated 2:01pm by BrettWitt with AP



BitchSlapped
USC reserve player arrested on violent felony charge
By CLIF LEBLANC
Staff Writer
A reserve wide receiver on the USC football team was charged today with breaking
into his girlfriend’s Cayce apartment, yelling at her and then kicking the
window out of a police cruiser that was hauling him to jail, authorities said.
David McNeal Smith, a 20-year-old from Union, is charged with six offenses,
including a violent felony — first-degree burglary, which carries a minimum of
15 years in prison, police said.
Cayce police were called to Sterling University Apartments about about 12:15
a.m. and found an agitated, sweaty man standing over a woman and yelling at her,
according to the incident report.
She told the officer the intruder had chased another man, who was visiting, from
the apartment. She locked the intruder out, but he broke through a bedroom
window then threatened and choked her, the police report shows.
The intruder also broke the phone during her 911 call. Later, the visitor told
police the intruder beat and kicked him.
The woman, who said she had a child with the man, had gotten a trespass warning
against the man before the incident.
After the intruder was put into a police car, he kicked out a passenger window.
Smith also is charged with criminal domestic violence, simple assault, damaging
someone else’s property, trespassing after notice and destruction of public
property.
Smith, an All-State wide receiver in high school, was a back-up receiver for the
Gamecocks. Smith becomes the ninth USC football player to be charged with a
crime since November.


Potheads

(Columbia) April 18, 2005 - Twelve hours after nearly 39,000 fans came to cheer
on the Gamecocks at their spring game, two more Gamecock football players were
arrested.
Linebacker Josh Johnson and defensive back Ty Erving were arrested Saturday
night for marijuana possession. Police say the two were in a parked car on
Devine Street smoking pot.
Erving made a big play during Saturday's Garnet and Black game. He intercepted
the ball and returned it 37 yards. Johnson is a sophomore from Gibsonton,
Florida. Erving is a redshirt sophomore from Batesburg.
The latest arrests make it 11 Gamecock football players to have been arrested
since the end of last season.
Coach Spurrier commented on the two players' arrests, "Johnson and Erving. They
said they didn't do it. We'll find out. They were drug tested today and we'll
find out in a couple of days whether they're guilty or not. Simple as that."
The coach did not say how the players would be punished if found guilty. He said
they would be dealt with within University and team rules.
Gamecock fan David Rembert says, "These last two kind of caught me by surprise.
I thought we were past all that."
Willie Harriford has taught at USC for 25 years and says this team's troubles
are no different from those of the past, "The biggest surprise to me is why
these last two weren't smart enough to understand this is something you ought
not do."
Harriford continues, "I guess what young people don't understand, when you get
accolades in the community for doing something well, you'll also have more
problems when you do something wrong. That's a main difference between being a
football player and a student."


Josh Johnson
USC football player arrested in Five Points
By AARON GOULD SHEININ
Staff Writer A USC football player was arrested early Sunday in Five Points and
charged with simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, interfering
with police and having an open container.
Josh Johnson, 20, a linebacker from Florida, has been suspended from the
football team indefinitely, USC sports information director Steve Fink said.
“If the charges prove to be true, then he will no longer be part of the Carolina
football team,” said Fink, quoting head football coach Steve Spurrier.
It is Johnson’s second arrest this year. In April, he and his younger brother,
Justin, were arrested in Five Points for simple possession. Josh Johnson has yet
to face trial on that charge.
Both brothers were arrested early Sunday. Justin Johnson, 18, was charged with
disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
According to the police incident report, two Columbia officers were flagged down
and told that the Johnson brothers were involved in a fight at 724 Harden St.,
the address of Jungle Jim’s nightclub.
When the officers arrived, both brothers “became very loud and used profanity,”
the report said.
Justin Johnson was arrested when he refused to leave and continued to use
profanity, police said. When officers tried to handcuff him, he resisted, police
said, and then his older brother tried to pull him away from police.
Josh Johnson was told to stop interfering, and when he continued, was also
arrested.
After a brief struggle, the report said, Josh Johnson was placed in custody. He
had a 12-ounce bottle of Budweiser in his pocket, the report said.
Reach Gould Sheinin at (803) 771-8658 or -email-.


Dorian Capers
Posted on Fri, May. 07, 2004
USC signee arrested, charged with armed robbery

Associated Press
SAVANNAH, Ga. - A recruit who recently signed with South Carolina has been
arrested and charged with armed robbery earlier this week, police said.
Dorian Capers, a Thomas Heyward Academy senior, signed with the Gamecocks in
February.
Capers and his cousin, Walter Capers, and Travis Tyrell Fields were arrested
early Sunday morning after police said they robbed two men at knifepoint in a
parking lot, Savannah Police Department spokesman Bucky Burnsed said.
The trio approached two men, Douglas Hildebrand, 21, of Greer, and David
Edwards, 24, of Hinesville, Ga., and stole cash, Burnsed said.
A police officer spotted a car speeding away, pulled it over and Hildebrand and
Edwards identified the men, Burnsed said.
Athletics spokesman Kerry Tharp said the school would wait until the outcome of
the case before making a decision on the 6-foot-6, 275 pound defensive lineman
from Beaufort.
After a disciplinary incident last year, Capers transferred to Thomas Heyward
because he was ineligible to play for Battery Creek High School.
Capers had 127 tackles, four sacks and two fumble recoveries last season.
He also caught 23 passes for 325 yards as tight end as the Rebels finished 5-6.


Tremaine Tyler
USC suspends defensive back Tyler
By JOSEPH PERSON
Staff Writer

South Carolina defensive back Tremaine Tyler has been suspended indefinitely
after a weekend arrest for marijuana possession.
Tyler, a sophomore from Orangeburg, was arrested early Saturday after USC campus
police spotted an illegally parked car in the East Quad parking lot. Austin
Jeffries, 21, a sophomore from Orangeburg, was arrested along with the
20-year-old Tyler.
Tyler was transported to the Richland County jail and later released on a $500
personal recognizance bond. The charge, simple possession of marijuana, is a
misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail or a $200 fine.
The court date for Tyler and Jeffries is Feb. 17 before Richland County
magistrate Golie Augustus.
USC sent out a news release Tuesday afternoon stating Tyler had been suspended
for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Gamecocks head coach Lou Holtz was
unavailable for comment.
According to the incident report, Tyler was a passenger in a 2003 Toyota Avalon
belonging to Jeffries. Shortly before 3 a.m., USC police officer J.D. Rosier
smelled marijuana when he approached the car to ask Jeffries to move it. After
Tyler and Jeffries initially denied having any marijuana, Jeffries handed Rosier
“a blunt that was still lit, filled with a green, leafy substance,” according to
the report.
A blunt refers to a cigar casing that has been hollowed out and filled with
marijuana.
The report stated Tyler “appeared to have fresh ashes and burn marks on his
clothing,” and police found a clear, plastic bag containing marijuana behind his
seat.
While the two were being arrested and handcuffed, police found another bag of
marijuana in Jeffries’ back pocket.
Patricia Rumph, Tyler’s mother, said she had spoken with USC senior associate
athletics director Tom Perry, but was unsure of her son’s future on the team.
Rumph also said the family had retained a lawyer.
Tyler, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound graduate of Edisto High, played in all 12 of the
Gamecocks’ games last season, making his lone start in a 43-40 loss to
Mississippi. Tyler finished the season with 18 tackles, one interception and two
pass breakups.
Watson Driving
Charlotte Observer, The (NC)

December 23, 2000
Section: SPORTS
Edition: ONE-THREE
Page: 3C
Column: NOTEBOOK



USC BACK WATSON ESCAPES INJURY IN LATE-NIGHT WRECK
Observer News Services
South Carolina running back Derek Watson was not injured after wrecking a
teammate's car, police say.

An officer spotted a car Watson was driving and another vehicle speeding on
Interstate 126 about 3:20 a.m. Thursday, Police Chief Charles Austin said. By
the time the officer caught up, Watson had wrecked Ted Crawford's Acura Legend,
causing damage estimated at $15,000.
"I feel really bad for Teddy," Watson said. "He's got to go home and tell his
parents I totaled his car. I'm just sorry it happened."

Police did not identify the driver of the other car.

Watson was charged with driving too fast for conditions and driving with a
suspended license, Austin said. His license had been suspended for failing to
pay a previous ticket, the chief said.

Coach Lou Holtz discussed the accident with Watson. No disciplinary action was
announced.

The team doesn't usually take action in car accidents unless the player is
intoxicated, offensive coordinator Skip Holtz said. The police report indicated
Watson did not appear to be drunk.


Derek Watson

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina running back Derek Watson shoved a student
referee to the floor and threatened him during an intramural basketball game,
according to a campus police report.
The student was not hurt and no charges were filed. The case has been referred
to the student discipline committee, campus police said.
Watson on Monday was ejected from the game and twice was told to leave the court
by Norman E. Jones.
"The scary thing for me was that he was making the threats," Jones said. "He's
bigger than I am."
Jones said Watson was given two technical fouls, which constitutes an automatic
ejection. Watson left the court but returned minutes later.
"Get off me [expletive]. You can't touch me. I'll punch you," Watson said,
according to Jones. Watson left the physical education center before police
arrived.
Jones, who said he didn't know it was Watson until someone told him later, said
he doesn't plan to pursue charges.
Coach Lou Holtz doesn't plan any disciplinary action, USC spokesman Kerry Tharp
said Tuesday.
Watson could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Watson, a 19-year-old sophomore from Williamston, led the Gamecocks in rushing
the past two seasons.
Holtz suspended Watson from the Outback Bowl for violating team policy in
December. That came after Watson was ticketed for driving with a suspended
license and driving too fast, causing him to crash teammate Ted Crawford's car.


Derek Watson3
Woman who says Watson punched her in arm files charges
Updated 8:08 PM ET May 7,
2001
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The University of South Carolina student who said Derek
Watson punched her in the arm last week has formally filed charges against the
tailback, a school official confirmed Monday.
University athletic spokesman Kerry Tharp said Watson has been charged with
misdemeanor assault and battery.
Student Richelle Beard told university police Watson punched her in the arm last
Wednesday. Beard could not immediately be reached for comment.
Tharp said Watson voluntarily went to magistrate's court Monday for a bond
hearing. Watson could not immediately be reached for comment.
Watson, who was the Gamecocks' first 1,000-yard rusher in four seasons, was
suspended from the team on Friday. Watson was in court Friday to plead no
contest to traffic charges unrelated to the current charge.
South Carolina coach Lou Holtz said the sophomore was suspended for disciplinary
reasons. He did not say how long the suspension would last.
Holtz had suspended Watson late last year for disciplinary problems and Watson
missed the Outback Bowl.
In December, Watson wrecked teammate Teddy Crawford's car, but was unhurt.
Watson said a blown tire caused the accident, but a Columbia police report said
Watson was ticketed for driving too fast and driving with a suspended license.
In February, Watson allegedly threatened a referee who had ejected the him from
an intramural basketball game.
In Friday's traffic case, Watson was sentenced to 15 days in jail or a $100
fine. His lawyer, George Johnson, said Watson would pay the fine.


Derek Watson4
Posted Tuesday, August 7, 2001 - 5:25 pm

USC's Watson charged with driving without a license
Anna Simon
CLEMSON BUREAU


WILLIAMSTON — Gamecock star Derek Watson has had another brush with the law.

Watson has paid a $425 fine after being ticketed on charges of driving without a
license and playing his car stereo too loudly, said Williamston Police Chief
Richard Turner.

Police stopped Watson July 28 on Anderson Drive in his hometown of Williamston
because his car radio was playing too loudly, according to authorities.

Watson was reinstated to the USC football team on Sunday. He was suspended
May 4 after a woman alleged that he punched her in the arm. He was charged with
simple assault and battery, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of 30
days in jail and a $500 fine.

A court date has been scheduled for Sept. 13. However, Watson has applied to be
accepted into the pre-trial intervention program, which would allow him to
expunge his arrest from his record by successfully completing the program.



Watson PTI
Watson may enter program to erase assault charge


COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina running back Derek Watson has offered to
enter a program for first-time offenders that would erase an assault charge
against him.
The junior cannot enroll in the pretrial intervention program, which includes
counseling, community service and drug and alcohol testing, until he is
approved by prosecutors.
If Watson gets into the program, he could be cleared to play in the Gamecocks'
season opener Sept. 1.
Richland County prosecutor Barney Giese told The (Columbia) State he received
Watson's application last week and will talk to police and the victim in the
next few weeks before deciding if Watson can enter the program.
Watson, 20, was arrested in May when a 19-year-old female University of South
Carolina student said Watson punched her in the arm. He was charged with simple
assault and battery, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in
jail and a $500 fine.
For Watson to be reinstated to the football team, the university has to approve
his return, as does the athletic department, spokesman Kerry Tharp said.
The athletic department's policy regarding the return of a player who has been
arrested is that "the situation must have run its course or that all
indications are that the situation is going to come to a closure," Tharp said.
Watson is expected to meet with the Office of Student Judicial Affairs later
this week, and the university could clear his return by early next week, coach
Lou Holtz said.
When asked if there was any reason he wouldn't let Watson back on the team,
Holtz said, "No, not right now."
"I'm very pleased with all of the things he has done this summer. But he also
has some obligations to the university, which he has to handle," Holtz said.
"That's between him and the university. He's going to meet with them later this
week."
Watson has been suspended from the team since shortly after the assault charge
was filed.
It has been a rough off-season for the Gamecocks star, who gained 1,066 yards
and scored 12 touchdowns last season.
Holtz suspended Watson for the Outback Bowl after he wrecked teammate Teddy
Crawford's car at 3 a.m. Dec. 21. Watson was convicted of driving with a
suspended license and fined $100.
In February, Holtz said he disciplined Watson again after an intramural referee
said the running back threatened him after he ejected Watson from a basketball
game. Holtz has not said what Watson's punishment was.
Another South Carolina athlete has successfully completed a pretrial
intervention program in recent months. Rolando Howell entered the program after
he was charged in August with cashing $1,560 in bogus money orders.
Howell was initially suspended from the basketball team but was reinstated
after missing the first seven regular-season games.


Gamecock Class
Watson's actions affect others
By MICHAEL SMITH Staff Writer


As Derek Watson returns to the football field, those who have been involved in
incidents with him go about rearranging their lives.

Richelle Beard, who pressed charges against the Gamecocks' star tailback for
simple assault and battery, says she won't attend USC this year.

Norm Jones, a student referee who allegedly was pushed and threatened by Watson,
says he will forego plans to attend graduate school at USC.

Watson talked Thursday about the lessons he has learned. The alleged victims say
they have felt the repercussions of his lessons.

Beard pressed charges against Watson because he allegedly punched her in the arm
May 2. Her parents fear for her safety because of the harassment she received by
phone from anonymous fans.

Two days after she filed the complaint with USC police, the school moved her
into a new dorm room for her protection, she said.

"My parents just want things to cool off for a year," Beard said from her Upper
Marlboro, Md., home. "I'm going to go to an in-state school for a year and
hopefully return to South Carolina next year. It's just better for me to stay
home now."

Beard said she is angry that USC coach Lou Holtz has characterized Watson's
action as a push instead of a punch, as it appeared on the USC police report.

"That is incorrect," Beard said. "He balled up his fist and he wasn't even
aiming for my arm. He just punched me there. Lou Holtz doesn't know, he wasn't
there."

Four witnesses signed statements that Watson punched her, she said.

Beard said she didn't intend to press charges until Watson failed to show for a
hearing on the restraining order she had taken out against him.

"It just showed me he wasn't taking this seriously," she said.

When asked about Beard, Watson said he had no comment.

Norm Jones sympathizes with Beard. The student referee endured several anonymous
phone calls after his incident. Campus security was assigned to follow him last
spring, he said.

Jones said Thursday he will return to USC for his senior year. He had planned to
take graduate courses this semester, but has decided against pursuing his
master's at USC.

"I've got one year to go and I'll be glad to get out of there," said Jones, who
added that he might go into the ministry after graduation. "There's no way I can
support the football program after everything that's happened. I feel bad
because this is my senior year. I'm supposed to enjoy it."

Jones did not press charges against Watson.



Double Standard For Derek
By Rick Scoppe
COLUMBIA — USC's disciplining of Derek Watson and basketball player Rolando
Howell after they were charged with crimes has prompted Howell's mother and
former USC basketball coach Eddie Fogler to suggest a double standard.
The handling of the cases also has led Fogler to unleash sharp criticism of
athletic director Mike McGee. Fogler said he and McGee had a personality
conflict and it appears to him that McGee may have punished Howell as a result.
McGee declined to comment.
The charges each player faced weren't the same. Watson was charged with simple
assault and battery, a misdemeanor, after a woman alleged he struck her. Howell
faced felony charges in connection with allegations that he and two women
falsified money orders worth $4,385.
Watson was suspended by football coach Lou Holtz for three months this summer
and was reinstated to the team Aug. 5. Howell, an incoming freshman at the time
of the charges, was suspended from all team activities after he was charged last
September and he was suspended for seven regular-season games.
Howell was cleared to begin practicing Oct. 14 after the school said it learned
that he had been cleared to enter Pretrial Intervention, which would clear his
record if he successfully completes the program. Watson has applied for PTI and
is awaiting word on whether he will be accepted.
Deborah Howell, the mother of the former McDonald's All-American, said she
questions why Holtz was allowed to decide the discipline for Watson while McGee
made the decision on Howell. "Why did Mike McGee have to come in on Rolando?
That's a double standard," she said. "I don't know whether Eddie and McGee got
along but whatever the situation, I see double standards."
Fogler said, "It's very unfortunate that the director of athletics let a
personality conflict with a head coach factor into the severity of his
suspension of a student-athlete. This reasoning is unprofessional. There is no
place for someone with a get-even mentality to be in such an important position.
It's no surprise his record was 29-52-2 as a head football coach."
McGee declined comment during a telephone interview. He also declined to answer
written questions. "I'm not going into those kind of things," he said. "Those
are internal to this department and will stay that way."
Later, in response to written questions from The Greenville News, McGee issued a
one-paragraph statement in which he said he believed it was "in the best
interests of the student-athletes to not discuss or analyze these issues in a
public forum."
Howell — who has another son, Ivan, on the basketball team — said she was upset
that McGee never contacted her about his decision on Rolando. "Matter of fact, I
don't even know the man," she said. "I've heard of him, but I don't know him."
Rolando Howell declined to discuss his situation. His mother told the newspaper,
"I got it cleared with him to discuss this with you. I said, 'This is your
name.' You tell me don't go forth with it and I won't. If you tell me it's OK, I
will. He said, 'Momma, it's double standards.' "
On the day Holtz announced the lifting of Watson's suspension, he said sophomore
linebacker Jeremiah Garrison would be suspended for one or two games after being
charged with shoplifting this summer. He said he and McGee "are sleeping" on a
final decision.
Asked about the different actions taken in the cases of Watson and Garrison,
Holtz said, "My hands are tied in a certain way" because of university policy.
He compared the charges against Garrison to those against Howell. "It's a pretty
good idea for uniformity throughout the department. Dr. McGee has said this is
the way it is, and that's it."
Fogler, who resigned March 12, said he should have made the call on Howell, with
input from McGee and other university officials. "I had no input," he said. "I'm
not out to get Derek. I'm not out to get Lou Holtz. I do think Lou should have
made the decision. I should have made the decision (on Howell)."
Fogler said he hoped his "poor" relationship with McGee didn't have an impact on
McGee's decision on Howell. "I don't know the answer to that," Fogler said. "He
arrogantly told me he was 'judge and jury,' as if he was throwing it back in my
face as to getting even. He was mad when he said it.
"His tone of voice and his arrogance leads me to strongly believe he was trying
to get even with the coach and unfortunately if that is true, then a
student-athlete suffered, the team suffered, the basketball fans of South
Carolina suffered."
Watson's lawyer, George Johnson, could not be reached for comment Friday.
Watson and Howell were high-profile recruits. Watson, a Palmetto High standout,
turned down several big-name schools to come to USC, including Tennessee and
Georgia. Howell, a star at Columbia's Lower Richland High, picked USC over,
among others, Kentucky, Duke and Connecticut.
Howell's mother believes McGee's contentious relationship with Fogler influenced
his decision on her son. "If you've got a problem with the coach, that's you and
the coach's problem," she said. "Don't take it out on a kid."
She also questioned the timing of Watson's return to practice, compared to her
son. "Rolando had to enter PTI," she said. "The paper printed Derek was going
to. Has Derek?"
Fogler said McGee told him that Howell would not be cleared to practice until he
was officially admitted into PTI. "Why is Derek Watson permitted to practice
although he has not been officially committed to PTI?"
Deputy 5th Circuit Solicitor Johnny Gasser said no decision on Watson's PTI
application will be made until next week at the earliest, when USC finishes
two-a-day practices when classes resume on Thursday.


Watson Win At All Cost

Staff Editorial: Watson wins, but at what expense?

Running back Derek Watson has been cleared to rejoin the USC football team after
being suspended for allegedly punching a female student on May 7. Is anyone
surprised?

For the past few weeks, much has been made of Watson’s impending court date and
what would happen to the talented speedster because of it. But the real question
during that time was how the media and the USC Athletics Department made this
issue’s outcome a mystery.

This concept is very basic. Football teams, or football teams that expect to
win, don’t cut people who accumulate 1,000 rushing yards in a season, much less
the leading returning rusher in the Southeastern Conference.

We at The Gamecock are happy Watson is back with the team. We know how vital his
talent is to the success of this team, and without his performances to look
forward to, it’s doubtful the Gamecocks would have been ranked as high as they
are going into the 2001 season.

But, what standard does the team set when Watson has been allowed back after
three separate incidents? If Watson was a regular student instead of an athlete,
or better yet an athlete that could very well be the driving force behind the
resurgence of USC football, what would happen if said student had been brought
up on the same charges Watson has?

We realize head coach Lou Holtz and the Athletics Department took the right step
when Watson was suspended for the 2001 Outback Bowl because of an incident with
a teammate’s car.

However, after Watson shoved and threatened an intramural basketball referee in
February and then encountered the female student in May, Watson’s “punishment”
was not being allowed to take summer class or work out with the rest of the
team. God forbid Watson would have killed somebody. That probably would have
meant no Dean’s List.

How many more opportunities will Watson get? Will he continue to get “just one
more chance” for the remainder of his playing days at USC?

There needs to be a line drawn between being happy with performance on the field
and doing the right thing.

What’s more important, winning or winning with credibility?


Derek Watson5
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina running back Derek Watson was dismissed from
the team Monday after he was charged last weekend with possession of marijuana,
coach Lou Holtz said.

Officers arrested Watson in Greenville early Saturday in a nightclub parking
lot, Greenville police Lt. Mike Gambrell said. Watson was issued a ticket, told
to appear in court later this month then released, police said.

"I feel badly for Derek, but he clearly understood that if he chose to do
certain things, he would no longer be a part of the USC football team," Holtz
said in a statement.

Holtz, who was on a recruiting trip in South Carolina and could not be
contacted, initially suspended Watson, but further investigation led to the
dismissal.

Athletic department spokesman Kerry Tharp said Watson, a junior who led South
Carolina in rushing two of the past three seasons, could seek legal counsel to
prove his innocence in the case.

Messages left for Watson were not immediately returned.

Gambrell said undercover agents watched Watson sit in the passenger seat of a
car, filling a hollowed out cigar with a substance from a clear plastic bag.
Watson attempted to hide the items under the floorboard when the drug agents
approached the car, Gambrell said.

"It wasn't like, 'Use the binoculars and see what you can see.' They were in the
car right beside" the agents, Gambrell said.

Officers determined the bag contained 8.5 grams of marijuana, police said. The
driver, Antwan Andre Galloway, 23, of Pendleton, also was charged with
possessing 2.4 grams of marijuana.

Both men were cited at the scene and released. They each face a $497 fine and
are scheduled to appear in Municipal Court on Jan. 30.

Watson also will face last year's simple assault and battery charge for
allegedly punching a woman in the arm after Richland County prosecutor Barney
Giese said Watson's drug arrest violated a pretrial intervention program for
first-time offenders.

If Watson had successfully completed the pretrial program, the assault charge
would have been erased.

The drug charge could mean academic trouble for Watson, too. The case will be
the third matter reviewed by the Office of Student Judicial Affairs, said
university spokesman Russ McKinney.

"Each and every case is handled on its own, however, clearly, previous
disciplinary actions . . . have a bearing on future discipline," which ranges
from mandatory counseling to expulsion, McKinney said.

Watson has a career total of 2,078 yards rushing on 437 carries and 16
touchdowns. He also has 58 receptions for 466 yards and two touchdowns.

The former "Mr. Basketball" from Palmetto High School also played with the
Gamecocks' basketball team for two weeks before the 2002 Outback Bowl but hadn't
been back since, athletic officials said. Watson had approached Holtz for
permission to play basketball, saying he wanted to be in an organized program
during the offseason.

Watson had a troublesome offseason last year aside from the simple assault
charge.


He missed South Carolina's 2001 Outback Bowl when he was suspended following a
wreck that happened while he drove teammate Teddy Crawford's car. Watson was
ticketed for driving with a suspended license and driving too fast.

Holtz disciplined Watson nearly a year ago but refused to discuss the details
after Watson was accused of threatening a student referee during intramural
basketball.

Watson was fined $425 after he was charged with driving without a license and
playing his car stereo too loudly in his hometown of Williamston on July 28


Watson Guilty
March 20, 2002

Ex-South Carolina Player Guilty

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 6:48 p.m. ET

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) -- Former South Carolina running back Derek Watson was
found guilty of marijuana possession Wednesday, likely ending his chances of
returning to the Gamecocks.

Watson was dismissed from the team shortly after his Jan. 12 arrest in a car
outside a Greenville nightclub. He fought the misdemeanor charge because he
wanted one last season at South Carolina.

His attorney, Beattie Ashmore, had argued the marijuana did not belong to Watson
and he never intended to use it.

The car's driver, Antwan Andre Galloway, 23, of Pendleton, said he was
responsible for tossing the bag of marijuana near Watson when police confronted
them.

But two Greenville detectives testified they saw Watson licking cigar paper as
if preparing a marijuana blunt to smoke.

Prosecutor Debra Gammons asked the jury not to give Watson special treatment
because of his football career.

``The defense is because he plays football and because he has a promising
career, he didn't possess marijuana,'' Gammons said.

The panel of three men and three women took about 50 minutes to return their
verdict.

Greenville Municipal Court Judge Matt Hawley suspended Watson's 30-day sentence.
He ordered him to 240 hours of community service, but waived a $200 fine after
the 20-year-old said he was unemployed.

``While you may have made a serious mistake,'' Hawley said to Watson, ``you are
an example for the youth of South Carolina ... and you need to refrain'' from
such activities.

Watson left the courtroom shaking his head.

``I'm just a little confused right now,'' said Watson, the 1998 Mr. Football
award winner at Palmetto High School in his hometown of Williamston. ``I will
soon sit down with people close to me and try to make a decision on my immediate
future.''



Derek Watson6

State, The (Columbia, SC)
August 13, 2002
Section: SPORTS
Edition: FINAL
Page: C1


JUDGE STAYS WATSON JAIL SENTENCE
KEN TYSIAC, Staff Writer

Derek Watson was sentenced to 10 days in jail Monday for contempt of court by a
Greenville municipal judge who stayed the imposition of the sentence pending a
hearing on Aug. 26.

Judge Matthew Hawley found Watson in contempt for failure to make sufficient
progress on community service work the S.C. State and former University of South
Carolina running back owes on a marijuana possession conviction.
The original sentence, imposed after the conviction on March 20, was a suspended
30-day jail sentence and 240 hours of community service. On Monday, the 30-day
sentence was reduced to 10 days, but Hawley agreed to hear lawyer Beattie
Ashmore's motion to reconsider on Aug. 26.

Information provided to The State last week that Watson had completed his
community service requirement was erroneous.

Reading from documents presented to him in court, Hawley said Watson has done 82
hours of community service. Hawley was concerned that it took almost two months
for Watson to begin his community service on May 12.

Watson did just 81/2 hours of community service in May, Hawley said.

"I'm not going to be retired from the bench and still be waiting for Mr. Watson
to do his community service," Hawley said.

Ashmore asked Hawley at first for an extension on the community service
requirement to allow Watson to play football and attend classes at S.C. State.
Hawley instead said he would contact the solicitor's office in Orangeburg, where
S.C. State is located to find a place for Watson to continue his community
service.

Watson said he has been making an effort to do the community service work.

"I'm trying to get my life together," Watson said. "I was surrounded by a bad
bunch of guys early in my life."

Hawley responded: "You were surrounded by Lou Holtz, who is one of the greatest
coaches in America, and his staff and all the players on the University of South
Carolina football team. You were surrounded by a great group of people as far as
I am concerned."

Hawley also criticized Forest Thomas, who was supervising Watson's community
service for the North Anderson Emergency Medical Service, for failing to provide
monthly reports on Watson's progress as required.

Ashmore cited "communications problems" for Watson's slow progress on the
community service and asked Hawley not to hold Watson responsible.

"I take full responsibility and don't want to see Derek go to jail for the lack
of communication involved," Ashmore said.

Ashmore declined to comment after the hearing because the case remains under
advisement.

S.C. State coach Buddy Pough could not be reached for comment.



Derek Watson7
'Model citizen' Watson arrested (That's the real title of the story! No Joke!)

Monday, September 23, 2002
Associated Press


COLUMBIA - S.C. State running back Derek Watson was arrested for reckless
driving early Sunday, the latest legal problem for the ex-South Carolina player.
Richland County sheriff's deputies charged Watson with driving left of the
center line on a secondary road about 1:30 a.m., said Sgt. Chris Cowan. He also
was charged with driving with a suspended license, a second offense.
Watson, who South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough said earlier in the day
had been acting like a "model citizen," was stopped hours after he scored a
touchdown in S.C. State's 50-12 win over Savannah State. He later was released
on bond.
Watson has gotten into trouble several times since he gained 1,066 yards
for South Carolina and helped Lou Holtz's Gamecocks get to the 2000 Outback
Bowl, a year after the team went 0-11. Watson was suspended from the bowl game
after wrecking a teammate's car while driving with a suspended license.
He is appealing a 10-day jail sentenced handed down last month by a
Greenville municipal judge after Watson failed to complete community service
work for a March 20 marijuana possession conviction.
After Holtz kicked him off the team following his January arrest, Watson
signed with Division I-AA South Carolina State.
Bill Hamilton, the school's sports information director, said Pough would
talk today about Watson's latest arrest



Scott Morgan
USC's Scott Morgan charged with DUI, suspended from team

(Columbia) November 7, 2005 - Columbia police have charged a South Carolina
football player with drunken driving, and the Gamecocks have suspended him.
According to police, 21-year-old Scott Morgan was asleep behind the wheel of his
car at a downtown Columbia intersection about 4:00am Sunday. The officer noticed
a 2001 Silver Grand Prix didn't move after the light turned green at Assembly
and Elmwood Ave. The officer approached the car and noticed 21-year-old Scott
Morgan was passed out with his foot on the brake and the car in drive.
Police said Morgan was unable to put the car in park on his own.
The incident report says Morgan submitted to a blood-alcohol test, but did not
give the results.
The officer also found an open liquor bottle in the back seat.
Morgan was charged with driving under the influence and having an open container
of alcohol in a moving vehicle. He is a junior from North Augusta who snaps the
ball on extra point and field goal attempts.
He has been suspended indefinitely from the Gamecocks.
Updated 7:50pm by Bryce Mursch with AP



Daccus Turman

Police charge Turman
Posted Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - 4:48 pm


By James T. Hammond
CAPITAL BUREAU



COLUMBIA — Daccus Turman, suspended on Tuesday from the University of South
Carolina football team for a violation of team policies, has been charged with
criminal domestic violence against a woman.
University police issued a citation against Turman, 20, that requires him to
face the charges in court.
According to the University police incident report, an officer responded to an
altercation between Turman and his girlfriend at 500 Sumter Street at 3:50 p.m.
Tuesday. According to the report, they live together.
Turman's girlfriend sustained lacerations to her lip and bruising on her neck
and Turman had a bruise on his left middle finger, according to the report.
Turman was arrested and taken to the USC police station, where he gave a written
statement, according to the report.
His mandatory court appearance will be July 9, police reported.
The police report did not identify the woman injured in the incident.
USC spokesman Russ McKinney said Turman will face a student disciplinary action
separate from his court date. McKinney said privacy laws will prohibit the
university from revealing the outcome.
Turman could not be reached for comment.
Turman, listed as a starter after spring practice, was suspended indefinitely
Tuesday by coach Lou Holtz for violation of "team and athletic department
policy."


Matthew Thomas
Matthew Thomas suspended by Gamecocks

South Carolina wide receiver Matthew Thomas has been suspended from the
Gamecocks football team indefinitely for grabbing and verbally abusing a female
student.

The State newspaper in Columbia reports Thomas has been charged with simple
assault for the attack on the unidentified a 20-year-old student on Feb. 20.

Thomas played in nine games last season and caught eight passes for 73 yards and
one touchdown. He also returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score against Virginia
and played cornerback in several games where he recorded 19 tackles.


Andrea Gause
USC's Andrea Gause suspended indefinitely
Wide receiver Andrea Gause is suspended indefinitely because of assault charges
stemming from an Oct. 23 incident on campus.
Gause is accused of shoving a female student, shouting obscenities and making
threatening statements, according to a USC Police report. USC coach Lou Holtz
said Gause is suspended until the case runs its course, meaning the redshirt
freshman from Conway could miss the rest of the regular season. The last game is
Nov. 17 against Clemson.
"We will not tolerate any abuse of the opposite sex, regardless of the
circumstances or provocation," Holtz said.
Gause had started three games -- Alabama, Kentucky and Arkansas -- and played
significant minutes against Vanderbilt. His suspension started with the
Tennessee game. He has three catches for 50 yards this season.
The incident with the female student happened at East Quad dormitory where Gause
lives. Campus police were called at 11:30 p.m.
Holtz said Gause will be treated no differently than running back Derek Watson,
who was charged this past summer with simple assault and battery for punching a
female student, a police report said.
Watson eventually entered into Pretrial Intervention, which allows him to
expunge the charge from his record if he completes a program that could include
community service and counseling.
Holtz was asked why Watson was not suspended from any games, as Gause was. Holtz
said Watson was suspended from the team on May 7 until an outcome was apparent.
Watson was reinstated to the team Aug. 5 and his PTI was granted Oct. 12, but
USC officials say they were given notification before then that Watson would be
accepted into PTI.
Just as with Watson, Holtz said Gause will be eligible for reinstatement to the
team when an outcome of his case is apparent.
Gause, who is not allowed to practice with the team during his suspension, was
not available for comment and the female student in the case, Xandria
Whitehurst, did not return messages to her residence.


Del Wilkes
Posted on Sun, Jun. 06, 2004
Steroid survivor

By JOSEPH PERSON
Staff Writer

Del Wilkes never hit rock bottom, try as he might.
Every time the former South Carolina football All-American and pro wrestler
thought his life could sink no lower, he would dive deeper into the muck of his
drug addiction and hard-living lifestyle.
There was the day when his wife, Teresa, now his ex-wife, drove him to the
Columbia airport while he sat in the passenger seat jamming as many syringes of
steroids into his muscles as he could before a flight to Japan. One of the
needles hit a vein in his buttocks and a stream of blood sprayed on Teresa, like
a scene from a Quentin Tarantino movie.
Only this was real. And as Teresa tried to wipe away the tears and the blood and
asked aloud what kind of life they were living, Wilkes figured his wife was just
having a bad day.
Or there were the two occasions he took demo cars off the lot of his employer,
Herndon Chevrolet, and disappeared in search of the next party and line of
cocaine.
There were the two weeks he spent in jail in Greenville, where he had gone to
forge prescriptions for pain pills because all the pharmacies in Columbia were
on to his scam.
Wilkes, an All-American guard on USC’s famous 1984 “Black Magic” team, was
arrested 18 times between 1998 and 2002. Most of the arrests stemmed from
forging prescriptions for painkillers, but there are other ugly marks on Wilkes’
six-page rap sheet, including the 1999 night when he roughed up Teresa, his
second wife.
“Your whole life is out of control,” said Wilkes, who drank and used cocaine
regularly after getting off the painkillers. “Things that you thought you’d
never do, places you thought you’d never go, people you thought you’d never hang
around with, become part of your life.”
So when a judge in Newberry County finally sentenced Wilkes to prison for a
parole violation in 2002, it was with a sense of relief that Wilkes walked into
the Lower Savannah Pre-Release Center in Aiken for the most important nine
months of his life.
“You’re finally clean and straight long enough where you can think properly,”
Wilkes said.
Mostly, Wilkes thought about trading his rock ’n’ roll lifestyle for the kind of
normal life he always had mocked. That is what he has tried to do since his
release last year. A big weekend for Wilkes now means making breakfast and
playing in the park with his two school-age children near his home in Newberry.
He has been off drugs and alcohol for two years. He has a job selling cars
again, but no license to drive one. He has three children and two ex-wives. And
he has a fascinating story that he shares with church youth groups throughout
the state.
The message from a man who made his living wearing a mask and climbing into a
ring: Normal is not so bad.
FROM FOOTBALL TO WRESTLING
Wilkes weighed 225 pounds in 1979 when he played offensive line as a senior at
Irmo. “Today, that wouldn’t make a decent linebacker,” he said.
The era of the supersized football player was beginning when Wilkes arrived at
USC the following fall. He remembers seeing pictures of the Pittsburgh Steelers’
offensive line, a unit that included former Gamecock star Steve Courson.
“Those guys were jacked,” Wilkes said. “They had legs hanging off their
shoulders.”
Courson also had steroids streaming through his body.
The first time he tried steroids, Wilkes was a sophomore during Jim Carlen’s
final season at USC. Having trouble gaining weight, Wilkes contacted a team
doctor and asked if he would call in a prescription for the anabolic steroid
Dianabol.
“His response was, ‘What’s the pharmacy number?’• ” Wilkes said. “So it was that
easy.”
Carlen was the reason Wilkes chose USC over Clemson, Georgia and Georgia Tech.
So when Carlen was fired before the ’82 season, Wilkes left with him, quitting
school and driving a delivery truck for a year.
When Joe Morrison replaced Richard Bell as head coach in ’83, Morrison called
Wilkes and invited him to lunch at Shealy’s Sandwich Shop. By the end of the
meal, Wilkes was convinced Morrison was the “ultimate players’ coach” and
decided to return to the team.
Wilkes encountered a different locker-room atmosphere when he returned.
Steroid use was more widespread, with four of the five offensive line starters
on the ’84 team doing cycles of injectable steroids, according to Wilkes.
And though USC was at the center of a steroid scandal in 1988 after the
publication of Tommy Chaikin’s Sports Illustrated article, Wilkes believes
steroid use was just as common among the Gamecocks’ opponents as it was at USC.
“You could go into any gym back then and get anything you wanted,” he said. “It
was like buying a cell phone. There was nothing to it.”
Wilkes was USC’s most decorated player in ’84, when the Gamecocks finished 10-2
for the best season in school history. He had tryouts with the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons but did not make an NFL roster.
So he decided to follow his other passion. In high school Wilkes and his friends
from Irmo showed up at The Township whenever the pro wrestling circuit came
through Columbia. In 1987 Wilkes gave up on a football career and visited the
Fabulous Moolah, the Columbia woman famous for training wrestlers.
“It was with pure intentions of having a great career. And I did,” said Wilkes,
who made as much as $250,000 a year wrestling. “But you never realize your dream
would end up being a nightmare.”
Wilkes began wrestling as “The Trooper,” an ironic role given his future
dealings with law-enforcement officers. He later became “The Patriot,” a
flag-waving, masked character created to take advantage of Americans’
nationalism after the end of the first Gulf War.
Wilkes was a bigger hit in Japan than he was in the United States, but that
didn’t stop him from living like a star. Wilkes says a pro wrestler is like a
rock star without the guitar.
“You’re exposed to the same vices and same excesses,” he said, “a young guy with
a lot of money.”
At night the wrestlers found alcohol, drugs and women waiting in every city,
from Tokyo to Toledo. Days were spent in local gyms, where Wilkes lifted weights
to ensure he received the maximum effect of the steroids he pumped into his body
for the better part of a decade.
“It was a part of my job,” he said. “I made a living without a shirt in front of
large audiences and on worldwide TV every week.”
The 6-foot-3 Wilkes bulked up to 300 pounds and had muscles that were too big
for his tendons and joints to support. He ruptured the tendon in his right
triceps twice in a two-year span. In all, the 42-year-old Wilkes has had nine
surgeries on knees, shoulders, elbows and triceps.
PRESCRIPTION SCAM
The injuries helped lead to a vicious cycle of pills. Wilkes took pain pills and
muscle relaxants before his matches, sleeping pills to get through the night and
cocaine to get the next day started. Marcus “Buff” Bagwell, a wrestler and
longtime friend of Wilkes, said drug abuse was widespread in the wrestling
industry.
“We did ’em all,” Bagwell said. “We did everything.”
At one point, Wilkes was scarfing down more than 100 pain pills a day,
preferably Percoset or Percodan.
“You’re caught up in it and you just think that’s the normal way of living,”
Wilkes said. “Everyone else I worked with is doing it, so it’s almost like
you’re going out here living the normal lives. (Other people) are the weirdos.”
When he wrestled in Japan, the last thing Wilkes would do before leaving
Columbia was inject steroids rather than risk taking them on the plane. And the
first thing he would do when he returned home was to have Teresa take him to the
closest pharmacy.
“Directionwise, he just kind of wandered,” Carlen said. “I think he wanted to be
big and strong, and then he got there and the drugs just controlled him.”
Joel Hackett, a former World Wrestling Federation doctor based in Indianapolis,
was the “Doctor Feelgood” for wrestlers who needed steroids or painkillers,
calling in hundreds of prescriptions for at least a dozen wrestlers. As a
gesture of thanks, Wilkes once paid for a Las Vegas vacation for Hackett’s
family.
Said Wilkes: “He was part of your budget — light bill, mortgage, Hackett.”
When Indiana’s Medical Licensing Board suspended Hackett’s license in 1999 amid
allegations of illegally prescribing steroids and painkillers, Wilkes needed a
way to feed his addiction.
He had heard Hackett call in enough prescriptions that he was familiar with the
lingo. Having obtained Hackett’s Drug Enforcement Agency licensing number, he
started calling Columbia pharmacies pretending to be Hackett.
Wilkes also used the names of a couple of Columbia doctors whom he refused to
identify. It worked for several months. And when it stopped working, Wilkes got
in his car and drove to Sumter, Lexington, Newberry and Fountain Inn, four
places where he was arrested for forging prescriptions.
Other than the two weeks he spent in the Greenville County Detention Center in
November 2001 on the Fountain Inn charges, Wilkes managed to escape serious
consequences. Officials at Herndon Chevrolet declined to press charges when he
took off with the dealer cars, and at least one of the drug sentences was
suspended contingent on Wilkes getting treatment.
He did four stints in rehab, although each time he began drinking and using
drugs again. Wilkes went through a tortuous withdrawal from the painkillers
while imprisoned in Greenville, and managed to kick his pill addiction.
“But I just pointed it in another direction,” said Wilkes, who continued abusing
cocaine and alcohol. “I think I may have gotten even more out of control after
that point than I ever did.”
Wilkes’ memory is hazy on the details from this period of his life. Teresa
divorced him in the spring of 2000. Recurring injuries forced him to quit
wrestling that same year. In 2001, Lexington police were searching for him and
the stolen car, and his various other legal problems were stacking up.
Said Wilkes: “The reason I drank was to get my mind off the miserable mess my
life was then. I couldn’t take it stone-cold sober.”
Several times Carlen and Allen Adkins, who dated Wilkes at USC, intervened on
his behalf. Both admit now that their assistance enabled Wilkes to continue his
downward slide.
“People kept saying the best thing to do is shoot him and forget him,” Carlen
said. “I just kept thinking if I stay (involved) long enough, he’ll recover.
Well, they were right and I was wrong. I should have let him go to jail.”
Eventually, Wilkes did go to jail — a nine-month stint that might have saved
Wilkes from himself.
A NEW LIFE
For a man who had traveled the world during his wrestling heyday, Wilkes’
longest road trip might have been the 45-minute bus ride he took in shackles
while being transported from Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia to
Lower Savannah in Aiken in May 2002.
Wilkes had blown most of the money he had made wrestling. His kids, who lived
with Teresa in Cayce, were not in contact with him. And he was heading to jail.
But at least he was alive.
“At the end of nine months I’m going to walk out of here and you get a chance,”
Wilkes remembers thinking. “You do right or you don’t.”
Wilkes tried to make the most of his time in the minimum-security facility,
where he was assigned the same private room that rock ’n’ roll legend James
Brown had stayed in previously.
In charge of the canteen, commissary and library, Wilkes did not get back to his
room until after 10 most nights. There he would read and write weekly letters to
his children, who never wrote back.
“I hadn’t been a daddy at all,” he said.
Wilkes had his 18-month sentence cut in half for good behavior, and walked out
of Lower Savannah a free man on Valentine’s Day, 2003. He moved in with his
mother, Kathleen Wilkes, in Newberry, landed a job at Love Chevrolet Hummer in
Harbison and later moved into a rental house not far from his mother’s place.
With his driver’s license revoked until August at the earliest, Wilkes relies on
family members to transport him to and from work. He has done well at Love,
where he divulged his past problems during his interview.
“We felt like he deserved a chance. We gave him a chance and he’s become a very
good salesperson,” said Love general sales manager Mike Corley, noting that
Wilkes consistently scores high on customer-service surveys.
“From day one, I guess, he really appreciated (the second chance),” Corley said.
“He’s lived up to everything he said. He’s got a job here as long as he wants
it.”
Former employer David Herndon called Wilkes a “good salesperson and a good
person, period.”
‘HE WAS THE HERO’
Clean and sober for two years, Wilkes isn’t a member of support groups. But he
is committed to his new lifestyle, taking doctor-prescribed nonnarcotic
painkillers to ease his chronic knee pain.
Wilkes has not had a thorough physical since he quit wrestling, afraid to find
out what the years of drug and alcohol abuse might have done to his body. He was
diagnosed with high blood pressure last year, but is uncertain whether it is
related to his steroid use. The 255-pound Wilkes walks 30 minutes every morning
and has no interest in going inside another weight room.
Several pro wrestlers, including some of Wilkes’ friends, have died since 1997
from problems brought on by steroid and other drug use. The BALCO scandal has
brought renewed scrutiny to a new blend of designer steroids.
When Wilkes speaks to area youth groups, which he has done a handful of times,
he stresses abstinence: “The best way not to have a drug problem is don’t try
it.”
Adkins, Wilkes’ friend since college, accompanied him to one of his speaking
engagements.
“He was the hero,” Adkins said. “I cried. It was just hard to believe how far
he’d come. And he’d done it all himself. He’d chosen, with God’s help, to pull
himself up from the depths.”
Wilkes is again involved in his children’s lives. He gets his two youngest,
8-year-old Mallie and 7-year-old Del III, every other weekend, and sees Robert
when the 18-year-old’s schedule allows it.
The only wrestling Wilkes does these days is with the two school-age children on
the living room floor. They like it when their father pretends to be a ring
announcer, introducing the main event.
Other than that, Wilkes and his children rent movies, take walks to the park and
cook sausage and eggs on Saturday mornings. Pretty boring — yet Wilkes would not
trade it for anything.
“I used to say, ‘Man, I never want to live a normal life.’ But you know what?
It’s so much better than how I was living,” he said. “To see them come running
through the front door, you’re glad they’re with you.”


Steve Courson
Former user Courson on mission

Steve Courson is the second of two stories on former USC athletes who survived
steroid use. Last Sunday, Del Wilkes told of his steroid journey from college
football to pro wrestling. See -LINK- for that story.
When Steve Courson recalls his initiation into the world of anabolic steroids,
he remembers his response to taking drugs that would come to rule, and nearly
ruin, his life.
It wasn’t a feeling of power as the steroids surged through his blood. Nor a
sense of invincibility his newfound strength and endurance gave him. Nor even
the fear of getting caught.
Courson’s first reaction was ... amusement.
“When I got that first Dianabol bottle, there was a little insert that read,
‘These drugs do not enhance athletic ability.’” he says. “I just laughed at
that.
“After six weeks, I had the best times of my life; I’d gained 30 pounds, my
bench (press) was up 60 pounds. I thought, ‘It’s a placebo?’ Yeah, right.”
That was in 1974, when Courson was an 18-year-old football player at South
Carolina. But his instincts for hypocrisy were already honed.
Nearly 30 years later — an adult lifetime neatly divided into two distinct
halves — Courson’s sense of what makes performance-enhancing drugs such an
insidious part of modern sports has not changed.
His reaction to Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative and alleged use of designer
steroids by Olympic athletes, to growing evidence that testing of athletes
doesn’t work?
“Just the tip of the iceberg,” Courson says from his home in Farmington, Pa.
“The only difference this time is, it’s a federal investigation. It’s out of the
sports federations’ hands.
“But what difference it makes in the long run is how serious the government is.
If they don’t go after high-profile athletes, if they slap a few trainers’
hands, then it’s just a show. A waste of time.”
Courson knows how that works.
From his freshman year at USC through nine seasons in the NFL with the
Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Courson regularly took Dianabol,
Anadrol-50, Anavar and Winstrol. Then in May 1985 — more than three years before
Tommy Chaikin blew the whistle on steroids use at USC — Courson went public in
Sports Illustrated.
He told how he had gone from a 6-foot-1, 215-pound freshman who got “banged
around by older kids” to a 285-pound behemoth who played in two Super Bowls and
a Pro Bowl — thanks in large part to drugs. NFL denials to the contrary, he
wasn’t alone, he said.
In fact, he said, the performance-based system of pro sports all but demanded
drug use.
“In football as in life, only the strong survive,” Courson wrote. “The strongest
athletes in the world are all using steroids."
For his candor he was effectively banished by the NFL and ripped by Pittsburgh
media as a “blemish” on the Steelers’ dynasty.
“He was the standard-bearer for the enemy flag,” says Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
columnist Chuck Finder. “Now he feels somewhat borne out that athletes are (and
were) using.”
The worst, though, came later.
In April 1989, four years after he stopped taking steroids, Courson was
diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a weakened heart muscle. His
cardiologist, Dr. Richard Rosenbloom, told him his best hope was a heart
transplant. He also told Courson that steroids might have contributed to his
condition.
Now, jump forward to 2004. Courson hardly looks like a dying man. He is a
chiseled 245 pounds with 10 percent body fat. He is a personal trainer who
designs corporate wellness programs and contemplates a shot at national
bodybuilding competition.
“My strength now is better than my senior year in college,” he says, “and I turn
49 in October.”
A specialized diet and exercise got him off the transplant list in 1993.
Steroid-free for nearly 20 years, Courson obsesses about such matters as insulin
levels and fish oils in his diet.
“It’s ironic,” he says. “In the old days, I manipulated hormones (specifically
testosterone) with drugs. Now I do it with food and supplements.”
Courson also speaks to high school and college students when asked, “giving them
the facts, not just on steroids but supplements like creatine, what we know and
don’t know. I don’t encourage (steroid use), but they’re going to do what they
feel they’ve got to. At least this way, they know the facts.”
Unfortunately, he says, he gets fewer calls to deliver his message these days.
He wishes that were because steroids are not a problem, but he knows better.
“Most (schools) pretend it doesn’t exist,” Courson says. “Or they don’t want to
deal with it.”
More than most, Courson has seen where that attitude leads.
LOSING BATTLE
The first indication that something was wrong with Courson came in 1985, when a
Tampa Bay physical revealed he had a resting heart rate of 150 beats per minute,
alarmingly high. Out of football three years later, and after feeling ill for
weeks, he checked into a hospital, where tests revealed his heart condition.
At first, he says, he viewed the news as a virtual death sentence.
“I got heavy, sedentary and depressed,” he says. In retrospect, Courson believes
years of heavy drinking, the stress on his heart and other organs of carrying
nearly 300 pounds, or perhaps a virus, played more of a role in his heart
disease than steroids.
“Indirectly, though, they probably did (because of the weight he carried),” he
says. “I never liked that I had to do them to be competitive, but I liked what
they did for my training. Training was the addiction, but steroids were part of
that.”
He spent three years waiting for a large enough heart for a transplant and
working on his tell-all book, “False Glory: Steelers and Steroids,” released in
1991. Then in 1992, Courson met Dr. Barry Sears, author of a heart-healthy diet
called “The Zone.” Sears, Courson says, saved his life.
“He told me in front of my cardiologist that they would take me off the
(transplant) list in two years” if Courson would undertake the
low-carbohydrates, nuts-and-vegetables diet, which stresses insulin reduction in
the body.
“I had one (doctor) yell at Barry for raising false hopes, Courson said. “It
seemed too good to be true. But at that point, I had nothing to lose.”
He began losing weight on the program. He learned about elements in the body,
glucagons and ecosanoids, which control fat production and hormone release. And
sure enough, his heart condition improved — not healed, but no longer critical.
Before going on Sears’ diet, “I had the best doctors in Pittsburgh telling me
they could only keep me alive with drugs,” Courson says. Now, “there’s still
some damage, but I hope what I’m doing will in time reverse all of it.”
While his health improved, Courson kept abreast of the steroid scene. What he
saw, and continues to see, reinforced two basic beliefs.
First, he says, drug testing is fighting a losing battle, with designer steroids
and human growth hormone all but undetectable by current means. Second, the
businessmen who run big-time sports — and fans who attend them — are more
interested in “plausible deniability” than having the situation change.
“Look at Barry Bonds,” Courson says. “Polls show people believe he’s ‘juicing,’
but it hasn’t hurt attendance at Giants games. It’s what I always suspected:
People say they’re concerned about the ‘purity’ of sport, but not so upset that
they’ll stop watching.
“You’ve got to perform, or you’re not going to be there. And in the next 10
years, we’ll see genetic engineering that’ll make steroids obsolete. The
technology is here; now, who’ll be brave enough to try it? Someone will.”
It’s a far cry, Courson says, from the “simpler” times when he arrived at USC in
1974. But in many ways, little has changed.
‘ROID RAGE’
In December 2000, Courson served as a panelist on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines”
program as an expert on steroids. Asked if players should know use of drugs is
wrong, he replied: “Probably, but ... you have to understand, I was introduced
to steroids when I was playing college football back in the ‘70s. They were
prescribed to me by my team physician. The university paid for them. So that was
in the era when they weren’t illegal and they weren’t banned.”
Ask Jim Carlen, USC’s head coach from 1975-81, about those statements, and he
insists he never knew about Courson using steroids then.
“All I knew was he was lifting weights too much. I didn’t know how to get him
limber,” Carlen says. “I was naive about drugs. It never dawned on me.”
The 70-year-old coach says he believes usage in the 1970s wasn’t pervasive. Now,
it’s a different story. “It’s a cult,” he says. “You look at those 360-pound
linemen. That didn’t happen overnight with food and nutrition. (But) coaches now
don’t want to know.”
Teammates of Courson’s will not confirm his claims of school-sanctioned doping.
They do say Courson, and others, were steroids-savvy when they arrived in
Columbia.
“We knew he took steroids, he did that stuff, but back then not a lot was known
about it,” says Jeff Grantz, USC’s quarterback from 1972-75. “We never thought
much about it.”
Players considered Courson a “freak of nature,” more bulked-up and muscularly
defined than most of his teammates. Grantz remembers Courson, at 6-1 and 250
pounds, dunking a basketball flat-footed at the USC Physical Education Center.
“Steve was so into the weights, he just worked so hard and loved it,” Grantz
says.
Grantz did see in Courson likely examples of “roid rage,” in which the drugs
make a user irritable and aggressive. But he says he didn’t recognize those as
such until reading later about such side effects.
“We were at a party after the Clemson game (in 1975), and Steve was down in the
dumps,” Grantz says. “I said, ‘What’s wrong? We just won. You look like you want
to kill someone.’”
Grantz says Courson pushed him away, and then took a swing at him, and it took
several teammates to calm him down.
One of those teammates was Jerome Provence, a defensive lineman and USC’s
strength coach from 1978-82. He says Courson told him about using steroids in
August 1974.
“It hadn’t hit the amateur ranks to any great degree then, but Olympic
weightlifters were using them,” says Provence, now a senior safety administrator
at USC. “I was impressed with Steve’s results. He went from 215 to 250 and
looking ‘ripped.’”
Provence says he never tried steroids, “never even held one in my hand.”
But he says Courson was not the only USC player using drugs then.
“Absolutely others were using,” Provence says. “Not a large percentage, maybe a
dozen linemen or so, taking different oral steroids. It became much more
prevalent later.”
That was one reason, Provence says, he eventually left his strength coach job
and later quit competitive weightlifting.
“I wasn’t going to take that step” to remain a factor, he says.
But Provence understands why Courson did.
“The money is in sports now, and the users are going to stay one step ahead of
the testers when their livelihood is involved,” Provence says. In the current
environment, he says, that is not likely to change.
SPORTS FANTASYLAND
At first glance, Dr. Charles Yesalis and Steve Courson make an odd couple: the
Penn State professor who is one of America’s leading experts on
performance-enhancing drugs and doping, and the reformed steroids user.
But Yesalis says the two have become close friends. They met as panelists on
public television’s “McNeill-Lehrer Report” and bonded. They shared a love of
military history, a love of sports — and the conviction that drug testing is,
for the most part, a sham.
“Of all the athletes I’ve met in 25 years, Steve is by far the most articulate,”
Yesalis says. “He’s been making accurate statements (about drug use) for 15
years, and he was blackballed by the NFL for it. He paid for his integrity.”
Yesalis says Courson’s opinions mirror his data on the use of
performance-enhancing drugs at all levels. The two men share a cynicism that
things will change any time soon.
Yesalis said in the BALCO case, only the fact an insider provided the U.S.
Anti-Doping Agency with a syringe of the designer steroid THG
(tetrahydrogestrinone) enabled authorities to detect it in athletes.
“That was luck, pure and simple,” he says.
In the cases of elite athletes, such luck is unlikely to happen often. Yesalis
believes most top records now are achieved with drugs, and will continue to be.
Most sports federations, he says, don’t care — except about their image — and
neither do most fans. Including, he says, him.
“I don’t lose sleep about the (Barry) Bondses or the (Marion) Joneses,” Yesalis
says. “People want to see big, muscular guys. They want to see records broken.
All any of it is now is entertainment.”
What does concern Yesalis, though, is the children. He says parents “turn over
their youngsters totally to the sports system. They’re living in fantasy land.”
Courson sees it, too. The adulation of pro athletes by youngsters brings with
it, he says, a willingness to use the same drugs they believe their heroes are
using.
In fact, it’s not just athletes. Now, Courson says, even some middle-aged
clients he works with are using drugs.
“Guys in their 30s, 40s, they’re doing it cosmetically,” he says.
“It’s a reflection on society. That’s the side I see more now in personal
training, the vanity.”
So how to combat the trend? Courson once took a stance that
performance-enhancing drugs at elite levels are inevitable and should be
monitored rather than banned. Now, he sees three alternatives.
“One, the present charade,” he says. “It’s good for public relations, but it
just sets the stage for genetic engineering.
“Two, monitor medically, where you allow for confidential use with informed
consent. Or three: invest millions into developing the perfect, unbeatable test
and totally eliminate drugs.
“That (last) would be my most desired. But I’m cynical if we can do that — or if
it would be accepted.”
He sighs. Clearly, Courson has seen too much in his life to believe the steroids
genie can be put back in the bottle. Not as long as sports organizations enjoy
the financial benefits of using juiced athletes.
“What’s the greater dishonor?” he asks, rhetorically. “Using drugs to compete,
or that we pretend it’s not happening?”
At least, he believes, most of the public no longer has those blinders on.
“I remember giving talks in the late 1980s about how testing was just public
relations, and I’d get some flack from the audience about that,” Courson says.
“Or someone would read my book and tell me, ‘I don’t believe that’s the way it
is.’
“Now when I put the facts out there, they don’t try to challenge them. A lot of
them say it opened their eyes, but no one says they don’t believe it. Not one.”
Yet the games go on. The drug use continues. And the hypocrisy remains. For
Courson, that is the real tragedy.


Willie Offord

Vikings' Willie Offord arrested for drunken driving on I-394

Kevin Seifert, Star Tribune

Last update: April 18, 2006 – 10:10 PM
Vikings safety Willie Offord was arrested and charged with drunken driving early
Tuesday morning, according to a spokesman for the Minnesota State Patrol.
A state patrol officer stopped Offord at 2:20 a.m. on westbound Interstate Hwy.
394 in Golden Valley. Offord's blood alcohol content was not available Tuesday,
but he was charged with misdemeanor fourth-degree drunken driving, which means
it was less than .20.

Offord was booked into the Hennepin County Jail at 3:29 a.m. and released from
custody at 5:52 a.m. He was assigned an April 26 appearance at Hennepin County
Ridgedale Court.

The Vikings signed Offord, their special teams captain in 2005, to a two-year
contract extension last month. He is rehabilitating a torn anterior cruciate
ligament in his left knee, suffered in a Week 3 over New Orleans last season,
and was limited during a veteran minicamp earlier this month.

The Vikings believe he will be healthy when training camp begins, and Offord
could compete with free-agent acquisition Tank Williams for the starting strong
safety job.
Offord was not available for comment. The Vikings and Offord's agent, David
Canter, both declined comment.

Uniform debut
The Vikings are expected to reveal their new uniform designs April 27 at the
Mall of America, giving them an exclusive 72-hour window to sell the new designs
heading into the April 29-30 NFL draft weekend.

Upwards of 40 advertising billboards have popped up around the Twin Cities this
week, advertising the pending announcement. Team officials have described the
changes as relatively subtle, but purple pants are expected to be incorporated
at some level.

Staff writer Dennis Brackin contributed to this report.



Marco Hutchinson

(Richland County) - Richland County deputies have arrested 25-year-old Marco
Hutchinson, a former USC football player, in connection with Wednesday's robbery
of a Two Notch Rd. credit union.

Hutchinson, 25, of Columbia, is accused of robbing the South Carolina State
Credit Union at 9221 Two Notch Road and holding the teller against her will.

Deputies say Hutchinson left the credit union in a red 1990 Pontiac Firebird,
with SC Tag 664-SHM.

Investigators say Hutchinson was arrested in Lancaster.


Boo Williams
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Two former South Carolina football players were arrested
Saturday on charges of drug trafficking, a local television station reported.

A tip led Richland County sheriff's narcotics agents to the apartment of Boo
Williams and Kevin Johnson where 40 pounds of marijuana was found, Capt. Sam
Berkheimer told WIS-TV.

Both men are charged with drug trafficking. Johnson also was charged with
unlawful possession of a weapon after the agents found a 9 mm handgun on him
when he was arrested.

Williams was a standout on the Gamecocks' team as a running back until he
injured his knee in game against Mississippi and was sidelined for the rest of
the season.

Johnson was an offensive tackle last season, but did not get much playing time.


Zola Davis
Columbia State

State, The (Columbia, SC)

October 4, 1997

USC'S DAVIS, CHARGED WITH ASSAULT, SUSPENDED FOR GAME

Author:
KAMON SIMPSON, Staff Writer

Edition: FINAL
Section: SPORTS
Page: C1


South Carolina's football team will be without wide receiver Zola Davis -
charged with simple assault Thursday - for today's game against No. 8 Auburn.

Davis was suspended Friday after charges were filed against him following an
incident Thursday evening.

Chuck Carter, 25, of Columbia filed a report after telling the Columbia Police
Department that Davis grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground,
causing minor injuries.

Contacted at home Friday, Carter refused to comment "out of respect for Zola,"
he said. The incident happened at 400 Sumter St., on campus, but Carter said he
was not a USC student.

Carter told police that he was crossing Sumter Street around 7 p.m. Thursday
when he was almost hit by a gold Volkswagen Jetta driven by Davis. Carter then
"pushed off the vehicle," at which point Davis stopped the car, got out and
started a "verbal altercation," with Carter in the street, according to the
report.

The incident culminated when Davis "picked the victim up by his neck and threw
him down onto the pavement," the report says. Davis fled the scene, but a
witness observed the altercation, according to police.

South Carolina football coach Brad Scott, who handed down the suspension,
refused to comment, but said Davis was in violation of team policy. For now, the
suspension is for one game only.

Davis, a redshirt junior from Charleston, is the Gamecocks' leading receiver
with 20 catches for 219 yards and two touchdowns through four games. He is tied
for fourth in the SEC with five receptions per game.

Davis' best season came as a redshirt freshman in 1995, when he caught 58 passes
for 911 yards and nine touchdowns and was runner-up to LSU's Kevin Faulk for SEC
Rookie of the Year. Davis set school freshman receiving records for receptions,
yardage and touchdowns, eclipsing marks set by current Green Bay Packers wide
receiver Robert Brooks in 1988.

This is supposed to be a comeback season for Davis, whose production dropped
precipitously as a sophomore. He caught 24 passes for 303 yards and one
touchdown last fall.

Davis was the top- rated wide receiver in the country by SuperPrep Magazine
coming out of Burke High School in Charleston, where he had 45 catches for 1,266
yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior.

Staff Writer Clif LeBlanc contributed to this report.



Corey Miller
Former football player Miller charged with felony
By Rick Scoppe
COLUMBIA BUREAU


COLUMBIA — Former National Football League and University of South Carolina star
Corey Miller has been charged with a felony count of intimidation of a court
official after allegedly threatening a former attorney and his family, according
to the arrest warrant.

Miller, of Columbia, who didn't return a message Tuesday at his home seeking
comment, was charged July 31 with intimidating attorney Eric Brand and his
family with "threats of harm," the arrest warrant said.

Miller's attorney, Jones Andrews, said he had not seen the warrant but that he
thought the incident was a misunderstanding.

Andrews, who said he was contacted only recently by Miller to represent him,
believed the matter involved a dispute between Brand and Miller involving
attorney's fees.

"I haven't really spoken in depth to Corey," Andrews said. "I will say that I
played football down at Carolina and I was getting out when Corey was coming in,
and I've always found Corey to be a very decent young man.

"While I don't know the magnitude of the charges, if it is a threat to someone,
I think it's some misunderstanding that we'll hopefully we able to work out. ...
This is certainly out of character."

The alleged incident stems from Brand's role in a judicial proceeding against
the 32-year-old Miller, the arrest warrant said. If convicted, Miller could
receive a maximum 10-year prison sentence, 5th Circuit Deputy Solicitor Johnny
Gasser said. Miller was released on $5,000 personal recognizance bond Aug. 6. No
court date has been set, Andrews said.

Brand didn't return messages left at his home and office. The 6-foot-3,
255-pound Miller was a star defensive player for the Gamecocks and in the NFL,
playing for USC 1988-90 and then with the New York Giants 1991-98. He was a
sixth-round draft choice of the Giants in 1991.

Miller runs a clothing store in Columbia and is scheduled to serve as the color
commentator for the rebroadcast of USC's football games on Comcast-Charter
Sports Southeast.


Steve Taneyhill

THE STATE
Thursday, September 9, 1993
Section: METRO/REGION
Edition: FINAL
Page: 1A
'I MADE A MISTAKE,' TANEYHILL SAYS
QB WILL TUTOR CHILDREN TO ERASE ALCOHOL CHARGE

By LISA GREENE, Staff Writer. Staff Writers David Newton and Bob Stuart
contributed to this report.
Steve Taneyhill brought his long hair and earrings to Columbia city court
Wednesday.
But he left the attitude at home.
An abashed Taneyhill apologized to the judge, then again in front of the media,
after pleading no contest to an alcohol-possession charge.
"I made a mistake, and I feel real bad," said the University of South Carolina's
star quarterback. "I hope no kids take it the wrong way."
Judge Jean Popowski agreed to a police recommendation that Taneyhill perform 30
hours of community service, after which the underage drinking charge will be
dismissed.
Popowski ordered Taneyhill to spend that time tutoring homeless children.
"Because of who you are, you are a role model," she told Taneyhill. "I hope you
will act as a role model for these children."
A Columbia police officer arrested Taneyhill, 20, at a USC party Sunday after
seeing him with a beer in his hand. The arrest drew protests from students and
football fans because Taneyhill was the only person arrested among more than 100
partygoers.
But officer M.A. Grogan said he didn't recognize Taneyhill, and the quarterback
said Wednesday he didn't feel unfairly treated.
"I'm not mad about the whole incident," Taneyhill said. "I don't feel I was
singled out."
Police Chief Charles P. Austin said that believing Taneyhill was singled out was
"a natural reaction by people," but that it didn't happen.
"The justice system functioned properly," he said.
Taneyhill and his lawyer, Leigh Leventis, also refused to fault Grogan for
choosing to arrest Taneyhill rather than ticket him.
"He did not necessarily need to be handcuffed and processed, but that's not
unusual," Leventis said. "I've talked with Mike (Grogan) before, and Mike has on
several occasions handled it in this manner."
He said he was surprised by the number of reporters who turned out to cover the
city court hearing.
"On the way down here, Leigh said, 'It'll be just like after a football game,' "
Taneyhill said. "And I kind of said, 'Nah, come on now, there won't be that many
people around.' But I guess it's the media, and people want to know what's going
on."
The Children's Garden, a nonprofit day shelter for children of homeless and
troubled families, is where Taneyhill will volunteer. Program Director Harriet
Atkinson said that she's delighted to have Taneyhill on board, and that he may
help the shelter by drawing more attention to it. But she doubts the
preschool-age children will take much notice of Taneyhill's star status.
"We feel like that's not going to be real important to these children," she
said. "What's important is he'll be a nice, positive role model for these
children."


Steve Taneyhill2/Matthew Campbell

SEATTLE (Feb 2, 1996 - 00:23 EST) ) -- South Carolina quarterback Steve
Taneyhill and Carolina Panthers tight end Mathew Campbell turned themselves in
to Charleston police Thursday night in connection with a weekend barroom
incident.
They each paid $628 bail and were released, police said. The players are
scheduled to appear in municipal court Monday morning.
Warrants were issued this week after Taneyhill and Campbell got into a shoving
match with a police officer at a local bar Jan. 28.
Both men are charged with assault and interfering with police.
Officers were at the bar to conduct a routine license and identification check,
Charleston police spokesman Charles Francis said Thursday. An officer tried to
escort a man with suspicious identification out of the bar and Taneyhill got in
the way. Taneyhill allegedly pushed the officer repeatedly after being told it
was police business, Francis said. Campbell also allegedly pushed the officer
several times, Francis said.
The police report said the two players were pushing the officer in the chest and
making aggressive statements.
The report said the two were not arrested that night because of the large number
of onlookers and patrons standing around. But Francis said no arrests were made
because of their size. "They did the best thing by not arresting them there,"
Francis said.
Campbell, a former Gamecock player, played with Taneyhill for two seasons.
Taneyhill captured headlines and attention in 1993 when he was arrested on an
alcohol possession charge the night South Carolina defeated Georgia. The
quarterback, then a sophomore, was picked up at an off-campus party for holding
a cup of beer.
He pleaded no contest four days later and was given 30 hours working with
children to clear his record.
Taneyhill, a senior, had his most remarkable season in 1995, throwing for 3,094
yards and 29 touchdowns. He was selected for the Blue-Gray and Senior Bowl
all-star games and has been mentioned as a likely selection in the this year's
NFL draft.
Campbell was among the first 10 players signed by the Carolina Panthers in 1994.
The tight end stuck around throughout the season, praised by coach Dom Capers
for his blocking skills.
Charlie Dayton, the Panthers director of communications, said the club was aware
of the incident, but couldn't comment until they learned more about it.


Steve Taneyhill3
THE STATE
Friday, January 7, 2000
Section: SPORTS
Edition: FINAL
Page: C3


AREA CORNER: TANEYHILL CHARGED WITH DISORDERLY CONDUCT
From Staff and Wire Reports
Steve Taneyhill, South Carolina's flamboyant and flashy former star quarterback,
was arrested on a disorderly conduct and public drunkenness charge when he got
too loud in a club near his home of Altoona, Pa.
Sgt. Frank Shields of the Altoona Police Department said Thursday he didn't know
Taneyhill's specific offense but said Taneyhill was brought to City Hall and
booked on misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
Shields said Taneyhill would have to appear before a local magistrate. If enough
evidence is found supporting a charge, the matter would be sent to a Blair
County court. Shields didn't know if any date was set for Taneyhill's case, but
said the coach could waive his right to show up.
Taneyhill, who'll start his third season coaching Cambridge Academy this fall,
said he was not drunk. "The incident was really minor," he said.
Taneyhill compared it to a traffic ticket. Shields said it was a little more
serious than that. "Te only way these things usually go further is if someone is
told to behave and they push it farther," he said.



John Abraham
Thursday, October 2, 2003
Associated Press
BALDWIN, N.Y. -- New York Jets defensive lineman John Abraham was charged with
drunken driving after he drove his sports utility vehicle into a fire hydrant
and lightpole, police said.
Abraham pleaded not guilty Thursday and was released on his own recognizance,
said Rick Hinshaw, a spokesman for the Nassau County district attorney's office.
The misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated carries a maximum sentence
up to one year in jail.
The accident occurred Wednesday night on Long Island, police said. Abraham, a
two-time Pro Bowl selection, and the two passengers in the Hummer were not
injured.
"I apologize to my family, my teammates, the coaching staff, and the entire New
York Jets' organization for my actions," Abraham said in a statement released by
the team. "I am embarrassed by this situation, and I will learn from this."
Jets coach Herman Edwards said Thursday he was disappointed in Abraham and felt
as though he shared some responsibility.
"It rests on my shoulders and I failed," Edwards said. "I feel as bad as he does
today. We'll help him, we'll get it corrected and we'll move down the road."
The Jets are in their off week after beginning the season 0-4. Edwards would not
say whether Abraham would play next week against Buffalo. Abraham went home to
South Carolina and will return to practice Monday.
Abraham was a first-round draft pick in 2000 -- one of a record four the Jets
had that year -- and has been the team's most consistent defender the last two
years, when he made the Pro Bowl.
In 2001, he had 13 sacks among his 82 tackles and the Jets made the playoffs.
Last season, he had 10 sacks, again in 82 tackles, and the team won the AFC
East.
This season, he has 2½ sacks.




Duce Staley

GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD
Thursday, February 15, 1996
Section: SPORTS
Edition: ALL
Page: C5
GAMECOCKS' TAILBACK STALEY SUSPENDED
Tailback Duce Staley, who led South Carolina in rushing last season, has been
suspended from the football team after being charged with resisting arrest,
coach Brad Scott said.
A police report alleged the 20-year-old Staley ``slammed (the officer) ... to
the side with his hands and fled the scene'' after a traffic stop. The report
also alleged Staley lied about who he was and said he was another player on the
team.
Staley is also charged with disregarding a traffic signal and not having a
driver's license in his possession during the incident early Sunday, police
said.
In Charleston, attorneys for former South Carolina quarterback Steve Taneyhill
and Carolina Panthers tight end Matthew Campbell asked a municipal judge
Wednesday for a jury trial for their clients.
The two are charged with assault and interfering with police in a Jan. 27
incident where the players allegedly shoved an undercover officer outside a
Charleston nightspot.


Henry Taylor

Drug Bust Involves Former USC Athlete



Richland County Sheriff's Deputies say they made a large bust overnight
which netted them 37 pounds of marijuana.

The bust came after a deputy made a home alarm call to a residence on
Faircrest Way in the county. After finding the back door of the residence
unlocked, the deputy went inside the residence to check for signs of
burglary. Officials with the department say he then found two large packages
of marijuana in plain view.

Deputies say the owner of the house, 25-year-old Henry Taylor then arrived
home. Taylor, a former USC football player, told deputies he'd been walking
his dog.

Deputies then obtained a search warrant, which they say resulted in the
discovery of even more marijuana. They then arrested Taylor on charges of
possession of marijuana.

He's currently being held at the Richland County Detention Center pending a
bond hearing.


Darren Hambrick

Rookie done in by muddy socks
Cowboys linebacker Hambrick arrested for fleeing police

LACOOCHEE, Fla. (AP) -- A linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys was arrested after
he fled from deputies who tried to pull him over for speeding, police said.
Darren Hambrick was charged with fleeing a law enforcement officer and resisting
an officer without violence Sunday.
Hambrick, who just finished his first season with the Dallas Cowboys, was
arrested in his hometown of Lacoochee in Pasco County, about 39 miles northeast
of Tampa.
Sheriff's officials wouldn't say why Hambrick ran from a traffic ticket, but the
arresting deputy reported a "a very strong odor of unburnt marijuana" inside the
pickup truck.
A Pasco County Sheriff's deputy said that when he turned on his flashers to pull
over the speeding truck, the driver turned onto a muddy side road and drove
through a stop sign.
At one point, the driver jumped from the moving truck and ran into the woods,
leaving the passenger holding the steering wheel. Police did not identify the
passenger.
Deputies found Hambrick's driver's license and NFL players card in a billfold
stuck behind the truck's sun visor.
While deputies searched for the driver with a tracking dog, Hambrick drove up in
another car wearing clean blue jeans. He told deputies he had been at Club
Hollywood in Lacoochee and had loaned his rental truck to a friend.
But deputies said Hambrick, 23, matched the build of the driver and his socks
were wet and covered with mud. The Sheriff's Office said Hambrick changed his
muddy pants and shoes but forgot to change his socks.
Hambrick spent several hours in the county jail in Land O'Lakes. He was released
on his own recognizance about 10 a.m. Sunday.
Hambrick played football at Pasco High School and both the University of Florida
and the University of South Carolina. He was drafted by the Cowboys last April.


Darren Hambrick2
The Associated Press
Wednesday, October 9, 2002; 2:06 PM

DADE CITY, Fla. –– Cleveland Browns linebacker Darren Hambrick turned himself
into authorities earlier this week on charges that he stole a check from the
Carolina Panthers.

Following practice on Monday, Hambrick, who signed as a free agent with the
Browns in August, flew to Florida to answer to an arrest warrant issued against
him.

The 27-year-old Hambrick is accused of stealing a $5,682.51 check from the
Panthers three weeks after joining the team in October 2001, according to court
records.

He was issued the payroll check on Nov. 11, but then asked the team to stop
payment on that check because he never received it, records said.

Another check for the same amount was sent to Hambrick, and on Jan. 29 a man who
identified himself as Hambrick cashed both checks at a Bank of America branch in
Dade City, court records said.

A bank representative told a detective she contacted Hambrick and asked him to
return the $5,682.51, but he refused, records said.

"We initiated the complaint against him back in March for grand theft, the state
attorney issued the warrant, and somehow he got wind of the warrant and turned
himself in," Dade City police Capt. David Duff said.

The Browns play at Tampa Bay on Sunday, and Duff said if Hambrick hadn't turned
himself in, police may have arrested him this weekend.

When Hambrick was approached for a comment Wednesday in the Browns' locker room,
he was ushered away by a member of the club's media relations staff.

Hambrick played for the Panthers last season after spending three seasons with
the Dallas Cowboys.

The Browns signed him on Aug. 10 after Pro Bowl linebacker Jamir Miller
sustained a season-ending injury.

"We have been made aware of a situation that occurred prior to Darren Hambrick
joining the Cleveland Browns involving a duplicate check issue," Browns
spokesman Todd Stewart said. "It is our understanding that all moneys have been
returned. We are awaiting further information from the authorities and Darren's
attorney."

The Browns have not said whether Hambrick will be disciplined.

Hambrick arrived at the Pasco County jail just before 6 p.m. on Monday and
posted $10,000 bail in less than two hours, a jail spokeswoman said. An initial
court appearance had not been scheduled.

If convicted, he could be sentenced to a fine, probation or jail.

Hambrick's agent, Derrick Harrison, declined comment.

© 2002 The Associated Press


Rory Gallman/Tim Betts
Gamecocks coaches weren't aware of Gallman's criminal record
The Associated Press
"Copyright © 1997 The Associated Press"
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- One of two players kicked off South Carolina's football team
after they allegedly broke into cars had a criminal record when he was
recruited, but coaches didn't know that, head coach Brad Scott says.
Defensive tackle Rory Gallman was arrested in July 1995 on auto break-in
charges. This past July he was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to
make restitution.
Gallman, who played in five games this past season, and redshirted linebacker
Tim Betts, both 19, were kicked off the team Monday after campus police arrested
them for allegedly breaking into cars in a dorm parking lot.
"Part of our recruiting efforts is to learn as much about our recruits as we
can, and we, I think, do a very good job of talking to the sources that are
available to us," Scott said Wednesday.
Fans "just have to trust us" when it comes to signing players, he said.
At the time of his Lexington County arrest, Gallman was a rising senior at
Columbia's Keenan High School and was being recruited by South Carolina and
other colleges.
Gallman's coach at Keenan during his sophomore and junior years, Buddy Pough,
was hired this week as a South Carolina assistant. He would not comment on what
the college staff might have known about Gallman.
Betts and Gallman now face charges of auto breaking, attempted auto breaking,
petit larceny and possession of tools of crime. Betts was booked on an
additional charge of resisting arrest.
Betts, a freshman from Pensacola, Fla., was released on his own recognizance.
Because he was on probation, Gallman was held at the Richland County Detention
Center on $20,000 bond.
Scott said he had no choice but to dismiss the players permanently.
"I think it's ... unfortunate, but there are certain rules and policies that we
have in this program that our players know if they step beyond those boundaries,
it's not going to be tolerated," he said.


Dan Gawronski
Reserve linebacker arrested after dispute
Story from The State
By NAT NEWELL
Staff Writer
South Carolina sophomore linebacker Dan Gawronski has been suspended
indefinitely from the team for violation of team policy, coach Lou Holtz
announced Tuesday.
Gawronski was arrested Monday night for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest
and was still in jail late Tuesday afternoon.
"As head football coach there comes the responsibility to set a moral and
spiritual tone for the team," Holtz said in a statement, "and this we have
attempted to do. Even with the most consistent spiritual leadership at the top,
some players make bad decisions. We feel comfortable that our program was not
the cause of this player's poor decision."
"We have zero tolerance for inappropriate behavior and we will never ignore,
cover up or excuse bad conduct. We are entrusted to teach and develop young
people to be responsible citizens. We will have no further comment on this
matter until the legal process has run its course."
According to the incident report, Gawronski came out of Patterson Hall at 10
p.m. Monday and argued with USC police officers about a parking ticket. When the
police tried to explain why he had gotten a ticket Gawronski "became very loud
and (used) profanity," according to the report.
When he was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct, Gawronski "stated he
wasn't going to jail and that (the police) had better get more officers."
Despite his resistance, Gawronski was taken to the ground, had handcuffs put on
and was taken to Richland County jail.
Gawronski is a 6-foot-1, 240-pound reserve linebacker from Marshville, N.C., who
appeared in two games in 1999. He made six total tackles, five of which were
solo stops.
Gawronski was arrested in 1996 for injury to property and simple assault and in
1997 for misdemeanor larceny, injury to personal property, simple assault and
communicating threats. He was found guilty of simple assault and communicating
threats in '97 and plead guilty to misdemeanor possession of marijuana after
being charged with felony possession in 1998.
"I was young then," he told the Monroe (N.C.) Enquirer-Journal last season. "Now
I'm a little bit older. I learned from my mistakes. Basically I just have to
know what I have to do."
* Depth charges. There were few surprises on the first tentative depth chart
released Tuesday. Cecil Caldwell is not listed because he needs to graduate to
receive a fourth-year of eligibility. USC remains hopeful he will receive his
degree on time. . . . Former Dutch Fork High School star Eric Kimrey is listed
No. 2 at quarterback with Carlos Spikes moving back to receiver. "(Kimrey's)
protected the ball the best and he knows the offense best," Holtz said. "There's
certain thing we believe in that we want to see and you have to reward the
people that are giving you that. That's why Kimrey's at quarterback."
Former defensive lineman Thomas Hill is the No. 1 tight end ahead of Rod
Trafford. "I said to the coaches, I make a lot of moves that aren't real smart
sometimes but there's some this spring that show signs," Holtz said. "Thomas
Hill at tight end (is one of them). He does some good things. He plays the game
the right way." . . . When asked why defensive lineman John Stamper didn't make
the depth chart Holtz said: "Stamper? Stamper? Is that your final answer? I need
to survey the audience. I'd call a friend but I don't have one." . . . Melvin
Paige, who has been battling a knee injury, is listed at No. 1 right tackle, but
Holtz said backup Shane Hall has also done a good job.
* Extra points. Holtz on the windy and cold condition on the practice fields:
"When we win the championship, the only place I'd ever leave here for is a
school in the South. It is cold." . . . Practice didn't start until 5 p.m.
because the team reviewed the tape of Saturday's scrimmage. "They way we
competed when we got tired was probably the most disappointing thing," Holtz
said. . . . The Gamecocks will practice at 4 p.m. Thursday and have another
scrimmage on Saturday at noon.
--Nat Newell


Donald Marshall
THE STATE
Tuesday, July 7, 1998
Section: SPORTS
Edition: FINAL
Page: C1


USC SIGNEE MARSHALL ARRESTED
LINEMAN CHARGED WITH BREAKING INTO, THEFT FROM VEHICLE
By KAMON SIMPSON, Staff Writer
Donald Marshall, a South Carolina football signee, was arrested last week on
charges of breaking into and theft from a motor vehicle.
Summerville police arrested Marshall along with two others - Charles Joel
Schuchert, 17, and Courtney Simpson, 17 - when all three were found in a car
containing numerous stolen items, according to an incident report.
The report says that the three were spotted in a black Honda Accord in the
parking lot of an Economy Inn in Summerville shortly after 3 a.m. on Monday, not
far from where two cars had been broken into at a Holiday Inn parking lot.
Apparently, the suspects' car broke down before they could leave the scene.
When questioned on the scene, Schuchert told officers that he was trying to fix
his car and that he had just picked up his friends, Marshall and Simpson, and
that they were on their way home after driving around.
After being detained, Schuchert admitted to breaking into two vehicles,
according to the report. A search of his car revealed numerous burglary tools,
screwdrivers, flashlights, stereo equipment, radar detectors and a BB gun. All
three suspects were arrested and taken into custody at that point.
Marshall, listed as a 6-6, 260-pound offensive lineman when he signed with the
Gamecocks in February, played in the Shrine Bowl and picked USC over Clemson,
N.C. State and Wake Forest. He was one of only four offensive line signees, but
his future with the program depends on the outcome of last week's charges.
"We've been made aware of Donald's situation, and we'll await the outcome of the
legal process, and then a decision will be made whether or not Donald will join
our football program in August," USC coach Brad Scott said.
"When we recruit a young man, and he makes the decision to come to South
Carolina, it is understood that he is expected to abide by our team's policies.
We will not tolerate anything less."
Ray Stackley, Marshall's coach at Stratford, contacted USC's coaches to let them
know about the arrest. Stackley said both he and Marshall have been in contact
with coaches since then.
"I'm sure if it ends up being a serious matter, and he (Marshall) is found
guilty of the charges, his scholarship could be in jeopardy," Stackley said.
"But his parents are pretty adamant that he's innocent."
Stackley said that Marshall claims to be the victim of bad timing - of being in
the wrong place, with the wrong people, at the wrong time. He points out that
his former player has "never been in any trouble," since arriving in South
Carolina from Washington, D.C., before the start of his 10th grade year.
"According to his parents and him, he's going to be completely cleared,
completely exonerated of the charges," Stackley said. "It's my understanding
that nobody got caught stealing anything. The car he was in broke down. ... I'm
thinking the other boy who was with him took the blame."


Troy Hambrick
THE STATE
Wednesday, January 29, 1997
Section: METRO/REGION
Edition: FINAL
Page: B3


USC RUNNING BACK FLAGGED IN TRAFFIC STOP
By CLIF LeBLANC and KAMON SIMPSON, Staff Writers
The USC football team's up-and-coming tailback has been arrested on a marijuana
charge, but early indications are the charge could be dropped.
Troy Hambrick, 20, was arrested about 12:45 a.m. Thursday on Two Notch Road and
charged with intending to sell marijuana. The charge was filed because more than
an ounce of the drug was found in a 1983 gray Chevrolet Caprice Hambrick was
driving.
The star of the Gamecocks' 1996 win over Clemson also was charged with four
traffic offenses: driving without a license in an unregistered car that had no
tag and no insurance, the Richland County Sheriff's Department reported.
Hambrick was arrested along with James Henry, 35, of Brooksville, Fla., who at
first wouldn't identify himself and tried to run, the police report said. Later,
Henry told authorities he bought the marijuana and slid it under Hambrick's car
seat when the officer stopped them, said Deputy 5th Circuit Solicitor Johnny
Gasser.
Gasser stopped short of saying Hambrick's drug charge, a felony, would be
dropped. But the prosecutor said that if further investigation corroborates
Henry's written statement, there would be no legal grounds for prosecuting
Hambrick.
"Does he get special treatment because he's a football player?" Gasser asked
rhetorically. "The answer is, no. We would treat him as we would anyone else in
these circumstances."
The prosecutor said investigators would consider other factors such as that
Hambrick, whose legal name is Troy Grant, showed no signs of using alcohol or
drugs that night and cooperated with deputies. He also agreed to a search of the
car even though it was stopped only for a traffic offense. Hambrick also has no
criminal record, Gasser said.
Both men were charged because initially neither claimed the drugs, the
prosecutor said. Two days later, Henry spoke to detectives about the facts of
the case. Hambrick was released on his word that he would show up for court.
Henry was under a $10,000 surety bond.
The arrest occurred at Two Notch and Risley roads, near the Sheriff's Department
headquarters. When the deputy looked inside the car, he found two cans of beer -
one empty and the other nearly full.
But Hambrick was not asked to take a field sobriety test because he showed no
other signs of drinking or using drugs, said Sheriff's Department spokesman
Joseph Pellicci. The football player also said he didn't know the drugs were in
the car.
Henry, who owns the car and is an acquaintance of Hambrick's from Florida, is
charged with the same drug offense as well as having open containers of alcohol
and resisting arrest.
Kerry Tharp, a spokesman for the USC athletic department, said Hambrick has been
suspended indefinitely from the football team until the charges are resolved.
That's routine whenever an athlete is charged with a criminal offense, Tharp
said.
Head coach Brad Scott was recruiting in Florida Tuesday and unavailable for
comment, Tharp said.
Hambrick played in 11 games as a true freshman for the University of South
Carolina. He was the team's second-leading rusher with 43 carries for 286 yards
and five touchdowns.
He was expected to enter spring football practice listed at No. 1 tailback on
the team's depth chart.


Aubrey Brooks
THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Thursday, August 29, 1996
Section: SPORTS
Edition: TWO\&3
Page: 6B
Column: COLLEGE FOOTBALL



FORMER USC LINEBACKER ARRESTED FOR BATTERY
Observer Staff and News Services
Former South Carolina linebacker Aubrey Brooks has been arrested for the beating
of a Sumter, S.C., man who has been hospitalized since May.
Sumter Police Chief Harold B. Johnson said Wednesday that Brooks, 23, of Sumter,
was taken into custody Tuesday by campus police at the university. Brooks'
24-year-old brother, James, was arrested Monday, Johnson said.
Both men were in custody late Wednesday; it was unclear if a bond hearing had
been held.
The brothers are charged with assault and battery with intent to kill in the May
8 beating of Theo Cameron. Cameron was hospitalized and had been unconscious
until this past week.
Brooks was a senior starter for the Gamecocks last season, but he apparently was
taking classes this fall, Johnson said.


Hank Campbell

THE STATE
Wednesday, November 30, 1994
Section: SPORTS
Edition: FINAL
Page: C3
Memo: USC NOTES



CAMPBELL'S TROUBLES ICED
LINEBACKER WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR BOWL
By DAVID NEWTON, Staff Writer
USC linebacker Hank Campbell will spend some time in the penalty box but he
won't be suspended for the Jan. 2 Carquest Bowl after his arrest last week at a
hockey game in the North Charleston Coliseum.
Campbell appeared in North Charleston Municipal Court Tuesday. The disorderly
conduct charge was dropped, and the trespassing charge will be dropped after 90
days if he has no further legal problems.
Campbell was asked to leave the coliseum during a South Carolina Stingrays game
because he was throwing things onto the ice. He was arrested after sneaking back
in through another entrance.
USC coach Brad Scott said Campbell's punishment will be handled internally.
Merry Christmas.


Kelvin Lamont
Athlete arrested again on sex charge
A 19-year-old Spartanburg man whose arrest two years ago cost him a possible
Division I college football scholarship was arrested again this week.


By Teresa Killian
A 19-year-old Spartanburg man whose arrest two years ago cost him a possible
Division I college football scholarship was arrested again this week.

Two-year-old charges of kidnapping and assault with intent to commit criminal
sexual conduct are pending against Kelvin Lamont Lee, 19, of 216 Herbert St.
This week, police charged him with second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a
minor.

A 13-year-old girl who sought medical treatment last month told police she had a
sexual encounter with Lee days before and with another man two years earlier,
according to a police report.

Randall Terrell, 20, of 209 Amherst Drive, Spartanburg, also was charged with
second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Lee was considered a major college football prospect entering his senior season
at Spartanburg High School in 2000. A 6-foot-4-inch, 300-pound offensive lineman
who had made a verbal commitment to play for the University of South Carolina,
Lee was denied enrollment at Spartanburg High for his senior season after he and
three others were arrested in connection with the kidnapping and sexual assault
of a 13-year-old girl. USC dropped its interest in Lee after his arrest.

Prosecutors expect the trial against Lee and three others charged in the
incident to take place this summer.

An offensive lineman from Spartanburg named Kelvin Lee was listed on the 2001
football roster for Mississippi-based Copiah Lincoln Community College.

Lee was released from jail under a $10,000 bond. He could not be reached for
comment.

Terrell was being held Tuesday in jail under a $7,500 bond


Carlos Turner

THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Friday, December 3, 1993
Section: SPORTS
Edition: FOUR
Page: 2B
Column: In brief




EX-USC RECRUIT ARRESTED
Observer News Services
Former high school basketball star and South Carolina recruit Carlos Turner has
been arrested on a charge of attempted murder in Louisville.
Turner, who has already spent 11 months in a state facility for stabbing an
ex-girlfriend at least 20 times, entered a plea of not guilty on the new charge
Thursday.
Police said Benny Berry, who was shot and wounded in an incident Nov. 13, named
Turner as his assailant. Turner's lawyer said his client acted in self-defense.
Turner has had a series of arrests since he signed a national letter of intent
Nov. 14, 1991, to play basketball with the Gamecocks. The stabbing occurred the
next day.
After serving time in prison, he completed a semester at Louisville and had
hoped to join the basketball team before he was arrested two more times.



Jamie Watson and Durrant Williams

GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL PLAYERS FACE CHARGES
Edited by Joey St. John
By The Observer Staff and News Services
Two South Carolina basketball players have been charged with resisting arrest
after allegedly trying to enter an on-campus party.
Jamie Watson, the Gamecocks' leading scorer last season, and recruit Durrant
Williams were arrested Friday night outside Russell House on the South Carolina
campus, police records said.
Watson, a two-year starter, was also charged with interfering with a police
officer, according to campus police records.
Williams, who transferred from Palm Beach (Fla.) Community College this season,
was also charged with disorderly conduct.
Williams will appear in magistrate's court Oct. 28 on the disorderly conduct
charge.
The other charges against the two will be heard in Circuit Court.


Bombs

THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

Thursday, February 11, 1993

Section: MAIN NEWS

Edition: THREE

Page: 1A



5 MORE USC ATHLETES CHARGED IN BOMB BLASTS NEAR CAMPUS\
By PETE IACOBELLI, Associated Press
Five more University of South Carolina athletes were charged Wednesday in
connection with chemical bombs exploded at two businesses in the Five Points
neighborhood near campus.
Charged were Dino VerBrugge, 18, of British Columbia, Canada; Peter D.
Cadwell, 22, of Nashua, N.H.; Franklin T. Coleman IV, 19, of Albany, Ga.; Jeff
Palm, 21, of Duluth, Ga.; and Charles Lewis Hardaway Jr., 19, of Greenville,
S.C., police said. VerBrugge`s hometown was not available.
Hardaway is a kicker on the football team. The others are swimmers.
Gamecocks swimmer John Moore had been arrested at the scene Friday.
Moore was the only team-leader among the athletes. He had South Carolina`s
top time in the 100-meter breaststroke this season at 57:48.
No one was hurt in the incidents. Swimming coach Keith Switzer said the
athletes called them pranks.
``I think we`ve got some young men that had some very bad judgment, and
what they thought might have been a prank was not taken that way,`` Switzer
said. ``They`re some scared young men, and they rightfully should be.``
Moore was freed on $7,500 bond. Bond for the other five was set at $1,500
each, police Capt. G.R. Clark said.
All six were charged with illegally making a device designed to cause
damage, he said. Without detonators, the devices did not fall under the anti-
bombing laws, he said.
The homemade devices went off at a bank automatic teller machine and at the
entrance of a restaurant. Police said the bombs contained an unspecified, but
common chemical and silver foil in a bottle. When the chemical reaction built up
pressure, the devices exploded.
The devices caused little damage but, in the case of the restaurant, the
blast and smoke scared people, police said.
Switzer said he put the swimmers under a 9 p.m. curfew, banned them from
practice and told them they were to go only to classes and study halls.
``We don`t condone these actions in any way, and they are being disciplined
according to USC athletic department policy,`` Switzer said.
Football coach Sparky Woods said Hardaway had been suspended from the team
and was under the same restrictions.
Switzer said there likely would be further discipline after the criminal
charges are resolved. He would not discuss details.
``We`ve never had anything of this magnitude happen,`` Switzer said. ``It`s a
black eye on a sport that usually had no problems.``
Swimmer Dan Phillips said his suspended teammates regret what happened and
hope the rest of the squad can recover in time for the Southeastern Conference
championships that begin next Wednesday.
``It`s a difficult situation right now, and we are all trying to handle it
the best we can,`` he said. ``We`re just trying to put it behind us.``
Diver Matt Borman said he was surprised when he learned of the incidents.
``It`s kind of a downer when it happens to one of your best friends (John
Moore), but we`re close-knit and we`ll be able to pull this out,`` Borman
said.
Police still are investigating other similar bombings on and off campus
since November. No charges have been filed in those.\


Tony Watkins and Toby Cates

THE STATE
Tuesday, March 10, 1992
Section: SPORTS
Edition: FINAL
Page: 3C


USC'S WATKINS AND CATES
ARRESTED IN SEPARATE INCIDENTS
By BOB STUART, Staff Writer
South Carolina football coach Sparky Woods will make a decision before spring
practice about the status of two USC players arrested last week on criminal
charges stemming from separate campus incidents.
Kerry Tharp, USC's sports information director, said Woods will make a decision
about freshmen defensive backs Tony Watkins and Toby Cates in the next several
days. Tharp said USC begins spring practice a week from today.
The 20-year-old Watkins was arrested Wednesday night at USC's Capstone Dorm
after USC police responded to a reported fight.
USC spokeswoman Debra Allen said police arrived soon after receiving an 11:25
p.m. call and found no fight. But police, responding to information from someone
at the scene that Watkins had a gun, found one after searching the player's
bookbag.
He was charged with carrying a weapon unlawfully and possessing a weapon in a
public building.
The two charges are felonies, according to 5th Circuit Solicitor Dick
Harpootlian. The unlawful weapon charge carries a maximum penalty of two years
in jail, a $5,000 fine or both.
The public building charge is punishable by five years in jail and/or a $5,000
fine.
Harpootlian said Watkins' case will be presented to the Richland County grand
jury later this month, and could go to trial in April.
About an hour later, early Thursday morning, USC police arrested Cates at the
Bates West dorm.
Again, the police responded to a reported fight but found none.
But Allen said the police did report that Cates was "intoxicated and was acting
in a boisterous fashion."
He was charged with disorderly conduct, which carries a penalty of 30 days in
jail or a $200 fine. Cates told The Spartanburg Herald-Journal Monday night that
he has to appear in Magistrate's Court March 26.
The arrest of Cates marked his second brush with the law in the past five
months. He and two other USC players were arrested in October and charged with
attempting to defraud a telephone company by charging calls to a credit card.
Cates was later allowed to enter a Pretrial Intervention Program on that charge.

Both Cates and Watkins were defensive starters for the Gamecocks during the 1991
season. Cates was a starting cornerback who missed three games with an ankle
injury.
Watkins started the final eight games of the season at strong safety after
serving as a backup and special teams player for the first three games.


Patrick Hinton and Issac Harris
THE STATE
Thursday, October 29, 1992
Section: METRO/REGION
Edition: FINAL
Page: 2B
Memo: METRO REPORT BRIEFS



EX-GAMECOCK FOOTBALL PLAYERS
CHARGED WITH RAPE
Two former University of South Carolina football players were arrested last week
on criminal sexual conduct charges.
Patrick Hinton, 23, of Atlanta, and Isaac Harris, 24, of Gadsden were charged
Oct. 21 with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, said Capt. Bill Brown of the
Richland County Sheriff's Department.
Both were charged with entering a 24-year-old woman's Battery Walk Court
apartment on the night of Oct. 13, and forcing the woman to have sexual
intercourse.
Brown said Hinton and Harris each were released on $2,000 personal recognizance
bonds.
Hinton was a starting linebacker and Harris a starting offensive tackle for the
Gamecocks from 1987 to 1990.
In 1988, Hinton earned National Defensive Player of the Week honors from The
Sporting News for his performance against N.C. State.


Credit Card
THE STATE
Thursday, December 5, 1991
Section: SPORTS
Edition: FINAL
Page: 1C
USC PLAYERS CHARGED
IN PHONE FRAUD CASE

By BOB STUART, Staff Writer. Sports Writer David Newton contributed to this
report.
Three more University of South Carolina football players have been arrested on
charges of defrauding a telephone company by charging telephone calls to a
credit card, USC spokeswoman Debra Allen said.
Arrested by USC campus police on Tuesday and charged were Eric Brown, 20, a
redshirt sophomore linebacker from Baltimore; Ernest Dixon, 20, a sophomore
linebacker from Fort Mill; and Jabbar Mayse, 19, a redshirt freshman defensive
end from Forest City, N.C. Allen said the warrants were taken out by MCI.
Allen said the three were released on $1,000 bonds. Their trial date is Jan. 3;
if convicted of the misdemeanor charges, each faces a maximum fine of $1,000 and
one year in prison.
USC players charged in October as part of the probe were linebacker Lawrence
Mitchell, cornerback Toby Cates and linebacker Keith Franklin.
They were granted pretrial intervention, or PTI, under which charges are dropped
in return for community service or restitution. Each of the three had to pay
$300 for PTI's cost and make restitution to MCI.
MCI spokesman Steve Fox said the latest arrests should conclude an investigation
of credit card fraud at USC. Fox said he did not know the dollar amount of the
calls.
USC football coach Sparky Woods said Mayse, Dixon and Brown would be placed
under curfew until the matter is settled. "I hope we've seen the last of this,"
Woods said.


Joe Rhett and Troy McKoy
THE STATE
Thursday, September 5, 1991
Section: SPORTS
Edition: FINAL
Page: 1C
RHETT, MCKOY ARRESTED
AFTER ON-CAMPUS FIGHT
USC BASKETBALL PLAYERS SAY THEY'RE INNOCENT
South Carolina basketball players Joe Rhett and Troy McKoy were arrested by
campus police early Saturday morning in connection with a fight at USC's student
union.
Rhett, a 6-foot-8 senior forward, and McKoy, a 6-7 junior swingman, were charged
with disorderly conduct.
Additionally, USC student John C. Simmons said Wednesday he signed a warrant
charging Rhett with assault and battery.
The police incident report said Rhett struck Simmons in the eye.
Rhett and McKoy said they are innocent of all charges and that basketball coach
Steve Newton believed them.
"The guys we were supposed to beat up, they're friends of ours," McKoy said.
But Simmons said he was hit by Rhett and that Rhett initiated the fight, which
occurred around 1 a.m. at the Rusell House.
Simmons said he was arguing with some members of a USC fraternity. At that
point, Simmons said, McKoy stepped in to act as a peacemaker. "I guess Rhett
thought Troy was in trouble," Simmons said. "He started swinging. He hit four
people. Joe threw the first punch. I think he threw most of them."
McKoy and Rhett describe the incident differently.
Rhett said an argument started between members of a campus fraternity and
another group at a Russell House party, and that McKoy tried to be a peacemaker.
He said a member of the other group started "talking junk to Troy."
"That's when I came over there," Rhett said. "This other guy just just came up
on me. I thought he was trying to throw a sneak punch. He half swung, so I swung
at him. That was it."
Jamie Brigman, a USC student, also gave campus police a report that supported
Simmons.
Brigman said in Wednesday's edition of the student newspaper, The Gamecock, that
Rhett hit Simmons and four other people. "Joe Rhett started the whole thing,"
Brigman said.
Rhett, who had a pacemaker implanted February 17, 1990, said members of the
fraternity party came to the police department and said "we were trying to break
it up."
He said the article in The Gamecock was blown out of proportion.
"I have a bad heart," Rhett said. "I couldn't do all that."
Derrick Seabrook, a USC student, also was involved in the incident. He was
charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
USC spokeswoman Debra Allen said campus police were called to the Russell House
ballroom at 1 a.m. Saturday to investigate a reported fight. The police report
said officer Tony Rhinehart witnessed Rhett, McKoy and Seabrook fighting with
Simmons on the second floor of the Russell
House lobby.
Rhinehart broke up the altercation, only to have it resume. McKoy said he and
Rhett were outside by the time Rhinehart arrived.
"When he came outside, he said get in the car," McKoy said.
Rhett and McKoy were taken to Richland County Detention Center and booked. They
were released at 10:34 a.m. on a $200 personal recognizance bond. They have a
Sept. 12 court date.
If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail or a $218 fine.
Rhett and McKoy also face possible discipline by the university and athletic
department. The university cannot make an official statement about whether
disciplinary action will be taken because student disciplinary records are
protected under federal regulations on student privacy.
Newton said he would take any disciplinary action after the investigation is
complete.
The USC coach told The Gamecock he was encouraged that "perhaps our guys were in
a positive mode in trying to break up a disturbance."
"I certainly didn't indicate these young men were innocent," Newton said. "This
is totally in conflict with our philosophy that our new staff will implement.
Our program will reflect that of a positive student-athlete in control of their
behavior. We won't condone anything but good citizenship.
"We know this is an inadvertent situation, one that we regret. Until we get a
good grip on what actually occurred, we'll refrain from drawing conclusions."
Newton said he has no set policy on discipline.
"I've had temporary suspensions and had suspensions for as much as a semester or
a year," he said. "Hopefully, that will not be the case. But you can rest
assured we will not be turning our head."
Gamecocks' Joe Rhett: Fighting incident blown out of proportion.


George Rogers
THE STATE


Saturday, June 16, 1990
Section: METRO/REGION
Edition: FINAL
Page: 2B


ROGERS INDICTED ON DRUG CHARGES
By MARGARET N. O'SHEA, Staff Writer
The surprise catch in an April drug raid, former University of South Carolina
football star George Rogers, was indicted Friday on charges of possession of
marijuana and cocaine and intent to distribute cocaine.
Narcotics officers said the 31-year-old Heisman trophy winner had marijuana in
his pocket and cocaine in his nose when they burst into a St. Andrews apartment
where they suspected drugs were being used and sold.
A Richland County grand jury also indicted the two men arrested with Rogers
during the April 4 raid. Marcus Gilliam, 28, of 34 Cromwell Manor Drive was
charged in indictments with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and
with possession of marijuana. Melvin Metze, 33, of 802 Village Lane was charged
with possession of marijuana and trafficking in cocaine.
All three men have been released on $5,000 bonds.
Rogers had 4.3 grams of marijuana and cigarette rolling papers in a shirt pocket
when he and the other men were arrested. Richland County Sheriff's Capt. Leon
Lott said a partially smoked marijuana cigarette was found in Rogers' car.
The detective said Rogers, who was implicated in a professional football drug
scandal in 1982, was not a target of investigation but happened to be in the
apartment when it was raided.
Lott said detectives found 18.2 grams of cocaine in a brown tote bag, 2.5 grams
of cocaine in a plastic bag on a coffee table and cocaine residue on playing
cards and a plate on the coffee table. He said all three men were sitting at the
coffee table when police arrived.
He said Gilliam had a small package of cocaine in his shirt pocket, while Metze
admitted owning the tote bag that contained the 18.2 grams of cocaine.



Justin Harris

USC's Harris suspended
By STEVE WISEMAN
Staff Writer

Justin Harris, a starting outfielder on South Carolina's College World
Series-bound baseball team, has been suspended from the team following his
arrest early Monday morning on disorderly conduct and public drunkenness
charges.
The 21-year-old Harris, a junior at USC, was picked up by Columbia police at the
2200 block of Devine Street at approximately 2 a.m.
According to police records, Officer D.S. Cribb was conducting a traffic stop on
a 1995 Ford pickup when Harris jumped on the back of a vehicle and began
pounding on the glass window and yelling obscenities at a passenger inside.
Harris was transported to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center where he remained
until being released Monday night following a bond hearing. A court date is set
for Wednesday morning.
USC spokesman Kerry Tharp said USC baseball coach Ray Tanner met with Harris
Monday night after reviewing the case and decided on the suspension.
The Gamecocks players had Monday off and are scheduled to resume practice this
morning.
Harris' status for the College World Series, which begins Friday when USC meets
Georgia Tech at 2 p.m. in Omaha, Neb., is uncertain.
Harris, from Longwood, Fla., has started all 69 games for the third-ranked
Gamecocks this season, splitting time between centerfield and second base. He's
batting .286 with four home runs and 28 RBIs.
He was arrested nine hours after the Gamecocks scored five runs in the ninth
inning to beat Miami 6-4 and earn the school's first trip to the College World
Series since 1985.



Mateusz Marek Kacprzak
Athlete charged with peeping
USC swimmer admits to spying in women's showers
By Michael LaForgia
Police have charged a former member of USC's swimming and diving team with
spying on women as they showered in the Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center
and the Blatt P.E. Center.

According to the arrest warrant, an unidentified victim picked Mateusz Marek
Kacprzak, a first-year geophysics student from Bacewicz, Poland, out of a
photograph line-up last week. Kacprzak, who was attending USC on a swimming
scholarship, then admitted to the crimes.

USC Sports Information Director Kerry Tharp said swimming and diving team
coaches dismissed Kacprzak from the team Tuesday after he was arrested at about
2:30 p.m.

Kacprzak could not be reached for comment Tuesday night. He has been charged
with peeping, a misdemeanor, and he posted bond at a hearing before a Richland
County magistrate Tuesday afternoon.

State law requires people convicted of peeping, voyeurism or aggravated
voyeurism to register with the S.C. Law Enforcement Division's sex offender
registry every year for the rest of their lives.

USC police responded to four reports of a peeping Tom in the women's locker
rooms at the Strom and the Blatt during a three-week period in late August and
early September, USC spokesman Russ McKinney said.

"There were about a dozen victims that complained," McKinney said. "One of the
victims has pressed the charge."

While the incidents have prompted questions about the safety of Campus
Recreation buildings, Student Life Director Jerry Brewer said students have
nothing to worry about.

"The Wellness Center is probably the most secure building on campus," Brewer
said. He added that the office of Student Life has invested in security measures
at the Blatt that some students might not know about.

"I don't think there's a security problem," Brewer said. "Is the University of
South Carolina safe? Yes, it's very safe. I think this validates that."

Surveillance cameras and Blatt employees first led investigators to Kacprzak
early last week. McKinney said the delay in arresting the student came while USC
police contacted victims and consulted the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's office
about the crimes.

Juliette Muellner, program director of Relationship Violence Services with USC's
Office for Sexual Health and Violence Prevention, spoke to women in classes
meeting in the Blatt Tuesday and encouraged them to come forward if they've been
victimized.

"Society-wise, I think we're kind of taught not to recognize the seriousness of
incidents like this," she said. She added that, statistically, peeping Toms are
more likely to commit other sexual crimes.



Cocky Molester

Mascot Accused Of Groping Fan

Friday, Jul 07, 2006 - 08:43 AM
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The mascot is known as Reedy Rip’it at Greenville Drive home games. But police
say a man who wore the costume went too far to entertain an Upstate baseball
fan.

A Boiling Springs man was arrested and charged with molesting a woman at a Drive
game at West End Field.

The drive is staying tight lipped, only releasing a statement to us this morning
saying the mascot has been suspended with pay until the investigation is over.

The drive says only one person wore the Reedy Rip’it costume before a game on
April 27th. According to police reports on that night a 30-year-old female fan
says the mascot grabbed her breast in a stairwell of the stadium in front of her
friends. She said she reported it to management the next day but never heard
anything else.

A month later the woman filed a police report. And just last week Cecil Amick
the third, known as Mack was arrested. Amick's been charged with molesting or
disturbing persons, and is out of jail

News Channel 7 has learned this is not the first time Amick's worn a mascot
suit. The athletics office says he was Cocky, the mascot of the University of
South Carolina 15 years ago.




Kelly Ryan

LAS VEGAS - A former USC cheerleader and her husband are wanted by Las Vegas
police for murder.

Husband and wife bodybuilders Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan are being sought today
in the slaying of a woman whose body was found last week in the trunk of a
burned Jaguar sedan, authorities said.

Las Vegas police have not offered a motive for the killing or the name of the
victim, who investigators think was a 28-year-old woman who had lived with Titus
and Kelly in southwest Las Vegas.

Investigators are awaiting DNA results before releasing the woman's name. Her
charred remains were found Dec. 14 in a burned 2003 Jaguar off state Route 160
southwest of the city.

Titus, 40, and Ryan, 33, face warrant charges of murder and third-degree arson,
police said.

A third suspect, Anthony Gross, 23, remains today at Clark County jail following
his arrest Wednesday in Las Vegas on charges of accessory to murder and
third-degree arson. He was due to appear next Tuesday in a Las Vegas court.

The 5-foot-9-inch, 250-pound Titus won titles at the June 1996 National Physique
Committee USA Championships, and competed in Mr. Olympia events.

He pleaded guilty in Louisiana in April 1995 to conspiracy to possess with
intent to distribute the party drug ecstasy, and served two years in jail for
steroid-related offenses from 1997 to 1999.

Ryan is a past Fitness America and Fitness International winner and Fitness
Olympia runner-up who worked as a loan officer for Silver State Mortgage in Las
Vegas.

They married in June 2000, according to Clark County records.

Mark Hiner, Assignment Editor



VolleyStupid1

Two players dismissed from USC volleyball team
Associated Press
COLUMBIA--Two South Carolina volleyball players have been dismissed for
incidents that violated team policies, coach Kim Hudson says.
Sophomore Katelyn Panzau, the team's starting setter, and freshman reserve
Caitlin Withers were dismissed this week.
They were two of four teammates who stole pillows from the team's hotel in
Athens, Ga., on Nov. 14, but Hudson said her decision to remove Panzau and
Withers was based on separate incidents. Hudson would not explain further.
Junior starting middle blocker Lauren Ford and freshman reserve middle blocker
Belita Salters also were involved in the theft of the pillows while on the road
trip and were suspended for the Southeastern Conference in Florida last week,
Hudson said.
After discovering the pillow theft, Hudson ordered Salters, Panzau, Ford and
Withers to return the pillows and send a letter of apology along with $30
restitution. No criminal charges were filed.
"Our team is stronger because the people that are here, they understand what our
mission is," Hudson said.
"They understand there are consequences when they don't abide by the policies I
have in place."

VolleyStupid2

Heckler says penalty a spit in the face

Florida student mulling criminal charge against USC volleyball player
By STEVE WISEMAN
The University of Florida student who was spat upon by a South Carolina
volleyball player last month is upset that the penalty was only a one-game
suspension.
Tiffany Ansley, a sophomore at Florida, said USC’s Iris Santos should face a
stiffer penalty after spitting in her face during a Nov. 12 match.
“I don’t think she should play anymore,” Ansley said. “I thought that it was the
most disgusting thing I’d ever seen.”
University of Florida police spokesman Joe Sharkey said the offense could be
considered battery because Florida statute considers it “unwanted touching by
one person on another.”
Battery is a misdemeanor charge.
Ansley said her family is encouraging her to file criminal charges against
Santos.
As USC’s players were leaving the court between the second and third games of a
match against the Gators at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla., Santos
spat in Ansley’s face after a group of Florida fans, including Ansley, heckled
them.
USC coach Kim Hudson suspended Santos from the following weekend’s SEC
Tournament, also played in Gainesville, and didn’t allow her to travel with the
team.
The suspension turned out to be one match because USC was eliminated in the
first round by Florida. Santos, a sophomore, was reinstated and played in the
team’s season-ending loss to North Carolina on Saturday.
Ansley said her group of friends, known as “The Wiseguys,” heckled USC’s team as
they do all of Florida’s volleyball opponents. The Gamecocks were heading to
their locker room through an exit surrounded by elevated stands.
Ansley said she and her friends reached their arms down to high-five the players
while sarcastically saying, “Hey y’all. Give me a high five. You’all are doing
great.”
At that point, Ansley said, Santos leaped and spat in her face.
“I just turned around to my friends, and I pointed to my cheek and said ‘Look at
what happened,’” Ansley said.
While calling Santos’ actions inappropriate, Hudson said the coaching staff
believed the fans were uncomfortably close to the players.
“I saw the fans heckling our players, and I saw the fan getting close to our
players,” Hudson said. “She came over the railing and got close to Iris.”
Ansley said the distance was too far for the fans to make contact with the
players, other than the high-fives that were possible only if the players
reached out with their arms.
“There was no way I could possibly touch her unless I climbed over the barrier
and jumped down to hit her,” Ansley said.
When USC’s team returned to the bench before the next game, Ansley said she and
two of her friends confronted USC’s staff about the incident and were told it
would be dealt with after the match.
Following the incident, Hudson and Santos wrote letters of apology to Ansley,
which she said arrived in her campus mailbox on Nov. 18. Hudson also spoke with
Florida senior women’s administrator Lynda Tealer a few hours after the incident
to apologize.
Santos has been unavailable for comment. USC spokesman Kerry Tharp issued Ansley
an apology on behalf of the university on Tuesday.
“In addition to the formal letters of apology that were issued by the USC
student-athlete and head volleyball coach to the Florida fan, the Gamecock
athletics department expresses its apologies, as well,” Tharp said. “The
student-athlete was disciplined by the head coach and was not permitted to
travel to or participate in the SEC Tournament. The student-athlete reacted
inappropriately and has expressed her deep remorse for her actions.”



Craig Rogers

State, The (Columbia, SC)
August 24, 2000
Section: METRO/REGION
Edition: FINAL
Page: B3


EX-USC DEAN FOUND GUILTY ON LARCENY CHARGES
CLIF LeBLANC, Staff Writer
A Virginia judge on Wednesday found a former USC dean of engineering guilty of
misusing public funds at a college there, but the college administrator will
appeal the felony conviction, his lawyer said.

Craig Rogers, 40 and living in South Carolina, was convicted of two counts of
larceny under false pretenses and sentenced to three years probation, said
defense attorney Jimmy Turk, of Blacksburg, Va.
Rogers must repay $586 in restitution and then will be on unsupervised
probation, under a sentence imposed by Montgomery County Circuit Judge Ray
Grubbs, Turk said. Rogers could have gotten up to 10 years.

Prosecutors said Rogers used $586 in state funds to pay for a $377 airplane
ticket and $209 in other expenses on a 1996 trip to Dallas to watch a Virginia
Tech basketball game. Rogers was attending a work-related conference in Denver
when he took the side trip to Dallas.

Prosecutors could not be reached for comment after Wednesday's sentencing
hearing in Christiansburg, Va.

Turk said prosecutors told him that they believed Rogers may have misused
$200,000 to $750,000 of Virginia Polytechnic Institute funds between April 1993
and August 1996.

Rogers was director of Virginia Tech's Center of Intelligent Material Systems
and Structures before coming to the University of South Carolina in 1996. He
resigned from the USC faculty in August as his sentence in Virginia approached.

"I'm kind of shocked, and to be perfectly honest I'm disgusted, with (Grubbs')
decision," Turk said Wednesday.
He said he will file with the Virginia Court of Appeals on grounds of
insufficient evidence for a conviction. Turk expects a hearing in six months and
a ruling six months after that.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that Rogers never accepted responsibility for his
actions.

"In light of the court's findings, he's never once said, 'Yes, I did that. I'm
sorry,' " assistant attorney general David Rigler told the judge. "He blames
everyone else."

Grubbs ruled that Rogers' acts were intentional, not inadvertent as he had
maintained. Grubbs said the facts left him with no choice but to convict Rogers.


Rogers chose a trial before a judge rather than a jury because he felt the case
was too complex for jurors, Turk said. Turk asked the judge to use his
discretion under Virginia law to not convict Rogers. Instead, Turk sought a
second chance for Rogers because of his pristine presentence report, which
included a letter of recommendation from former South Carolina Gov. Robert
McNair.

Virginia law allows judges to take cases "under advisement," which means an
offender gets an opportunity to pay a penalty rather than have a criminal
conviction. If the offender violates the judge's conditions, the conviction
becomes official, according to Turk, who said he has been a criminal defense
attorney 17 years.

When charges were first filed, Rogers faced eight offenses. Turk said
prosecutors dropped two charges before an April trial. Judge Gruggs dismissed
four charges, leaving the two false pretenses charges, the defense attorney
said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.



Larry E. Hawkins
THE STATE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1996
Section: METRO/REGION
Edition: FINAL
Page: B2


STATE REPORT
From Staff and Wire Reports
MIDLANDS USC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR FACING DRUG CHARGES

* A USC assistant professor of engineering has been arrested for possession of
steroids, marijuana and cocaine.
Larry E. Hawkins, 45, of South Beltline Drive, is accused of using blank
prescription forms to obtain steroids, or having other people obtain them, said
Lexington County Sheriff's Department spokesman Gary Morgan.
Hawkins was arrested after a seven-month undercover investigation by the
Lexington County Sheriff's Department and a Drug Enforcement Administration task
force.
Officers searching his home and office seized two computer systems that Hawkins
may have used to make the prescriptions. They also found a "quantity" of illegal
steroids, marijuana and cocaine.
Hawkins is now in the Lexington County Detention Center. He is also charged with
distribution of blank prescription forms and attempting to obtain steroids by
fraud.
Morgan said the investigation was continuing and other arrests might follow.
Russ McKinney, a USC spokesman, said USC's law enforcement division participated
in the arrest. McKinney said Hawkins had been planning to leave the university
after this semester.


Randall Chastain
State, The (Columbia, SC)
April 26, 1995
Section: METRO/REGION
Edition: FINAL
Page: B1


PROFESSOR ARRESTED ON TAX CHARGES \ USC TAKING STEPS TO REVOKE \ SUSPENDED
LAWYER'S TENURE
TWILA DECKER, LISA GREENE and DOUGLAS PARDUE, Staff Writers

USC law school Professor Randall Chastain was arrested Tuesday, accused of not
filing two state tax returns.

Also, officials at the University of South Carolina confirmed that President
John Palms has taken the first step toward revoking Chastain's tenure.

If that happens, it apparently would be the first time involving a USC faculty
member.
Chastain was arrested by investigators of the state Department of Revenue and
Taxation. Spokeswoman Vicki Ringer said investigators checked Chastain's tax
returns after reading an article about his salary in The State newspaper.

Chief Deputy Attorney General J. Robert Bolchoz said the arrest is part of an
effort announced earlier this month by Attorney General Charlie Condon to
criminally prosecute attorneys who steal from their clients. In the past, many
such attorneys have been disciplined or disbarred by the state Supreme Court,
but have escaped criminal prosecution.

Earlier this month The State reported that no charges were filed in about half
of the 63 cases in which lawyers were disciplined by the Supreme Court for
apparent criminal conduct.

Chastain was suspended from practicing law last fall by the S.C. Supreme Court
for improperly taking clients' money. He has been removed from teaching, but
works in the law school library and receives his $62,000 salary.

Bolchoz said the investigation of possible other charges against Chastain is
continuing, while the attorney general's office is continuing its investigation
of other lawyers.

"This investigation is not closed," he said, adding that the Internal Revenue
Service also might find interest in the case.

Chastain's lawyer, Desa Ballard, said she does not practice criminal law and
will not be representing Chastain in the tax case. She would not comment on the
arrest, but said Chastain has had trouble dealing with recent events.

"He's emotionally very devastated by all that's going on," she said.

Ringer said tax investigators make about one arrest each week for failure to
file state tax returns. The maximum penalty for each charge is one year in jail
and a $10,000 fine.

It's too early to tell how much money Chastain might owe the state for 1992 and
1993, Ringer and Bolchoz said. Chastain's income included his law school salary,
money he made legitimately as a private lawyer, and "money he made as a private
attorney and didn't do any work for," Bolchoz said.

In October, the state Supreme Court suspended Chastain's law license for two
years. The court ruled that he improperly took more than $30,000 in fees from
clients and did not work on their cases.

USC spokesman Russ McKinney said Tuesday that Chastain's arrest "will have to be
evaluated" to determine what effect, if any, it might have on his tenure and
salary.

"It certainly is not helpful for the university" to have a faculty member
arrested, McKinney said.

He said that at a meeting Thursday, Palms told Chastain he planned to begin the
process of trying to revoke tenure.
McKinney said Chastain asked Palms for two weeks to gather information to
protect his tenure. Palms agreed, McKinney said.

Ballard would not specify what that information is, but said it would involve
details of the Supreme Court's disciplinary procedures.

"There's a considerable amount of mitigating evidence that has not been
presented in a public forum," she said.

Revoking tenure is a lengthy process, and USC officials said Tuesday they have
not found records indicating it has ever happened at the state's flagship
university. The president must take proceedings against the person through two
faculty committees and a committee of the board of trustees. In 1990, former
President James Holderman resigned rather than face tenure revocation
proceedings.


Rene A. Sturkie

USC administrator charged with embezzling around $50,000

(Columbia) Jan. 7, 2003 - The University of South Carolina began investigating
after an anonymous source walked into a West Columbia pawn shop and saw a box of
brand new computer equipment with a USC shipping label on it.

Police say when the source went back later, the box was gone, but there was more
equipment up for sale. The investigation led to a longtime USC employee.
Renee Sturkie had a long history with the university. She been employed about 15
years in various jobs, most recently as an administrator in the biology
department.
It was in her role there, investigators say, the 39-year-old Sturkie began using
university credit cards to buy computers and electronic equipment.
USC Spokesman Russ McKinney says she began selling the gear at a pawn shop in
West Columbia, "We received an anonymous tip a couple of months ago. That this
was property people believed perhaps at one point had belonged to the university
and was where it shouldn't have been."
A pawn shop employee identified the store's owner as Shay Jackson, saying
Jackson was not available for comment. But a police affidavit says Jackson
provided records showing Sturkie was a frequent visitor to the store.
Police say between April and November of last year, Sturkie sold computer
equipment, digital cameras and other items at a fraction of their value. Most of
the merchandise was brand new or in original packaging. Pawn shop records
indicate about 40 transactions.
First assistant 5th Circuit solicitor David Pascoe says Sturkie is charged with
one count of embezzlement, more than $5000. That is a felony in South Carolina
and carries a possible penalty of up to ten years in prison.
Sturkie, at home in Lexington after a bond court appearance Tuesday morning,
declined comment. She has been on unpaid leave from the Center for Colon Cancer
Research since November. A search warrant suggests investigators seized
Sturkie's home computer. Police say some of the purchases were made late at
night, apparently not from Sturkie's office at USC.
Sturkie says, in a statement, she was addicted to the prescription painkiller
Oxycontin. Pete Strom is her attorney, "This is a hard working, bright
responsible lady who rose through the ranks of the University and this
prescription drug destroyed her life."
Prosecutors have not filed charges against the store owners. They are trying to
determine how the pawn shop could have continued to buy so much new merchandise
from one customer.
Strom is putting together a class action lawsuit aimed at the makers of
Oxycontin. He says Sturkie will probably end up being a plaintiff in the
lawsuit.
By Jack Kuenzie


USC Think Tank
U. South Carolina think tank carries on despite indictments
Date: Tuesday, February 27, 2001
Author: Christoph Schulz

(U-WIRE) COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The University of South Carolina's Institute of
Public Affairs is continuing its work as usual after the indictment of three of
its former and current employees almost two weeks ago.

In the indictment, the institute's former executive director and two
subordinates have each been charged with one count of official misconduct for
embezzlement. As the investigation into the case is conducted, the eight centers
of the institute continue their work.

According to Michael Witkoski, associate director of the USC think tank, the
institute has two main functions.

"One (function) is to do public policy research on topics that affect South
Carolina, and this can be anything from health care, local government,
environmental policy," Witkoski said. "The second thing is public service, to
take that research and do some practical stuff with it."

Witkoski said the institute draws its funds from different sources. It gets the
money from the university, grants and contracts with state agencies and the
federal government. The money coming from grants and contracts makes the
institute eighth on the list of university components that bring in outside
grants.

Witkoski said the institute is divided into eight centers, each working
independently on their projects but collaborating in their research whenever
possible. The centers include the Center for Citizenship, the Center for
Governance, the Center for Environmental Policy and the Violence and Substance
Abuse Prevention Center.

The institute offers three ways for students to get involved, Witkoski said.
Undergraduate students can participate in the Washington Semester Program or the
South Carolina Semester Program, which are both offered by the Center for
Citizenship. Both programs offer students the possibility to get a sense of how
government works.

The institute also helps graduate students gain experience that helps them get
into fields such as health care and governmental research, Witkoski said.

According to Fred Sheheen, director of the Center of Citizenship, the Washington
Semester Program has up to 15 students each semester, and the S.C. Semester
Program includes 12-20 students each spring. In order to qualify, students must
either be in an honors program or have at least a 3.0 overall GPA and submit
several letters of recommendation.

"Our goal is to give students a real-life experience coupled with a good
academic experience," Sheheen said. "We are taking students and educating them
to be good public administrators, good governmental people," he said. "Simply to
become better citizens by knowing more about their government in Washington and
knowing more about their government in South Carolina."

Witkoski said the opportunities also give students valuable experience.

"They get a chance to see how good they can do in that area," Witkoski said. "It
gives them the experience to land a job once they get through with their
education."

According to the institute's Winter 2001 newsletter, four USC students are among
the 10 students who have been selected for this spring's Washington Semester
Program. The participants will work directly in the offices of the S.C.
congressional delegation and in the federal government.

Although the impact of the institute on USC might not be visible, it is large,
according to Witkoski.

"It is one of the ways the University fulfills its public service function," he
said.

(C) 2001 The Gamecock via U-WIRE



Racial Discrimination at the University of South Carolina
Workers at USC file discrimination lawsuit

By CHRISTINE SCHWEICKERT Staff Writer

Twenty-six maintenance workers at USC have filed a racial discrimination lawsuit
in U.S. District Court, claiming that the university paid them lower wages and
refused them promotions because they are black.
The filing is the latest turn in a three-year battle. The workers never filed a
formal grievance at USC but took their complaints to a lawyer after informal
efforts failed.
Their attorney, Dennis Bolt, filed the suit Friday.
Last month, the federal Labor Department granted the workers the right to sue in
federal court.
"These men and women look forward to putting their cases before a jury," Bolt
said Tuesday. "The EEOC has already found widespread institutional racial
discrimination, and these plaintiffs take great encouragement from that
finding."
Bolt was referring to a May 2000 statement from the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission that investigators had found "reason to believe" USC discriminated
against the workers.
USC spokesman Russ McKinney called that ruling insignificant. He would not
comment Tuesday on the most recent filing.
Among the 26 workers are electricians, painters, carpenters and other trades
workers.
Of 137 maintenance employees at USC, 34 are black. None of the black employees
holds a management position, although some supervise other workers.