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Expansion not the only item on FSU's hot burner
From staff and AP wire reports
[ Originally posted 06.13.03. ]
Atlantic Coast Conference expansion may soon move down a
notch or two on the priority list of immediate concerns in the Florida State
University department of athletics.
A Thursday Associated Press report out of Tallahassee, FL,
indicated that FSU athletic administrators and their overseers may bear the
brunt of the repercussions from a report by an outside consulting firm that
scrutinized the department's operations at the direction of the school's
president.
Florida State has been one of the biggest proponents of the
ACC's controversial and ongoing effort to annex three Big East schools. The
problems to be cited by the consultant, however, are centered on
off-the-field concerns unrelated to issues the conference has encountered in
its highly-publicized courting of Miami, Boston College and Syracuse.
FSU trustees will hear recommendations for sweeping changes
in the athletic department and a shakeup of the school's athletic board in
the wake of a gambling investigation, a source familiar with the report
said.
Some university officials will be reprimanded as a result of the review, the
source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press.
Athletic director David Hart Jr. and assistant directors Andy Urbanic and
Bob Minnix were criticized in an earlier report for how the university
handled gambling allegations involving former Seminoles quarterback Adrian
McPherson. That investigation, conducted by three law enforcement agencies,
was requested by the university.
Hart, one of the most influential bosses in college sports,
served as athletic director at East Carolina before taking over the reigns
of the Seminoles program. A concern raised by many observers
when FSU selected Hart as its AD in 1995 centered on the challenges the
respected young administrator might encounter in being the superior of the school's
revered football coaching icon, Bobby Bowden.
More than 50 recommendations for operational changes are included in the
report, which was to be presented to the trustees at a meeting Friday.
"The major thrust of the report is the athletic department has not been a
part of the university,'' the source said. "The idea is to bring it back
into the university.''
The review, which cost the school $37,000, began earlier this year. It was
conducted by Mary Moak for MGT of America, a Tallahassee-based higher
education consulting firm. Moak's analysis looks at communication within the
athletic department, chain of command and other organizational issues. She
did a similar review of policies at the University of Texas.
The study was ordered by Florida State University President T.K. Wetherell,
who wanted to ensure that problems that arise with athletes are handled in
compliance with the law, Florida State's code of conduct and NCAA rules.
"Something has gone awry,'' Wetherell said in May when asked about the
review.
The report will recommend restructuring the school's athletic board, which
approves policy changes in the athletic department. It is presently
comprised of students, alumni, faculty and boosters and chaired by longtime
NCAA faculty representative Chuck Ehrhardt.
Wetherell could expand the report's recommendations and make additional
changes on his own.
A former football star at Florida State, Wetherell has been frustrated by
the attention given off-field problems concerning the athletic department.
The school's 13 trustees will also hear a report from the school's inspector
general on issues related to the gambling investigation. McPherson's
misdemeanor gambling trial ended last week in a hung jury when one of the
six jurors held out for acquittal.
McPherson was dismissed from the football team in late November after he was
charged with stealing a blank check and receiving stolen goods after the
check was later forged by someone, made out for $3,500 and cashed. The money
has not been recovered.
Police charged McPherson with gambling following an investigation into the
stolen check case. The gambling issues played a role in the study but are
not the sole focus of the report, Ken Boutwell, MGT's chief operating
officer, said last month.
"We're looking at a much, much bigger picture,'' he said.
The study is separate from an internal investigation by the school's
inspector general on the gambling allegations contained in the law
enforcement report.
Copyright 2003
Bonesville.net. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 10:36:37 AM
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