
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 20, 1990                   TAG: 9003202442
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: COLUMBIA, S.C.                                 LENGTH: Medium

CLEMSON ADMITS BREAKING RULES

Clemson admitted Monday that its football program has broken NCAA rules since 1984, but the school said the violations were either isolated or unintentional and did not create a competitive advantage.

The confession came in a synopsis of Clemson's written response to allegations by the NCAA that the school's football program violated a number of NCAA rules.

In a letter accompanying the report, Clemson President Max Lennon said the university's internal investigation determined that some of the allegations were true. He also said many of the charges were not substantiated.

"The university believes that the violations that did occur created no recruiting or competitive advantage for Clemson University and were either isolated or inadvertent in nature," Lennon wrote in his one-page letter.

"The university does not believe that a pattern of violations of any kind existed over the six-year period of time from 1984 through the present, the period under review by the NCAA," Lennon said. "It would appear most of the violations were the result of an inaccurate understanding of certain rules or a lack of sound judgment that can be corrected."

One of the allegations the school said it could not substantiate is likely the most serious: On at least two occasions a player received $50 to $150 from a coach, then distributed the money to selected teammates.

The school said it was able to substantiate a portion of another charge in which a booster twice gave a player $50. The booster denied giving any money to a player, the school said.

One of the allegations charges six coaches with having 11 illegal contacts with recruits. The school said three "unintentional technical violations may have occurred, but [it] does not believe that they were for recruiting purposes."

"They took place when Clemson coaches were conducting proper visits to high schools and unintentional contacts occurred," the school said, adding it was unable to substantiate the other eight alleged illegal contacts.

The six violations Clemson admitted included the purchase of a $6 meal, a sweatshirt and cap given recruits and illegal contacts with recruits.

by CNB