Friday, March 19, 2010

“Rules violations put Nevada's golf program on probation (USA Today)” plus 3 more

“Rules violations put Nevada's golf program on probation (USA Today)” plus 3 more

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Rules violations put Nevada's golf program on probation (USA Today)

Posted: 19 Mar 2010 09:33 AM PDT

The NCAA investigation that began more than two years ago determined that Rich Merritt, former coach of both the men's and women's teams at various times, bought athletes beer, paid for meals and lodging, and helped cover travel expenses for one to try to qualify for the U.S. Open.

He also broke the rules by paying one woman Wolf Pack golfer $25 to complete two "crass acts" on a dare, one "involving the regurgitation of food and the other, spitting," the NCAA said.

Nevada athletic director Cary Groth suspended Merritt for three matches after an internal investigation confirmed the allegations regarding meals and an airline ticket. He resigned in May 2008.

In addition to putting the school on probation through March 2013, each golf team loses the equivalent of half a scholarship for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. The NCAA also publicly reprimanded and censured the school. Any new violations while on probation likely would bring stiffer sanctions.

Nevada officials had been most concerned about allegations leveled by a former women's soccer coach at the school that Merritt had bet on sports in Nevada casinos in violation of NCAA rules.

The NCCA's Committee on Infractions said in its report that it found no proof of that but noted investigators spoke to several people who "expressed their belief that the former head coach wagered on sporting events."

Enforcement staff requested access to Merritt's financial records to "confirm or repudiate this information."

While the checking account "showed a significant number of transactions at casinos in Reno and Las Vegas," Merritt refused access to his credit accounts, the NCAA said.

In addition to Merritt providing an airplane ticket for one golfer to fly to the U.S. Open Qualifying Sectional Tournament in Ohio in 2007, Merritt's father paid for a golfer's flight to U.S. Open Qualifying in Colorado in 2005.

The father, who was not named in the report, provided housing for team members a number of times and at least once paid for their $350 rounds of golf at his unidentified country club in California, the NCAA said.

University president Milt Glick said Thursday the penalties are appropriate. He said it was the school itself that helped provide information to the NCAA that resulted in Merritt's resignation.

"The system worked," Glick said.

Both the internal probe and subsequent NCAA investigation were triggered by the whistle-blower complaint filed by Terri Patraw, who was fired as soccer coach in 2007.

Groth said earlier the school's internal probe had found no evidence of gambling or the incident involving the regurgitated food.

"An athletics program is always stronger for having gone through an investigation, an accreditation process or a self-review," Groth said Thursday.

Patraw, who is suing the school for reinstatement, said in a statement that she felt vindicated by the NCAA findings even though they failed to prove her gambling allegations.

Tiger Woods chooses new logo for golf bag (MSNBC)

Posted: 19 Mar 2010 11:23 AM PDT

PALM HARBOR, Fla. - Tiger Woods will feature a new Nike logo on his golf bag, replacing AT&T, when he returns to play at the Masters next month, his agent said Friday.

"We are not actively pursuing new business partnerships at this point in time," Mark Steinberg, Woods' agent at IMG, said Friday in a text message. Steinberg said Woods will be using the "TW" brand at Nike, his longest corporate sponsor.

The "TW" brand logo will be the fourth logo on Woods' bag in his professional career. He started with Titleist from 1996 before signing an endorsement deal with Buick that lasted through the 2008, ending early when GM filed for bankruptcy.

The golf bag and hat are the two areas in golf where companies get the most television exposure.

AT&T dropped him as a sponsor Dec. 31 in the midst of the infidelity scandal. It was the second sponsor — behind Accenture — to drop Woods over revelations he had been cheating on his wife. AT&T is still the title sponsor of Woods' tournament, although Woods will not be the tournament host this year.

Most of Nike's golfers have a clean look, with only the swoosh visible from head-to-toe. Woods was among the exceptions. Anthony Kim recently signed a deal to have Royal Bank of Canada on his bag.


Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

NCAA probation for Nevada; golf coach broke rules (AP via Yahoo! Sports)

Posted: 18 Mar 2010 05:03 PM PDT

RENO, Nev. (AP)—The NCAA placed Nevada's athletic department on probation for three years and fined it $1,500 on Thursday because of an ex-golf coach's major rules violations but concluded there was no proof he gambled on college games and cleared all other sports of wrongdoing.

The NCAA investigation that began more than two years ago determined that Rich Merritt, former coach of both the men's and women's teams at various times, bought athletes beer, paid for meals and lodging, and helped cover travel expenses for one to try to qualify for the U.S. Open.

He also broke the rules by paying one woman Wolf Pack golfer $25 to complete two "crass acts" on a dare, one "involving the regurgitation of food and the other, spitting," the NCAA said.

Nevada athletic director Cary Groth suspended Merritt for three matches after an internal investigation confirmed the allegations regarding meals and an airline ticket. He resigned in May 2008.

In addition to putting the school on probation through March 2013, each golf team loses the equivalent of half a scholarship for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. The NCAA also publicly reprimanded and censured the school. Any new violations while on probation likely would bring stiffer sanctions.

Nevada officials had been most concerned about allegations leveled by a former women's soccer coach at the school that Merritt had bet on sports in Nevada casinos in violation of NCAA rules.

The NCCA's Committee on Infractions said in its report that it found no proof of that but noted investigators spoke to several people who "expressed their belief that the former head coach wagered on sporting events."

Enforcement staff requested access to Merritt's financial records to "confirm or repudiate this information."

While the checking account "showed a significant number of transactions at casinos in Reno and Las Vegas," Merritt refused access to his credit accounts, the NCAA said.

In addition to Merritt providing an airplane ticket for one golfer to fly to the U.S. Open Qualifying Sectional Tournament in Ohio in 2007, Merritt's father paid for a golfer's flight to U.S. Open Qualifying in Colorado in 2005.

The father, who was not named in the report, provided housing for team members a number of times and at least once paid for their $350 rounds of golf at his unidentified country club in California, the NCAA said.

University president Milt Glick said Thursday the penalties are appropriate. He said it was the school itself that helped provide information to the NCAA that resulted in Merritt's resignation.

"The system worked," Glick said.

Both the internal probe and subsequent NCAA investigation were triggered by the whistle-blower complaint filed by Terri Patraw, who was fired as soccer coach in 2007.

Groth said earlier the school's internal probe had found no evidence of gambling or the incident involving the regurgitated food.

"An athletics program is always stronger for having gone through an investigation, an accreditation process or a self-review," Groth said Thursday.

Patraw, who is suing the school for reinstatement, said in a statement that she felt vindicated by the NCAA findings even though they failed to prove her gambling allegations.

digg del.icio.us
more

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Golf-Willis takes first-round lead at Tampa (Reuters via Yahoo! Sports)

Posted: 18 Mar 2010 04:03 PM PDT

TAMPA, March 18 (Reuters) - American Garrett Willis, playing on a sponsors exemption, gained a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Tampa Bay Championship at the Innisbrook golf club and resort on Thursday.

Willis produced a six-under-par round of 65, with just a bogey on the par four third, to have a two shot advantage over six players including Retief Goosen and Jim Furyk.

The 36-year-old, whose only win on the PGA Tour came over nine years ago in Tucson, took advantage of lighter winds for the early starters, making 30 on the back nine.

"I was fortunate to get off early before the wind really started kicking up, … when there is wind here then it is very difficult. So I was happy to get done when I did," he said.

Two-times U.S. Open winner Goosen from South Africa and Swede Carl Pettersson were the two international players tied in second along with Americans Furyk, Jonathan Byrd, Jeff Maggert and Rickie Fowler.

Goosen said the direction of the wind was causing particular problems, even though he coped well.

"It was playing cross on the whole course, every shot there was a cross wind. There were no holes where you were really playing downwind or straight into the wind," he said.

Pettersson, who won the first of his three PGA Tour events on the Innisbrook course, is aiming for his second top 10 finish of the year.

Ireland's Padraig Harrington, who dashed back to Tampa after attending a St. Patrick's Day party at the White House on Wednesday, shot a two-under 69, helped by a birdie on the tough 445 yard par four 18th, which features 10 bunkers.

Last year's British Open winner Stewart Cink had a nightmare start and faces a fight to avoid the cut after firing seven over.

Cink made a horrendous start and was seven over after eight holes having made 17 putts and hitting just three greens in the gusty winds.

Spain's Sergio Garcia and Britain's Ian Poulter both finished two over while Fiji's Vijay Singh withdrew before the start due to a back injury and was replaced by Maggert. (Reporting by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing Peter Rutherford; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

digg del.icio.us
more

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
Posted by at

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)