Presidents Lukewarm to Football Playoff

Despite a 70-minute presentation from Nike, Inc., and Creative Artists Agency that promised as much as $102 million for a college football playoff, the Presidents Commission said it will not put a question on the ballot at January’s NCAA convention asking schools if they want to pursue it.

Other groups could do so, but the lukewarm response by the powerful commission is not good news for playoff proponents.

“It’s fair to say there’s no great enthusiasm for (a playoff),” UCLA Chancellor Charles Young said Wednesday at a news conference after the commission’s summer meeting at Kansas City.

At the urging of Dick Schultz, the NCAA’s lame-duck executive director, the commission listened to the presentation on playoff possibilities Tuesday and agreed to discuss the concept.

Some presidents had speculated that they might ask schools to indicate at the January convention if they wished to pursue a playoff. A similar question at the 1988 convention received a resounding nay vote.

“There is no plan to put an action item on the agenda,” Young said.

Nike and CAA promised the presidents about $30 million net profit on a two-team playoff, $60 million for a four-team series and about $102 million for a playoff system involving eight teams.

Many presidents said they were worried a playoff would conflict with their stated philosophy of decreasing commercialism in athletics.

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Former Auburn coach Pat Dye and assistant Larry Blakeney were among those appearing before an NCAA committee investigating major rules violations against the Auburn football program.

The NCAA Infractions Committee is holding a hearing on charges by former Auburn player Eric Ramsey that players were paid by boosters and coaches. Nine major charges have been leveled against Auburn.

The hearing could last through today.

Auburn officials are optimistic a verdict will be in before the football season begins on Sept. 2. A finding of guilt could result in penalties that include at least two years of probation, recruiting limits and no television or bowl appearances for a year.

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A former academic adviser in the University of Miami athletic department has agreed to plead guilty to one count of felony fraud in connection with the school’s Pell Grant scandal.

Tony Russell, 45, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury. He faces up to five years in prison and a $440,000 fine for helping 91 students file more than 350 fraudulent documents to obtain grants from 1989 to 1991. Almost all of the students were athletes.

Russell, the only university employee charged in the scandal, will be sentenced within 60 days.

The NCAA will investigate the scandal after federal prosecutors finish their probe, said David Berst, the NCAA’s assistant executive director for enforcement.

Hockey

Alexandre Daigle, who signed a five-year deal with the Ottawa Senators for $12.25 million after he was the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL draft, will live with an Ottawa-area family for at least his rookie season.

“Not too many 18-year-olds are great cooks,” said Randy Sexton, president and general manager of the Senators. “We want him to get good nutrition and be able to focus on training.”

The New Jersey Devils hired former Montreal and King defenseman Larry Robinson as assistant coach, giving the franchise another former Canadien player.

Robinson joins former teammate and coach Jacques Lemaire, who was hired Monday as New Jersey’s coach.

Miscellany

Granada Hills High senior Kristine Quance was honored with the Frank E. McKinney Jr. Memorial Award, presented annually to the nation’s outstanding female high school swimmer.

Quance’s times were faster than those of the boys’ winners at the City Section championships. In both of her events, she set national records, touching in 1 minute 59.93 seconds in the 200-yard individual medley and 1:01.79 in the 100 breaststroke. Quance will be a freshman at USC next fall.

Names in the News

New Mexico has lost football and baseball recruit Rantie Harper to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals chose Harper, who graduated recently from Point Loma High in San Diego, in the eighth round of last month’s amateur baseball draft.

UCLA forward Ed O’Bannon was named to the U.S. basketball team that will compete in the World University Games July 8-17 at Buffalo, N.Y.

Lisa Leslie of USC scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Jennifer Azzi of Stanford added 19 points as the United States opened the medal round of the women’s World Championship qualifying tournament at Sao Paulo, Brazil with an 89-78 victory over Cuba.