Memphis submitted its response (PDF) to the NCAA Infractions Committee in response to charges that the university knew of “fraudulence or misconduct” related to a player — widely believed to be Derrick Rose — and paid the travel expenses of an associate of the player. The university redacted all names of coaches and players in its response because of privacy rules. In the reply, Memphis argues that the Tigers should not vacate any wins from the 2007-08 season or face financial penalties.
In Memphis’ report, the university investigated whether the player in question allowed someone else to take an SAT and tampered with grades in high school. ESPN.com received word from Rose’s representatives that he took the SAT that is the subject of the NCAA and Memphis investigations.
Multiple sources have told ESPN.com that representatives of Rose did tell Memphis he took the SAT in question.
Rose, the overall No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA draft and the league’s rookie of the year, was the point guard for the Memphis team that won an NCAA-record 38 games before losing to Kansas in the national championship game.
School officials argue that even if the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions believes a former player cheated, the program should not be penalized because the school was unaware of any wrongdoing.
“At this point, there is not sufficient evidence on which to conclude that [the player] knew or should have known that he was ineligible at the time of his participation in the NCAA championship,” the report says.
Even if Rose is at the center of the investigation, the Tigers’ run to the 2008 national championship game against Kansas ended before the university first learned that Rose might have academic eligibility concerns because of the SAT. The Chicago Sun Times reports some of the details provided in the report about the timeline.
The Educational Testing Service first contacted Rose with questions about his test score on March 17, 2008. The letter was sent to his address at Memphis. They gave him a deadine of April 9, 2008 to submit information. Rose never responded to the request. Memphis played its first NCAA tournament game on March 21, 2008 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The ETS invalidatd the score on May 5, 2008, in a letter to Rose. Memphis was informed by email on May 13, 2008. That is after the basketball season was completed.
ESPN.com also emphasizes that Memphis did not receive official word about the invalidated SAT until after season. Also, the university defends the player’s eligibility based on that timeline.
The report also says the school had no proof the SAT was fraudulent until notified by the Educational Testing Service that the player’s score had been canceled. That letter came May 5, 2008, after Rose’s only season at Memphis.
When asked directly about the tests he was reported to have taken, the report says the player responded that he took each of them himself. The player “did not pursue any of the opportunities made available to him by ETS to attempt to validate his scores. The first notice of these opportunities was sent very late in the basketball season. … At this point, there is not sufficient evidence on which to conclude that he knew or should have known that he was ineligible at the time of his participation in the NCAA championship.
“The university … took all reasonable steps to confirm that [name redacted] had met eligibility requirements,” the report states.
Although the drama involving the SAT did not unfold until after the season, Memphis first learned about potential academic wrongdoing involving Rose shortly before the 2007-08 season started. In October 2007, a Chicago public school employee notified the university that Rose might have been involved in grade tampering. According to the Chicago Sun Times, Memphis did find evidence of a changed grade, but it was not altered by his high school coach.
Rose’s grade was changed on June 22, 2007. That means Simeon coach Robert Smith could not have changed the grades. He was at the NBA camp at the University of Virginia from June 19-25. Memphis interviewed Rose about the grade change and he denied knowing anything about it. According to Memphis the grade change would not have had any effect on his admission to the university or his eligibility with the NCAA Clearinghouse.
Memphis learned that the Chicago Public Schools was investigating Rose’s changed grades in Oct. 2007, before he played a college basketball game. Apparently the initial tip to the CPS about the grade change and the fraudulent test was from a CPS teacher. Memphis also claims that the CPS Inspector General’s office told them that the original source of the rumor (the CPS teacher) denied making the allegation when she was finally questioned.
In addition to exploring the grade change allegations, the university conducted its own detailed investigation, according to ESPN.com.
The school says the only proof of a fraudulent test score comes from a forensic document examiner hired by the NCAA to look at the player’s handwriting samples. She was only able to say that the player’s handwriting “probably” did not match the handwriting on the test. The university says the expert’s conclusion is not strong enough to prove the player knowingly cheated on the exam.
Memphis will take part in an Infractions Committee hearing June 6. Kentucky coach John Calipari, who recruited Rose to Memphis and left the Tigers in March, will call in to answer the committee’s questions. Kentucky officials said they conducted a thorough background check on Calipari and presumably knew about these allegations before hiring Calipari.
