Did Derrick Rose cheat on his SAT?
(
http://yourseason.suntimes.com/boys...52709-derrick-rose-ncaa-investigation.article)
May 27, 2009
BY MICHAEL O'BRIEN
mobrien@chicagosuntimes.com
According to a document obtained by the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, the University of Memphis is responding to NCAA allegations that charge the men’s basketball program with major violations, both of which seem to involve current Chicago Bull and Simeon grad Derrick Rose.
The player’s name is blacked out in the report (a letter from the NCAA to Memphis dated Jan. 16, 2009), but the wording indicates that he only played in the 2007-08 season. Rose is the only Memphis player which meets that criteria.
The exact wording is as follows:
‘‘It is alleged that [blacked out] prospective men’s basketball student-athlete failed to deport himself in accordance with the generally recognized high standards of honesty and sportsmanship normally associated with the conduct and administration of intercollegiate athletics for his knowing fraudulence or misconduct and administration of intercollegiate examination. Specifically, on [blacked out] an unknown individual completed [blacked out] SAT, with [blacked out] knowledge, which was used to obtain his admission into the institution and to certify his NCAA eligibility. [Blacked out] subsequently competed for the men’s basketball team through the 2007-08 season, which included his participation in the 2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.’’
The Commercial-Appeal reported that the player denied the charge through university personnel.
The report requests a copy of the ‘‘Sept. 2, 2008, report pertaining to [blacked out] SAT handwriting examination prepared by Forensic Document Examiner Lee Ann Harmless.
The other major violation claims that Memphis provided $2,260 in extra benefits for an associate of a player during the 2007-08 season. It is not known who that is.
‘‘We take it very seriously. We don’t condone it,’’ Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson told the Commercial-Appeal. ‘‘We’re doing a thorough investigation.’’
Luther Topps, who coached Rose’s club basketball team with Derrick’s brother Reggie, has been aware of the NCAA investigation for three weeks. According to Topps, the NCAA threatened to revoke former Simeon player Tim Flowers college eligibility if Flowers didn’t agree to an interview.
‘‘Tim told me the NCAA kept bothering him,’’ Topps said. ‘‘That if he didn’t talk they were going to take away his eligibility. [The NCAA] thinks that [former Simeon player Kevin Johnson] took [the SAT test] for him.’’
Simeon coach Robert Smith declined to comment on the situation.
‘‘[Smith and I] didn’t know anything about his test,’’ Topps said. ‘‘Reggie moved me and him out of the way long before that, as soon as the money got involved.’’
Neither Reggie nor Derrick Rose responded to calls from the Sun-Times.