The Morning Dish – Monday, June 30th
Miami announces its decision on whether to join the ACC or stay in the Big East today.
Dennehy Update: The FBI has been brought into the disappearance case of Baylor center Patrick James Dennehy, a few days after he was reported missing by head coach Dave Bliss last week. Police and FBI investigators questioned several teammates of Dennehy during the investigation, but none are considered suspects at this point. Dennehy’s SUV was found abandonded with the license plates removed in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Friday, but investigators believe that Dennehy may have been the victim of foul play in the Waco area. Dennehy is a native of the San Francisco peninsula, and played two seasons at New Mexico before transferring to Baylor last year. Pursuant to NCAA transfer rules, Dennehy had sat out last season, but was expected to compete for playing time this season.
Rebel Bell?: UNLV student-athletes will be facing some fraud charges after illegally accessing a school long distance access number and making over $10,000 in telephone calls. At least a dozen UNLV athletes, along with up to 200 UNLV students are suspected of using the access number, which belonged to an assistant football coach. The calls were discovered during an audit in April. The NCAA will be notified once student-athletes are identified.
Tiger Trouble: Auburn University officials met with the NCAA Friday to provide an update on the ongoing investigation into recruiting violations, including improper benefits from an AAU coach. The status update was called because the school had originally promised to have their investigation complete eight months ago. The crux of the situation is an allegation that a sports agent, Mike Walker, paid benefits on Auburn’s behalf to recruit Jackie Butler, who verbally committed to Mississippi State.
Cajuns Cleared: The NCAA has closed the case on allegations against the Louisiana-Lafayette basketball program. At issue was guard Anthony Johnson’s use of head coach Jessie Evans’ mailing address to receive a package, and whether a woman seen in Johnson’s company was a representative of the school. The lowdown: Johnson had a package delivered to the coach because the school’s mail system was spotty, and the woman, identified as Christiana Dartez, is Johnson’s fiancee. No stone left unturned here.
