Oregon Insider: Ohio State case offers some idea of what the NCAA might do with the Ducks

Oregon fans attending next week's Rose Bowl might want to savor the experience.

Who knows when they will be back again?

The ongoing NCAA investigation into Oregon's recruiting receded into the background during the Ducks' run to the first Pac-12 championship and a third straight appearance in a BCS bowl game.

But the NCAA investigators haven't gone away and, at some point, they are going to decide whether there is enough evidence to issue a notice of allegations.

The NCAA acted against Ohio State last week, taking away three scholarships from the Buckeyes for each of the next three recruiting classes and slapping them with a one-season ban on postseason play.

That means no Big 10 championship, and no bowl next year.

There was some teeth-gnashing in Columbus, Ohio, over the verdict, which is a little harsher than what the Buckeyes proposed for themselves. But, really, Ohio State didn't get off too badly.

Three scholarships a year is a small fraction of the allowable 85. It's nothing compared with the 10-per-year limitation USC faces for the next three years, NCAA penalties stemming from the Reggie Bush mess. USC's bowl ban, which has been served, was two years.

It's difficult to know what is in store for the Ducks. NCAA investigations are hush-hush, and really, you never know what the NCAA might do if we get around to the penalty phase.

For their part, the Ducks are revealing only that which state open records law forces them to reveal.

Oregon hired the law firm Bond, Schoeneck & King in March to conduct an internal investigation into the matter. According to a heavily-redacted invoice released after a records request from the Oregonian, the firm still was plugging away in November, conducting interviews and conferencing.

This has been going on since March, so clearly there has been plenty of ground to cover, possibly involving more than Houston-based talent scout Willie Lyles.

Remember, the allegations first surfaced about Lyles' mentorship of five-star recruit Lache Seastrunk. Seastrunk, from Temple, Texas signed with Oregon in 2010. Shortly thereafter, Oregon purchased a $25,000 national recruiting package from Complete Scouting Services, which was owned and operated by Lyles.

The materials received for the 25-grand were revealed to be largely outdated and useless. Lyles since has suggested that perhaps the Ducks were paying more for his access and influence than for his scouting service.

As it turns out, he had advisor/mentorship roles with a number of Texas prep players who turned up at Oregon, including Seastrunk, LaMichael James, Dontae Williams, Tra Carson and Marcus Davis. Lyles' connections with other schools, such as LSU and California, have also been called into question.

Documents made public by Oregon in response to records requests reveal a number of phone calls between Lyles and coaches and employees of the UO football program, particularly around important dates on the recruiting calendar. So there is plenty of smoke surrounding the Lyles-Oregon relationship.

But the documents, which include email exchanges, also reveal a cordial working relationship between the Bond, Schoeneck & King attorneys, UO administrators and the NCAA investigators. It appears from what we've been allowed to see, that Oregon is cooperating completely with the NCAA.

This is important. Greg Sankey, associate commissioner of the Southeastern Conference and a member of the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions, said Ohio State "met its obligation to cooperate" with the NCAA.

By contrast, former USC athletic director Mike Garrett thumbed his nose at NCAA investigators.

In the end, the NCAA hit Ohio State with the charge of "failure to monitor" Jim Tressel's football program. USC was hammered with the more serious "lack of institutional control."

It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots and see that the NCAA slammed USC not only for rules violations, but also for not taking the NCAA rules and the school's obligation to enforce them seriously.

Oregon apparently is playing ball with the NCAA, which should count for something if and when the time comes.

But Ohio State played ball too, and next year the Buckeyes will be home for the holidays.

Ken Goe: 503-221-8040;
kgoe@oregonian.com
twitter.com/KenGoe

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2011/12/oregon_insider_ohio_state_case.html

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