Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 30, 1990 TAG: 9005300264
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RALEIGH, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
The amount of the repayment is 90 percent of N.C. State's net earnings from the 1987 and 1988 NCAA tournaments, Shackleford's sophomore and junior years.
The repayment to the NCAA will come from money raised by the athletic department, such as revenue from ticket sales and television contracts, said Harold B. Hopfenberg, N.C. State's outgoing athletics director.
In February, Shackleford admitted accepting more than $60,000 from two men during his final two years at N.C. State. He said one payment had been from a sports agent seeking to represent him, and the other a loan that he since has repaid.
The NCAA prohibits athletes from accepting money from fans or athletic-program boosters while competing in intercollegiate athletics. Those who do so are ruled ineligible.
Use of ineligible players in NCAA competition can lead to penalties if either the player or the school was aware of the ineligibility.
University counsel Becky R. French said Tuesday that no decision would be made on whether to file suit against Shackleford to recoup the loss until related criminal investigations were concluded.
"We don't want to intervene and file a civil suit while a criminal investigation is going on," French told The News and Observer of Raleigh. "When that is over, we will definitely make a decision."
North Carolina and New Jersey law enforcement officials have been investigating allegations linking Shackleford to point-shaving while at N.C. State.
Those investigations were prompted by an ABC News report, which alleged that Robert D. Kramer III, a New Jersey businessman, had paid Shackleford and three teammates to shave points in as many as four games during the 1987-88 season. No other player was identified in the report.
Shackleford later admitted accepting loans from Kramer, but both men have vehemently denied any knowledge of, or involvement in, point-shaving.
Wake District Attorney C. Colon Willoughby Jr. said his office was continuing to investigate "point-shaving and gambling as it's connected to N.C. State athletics," but offered no timetable for finishing the inquiry. The State Bureau of Investigation also is involved in that probe.
N.C. State was informed of the latest penalty in a letter dated May 22 from David Berst, the NCAA's enforcement chief. That letter, addressed to Chancellor Larry K. Monteith, was made public Tuesday.
Berst asked the university to return the tournament earnings "as soon as possible," but set no deadline. He also noted that N.C. State would be stripped of its participation in the 1987 and 1988 tournaments.
Hopfenberg said he would ask whether the payments could be extended beyond one year, noting that the amount due represented more than three percent of the athletic department's $12 million budget.
The fine would have been much greater if the Wolfpack fared better in the tournament, but the team lost in the first round each year.
In December, the Wolfpack basketball program was put on probation for two years and barred from postseason play for one year for separate violations involving the improper sale of complimentary tickets and shoes.
Hopfenberg and French said they weren't surprised by the NCAA's decision to seek repayment of tournament earnings, noting that Shackleford had admitted the violation.
"We fully expected this is what would be applied," French said.
Monteith was on vacation out of the country and could not be reached for comment.
Neither Shackleford, who plays for the NBA's New Jersey Nets, nor his lawyer could be reached for comment.
by CNB