UMinn Scandal Escalates

By
Arnie Stapleton
January 7, 2006, 5:08 AM ET
2 min read

M I N N E A P O L I S, Aug. 1, 2000 -- Former Minnesota basketball coach Clem Haskins has acknowledged being the source of $3,000 given to a woman to tutor Gopher basketball players after she had been disassociated from the program, the university said today.

In his lawyer’s response to an NCAA letter of inquiry, Haskinsacknowledged the payment to former tutor Jan Gangelhoff in spring1998, university attorney Mark Rotenberg said.

Haskins denied to university investigators that he had paidGangelhoff to work with players after she had been disassociatedfrom the program. The university’s investigation had concluded thathe ws the only “reasonable source” of the payment.

Haskins’ personal financial records, turned over to the NCAA,showed the payment was made, Rotenberg said.

Scandal Broke in 1999

The scandal broke in March 1999 when Gangelhoff told the St.Paul Pioneer Press she did more than 400 pieces of coursework forup to 20 players.

The university launched an investigation that took nine monthsand led to a 1,000-page report now in the hands of the NCAA. Theuniversity paid $1.5 million to buy out Haskins’ contract in June1999.

Gangelhoff had told investigators she continued to tutor AntoineBroxsie, a player, in 1998 after then-academic counselor AlonzoNewby gave her sister $3,000 in cash in an unmarked envelope. Hersister then passed it to her, Gangelhoff said.

Rotenberg said the university has not decided whether it wouldtry to reclaim the $1.5 million buyout to Haskins, but said lawyersare looking into it.

“It’s not going to happen this week,” Rotenberg said.

University May Press Charges

Rotenberg said the university might consider a claim of“fraudulent inducement” if school officials could show theydidn’t have information on the payment when they bought outHaskins’ contract.

A call to Ron Zamansky, Haskins’ attorney, wasn’t immediatelyreturned this afternoon.

University officials will appear at an NCAA infractionscommittee hearing later this month to argue that the basketballprogram shouldn’t be penalized beyond the self-sanctions alreadyimposed.

Those include reducing the number of basketball scholarships,banning postseason play this past season, giving up past TV andNCAA tournament revenue totaling an estimated $350,000 andrestricting recruiting.