
RECRUITING
Teachable Moment: SMU Recieves the Death Penalty
Dallas in the 1980's was filled with greed, power and corruption that spilled from the oil fields onto the SMU football field. The story of SMU from the 1980s is truly relevant in today's world of payouts from agents to college football players.
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SMU football had already been placed on three years' probation in 1985 for recruiting violations. At the time, it had been on probation seven times (including five times since 1974), more than any other school in Division I-A
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As a result:
* The 1987 season was canceled; only conditioning drills (without pads) were permitted until the spring of 1988.
* All home games in 1988 were canceled. SMU was allowed to play their seven regularly scheduled away games so that other institutions would not be financially affected. The university ultimately chose to cancel the away games as well.
* The team's existing probation was extended to 1990. Its existing ban from bowl games and live television was extended to 1989.
* SMU lost 55 new scholarship positions over 4 years.
The team was allowed to hire only five full-time assistant coaches instead of the typical nine.
* No off-campus recruiting was permitted until August 1988, and no paid visits could be made to campus by potential recruits until the start of the 1988–89 school year.
​Teachable Moment: Timeline: Colorado Recruiting Investigation​
December 1997: High school student reports she was sexually assaulted by two Colorado recruits at a party. No charges filed because witnesses can't corroborate the allegations. Recruits do not enroll.
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February 1998: Mary Keenan and other Boulder County prosecutors meet with university lawyers and the chancellor. Keenan later says she put athletic officials "on notice" about concerns dealing with sex and alcohol involving recruits. Athletic director Richard Tharp says he has a different memory of the meeting.
Dec. 7, 2001: Colorado football players and recruits attend off-campus party; two women later say they were raped at the party and a third says she was assaulted in a dorm room afterward. The three later file federal gender-discrimination lawsuits against the school.
April 2002: Prosecutors decide against rape charges in the case.
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May 3: Prosecutors file felony charges against four football players for allegedly providing alcohol to minors at the party. The next day, school confirms it has revoked scholarships of four players.
Oct. 27, 2003: Sworn statements from Keenan, now district attorney, are released suggesting prosecutors decided against sexual assault charges because men had "third-party consent" to have sex with at least one woman at the party.
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Jan. 28: A deposition by Keenan is released in which she accuses Colorado's athletic department of using sex and alcohol as recruiting tools.
Jan. 29: Barnett, Tharp and others deny Keenan's allegations. Gov. Bill Owens demands public accounting.
Feb. 2: University President Elizabeth Hoffman announces an independent commission appointed by regents will look into Keenan's allegations.
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Feb 6: Keenan says investigators will re-examine allegations about rape at the party. Broomfield police say athletic department may be tied to an incident involving an escort service.
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Feb. 10: Denver adult entertainment company says Colorado football players hired strippers for recruiting parties.
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Feb. 13: Colorado says escort service was called from a cell phone once assigned to former football recruiting assistant Nathan Maxcey. Maxcey says there was no connection to players or recruits.
Feb. 17: Former Colorado kicker Katie Hnida tells Sports Illustrated she was raped by a teammate in 2000.​
Feb. 18: Police release report in which a woman says she was sexually assaulted by a football player in September 2001 and that Barnett told her he would back his player if charges were pursued. No charges were filed. Barnett placed on paid leave for comments attributed to him in the police report and for disparaging Hnida's athletic ability.​
Feb. 20: Assistant coach Brian Cabral named interim football coach.​
Feb. 25: John DiBiaggio, former president of the universities of Connecticut, Michigan State and Tufts, hired as temporary liaison between university administration and athletics department.​
March 4: University announces stricter football recruiting rules.
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March 11: NCAA officials tell House subcommittee hearing in Washington new recruiting standards are being considered.
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May 11: Salazar decides against filing criminal charges in nine alleged sexual assaults involving football players.
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May 14: Police clear second football player in report by woman who said she was raped after meeting two men at a tavern in August 2002. One of the players had accused police of racial profiling​
May 18: Regents' panel releases final report: Evidence of drug, alcohol and drug use to entice recruits but no suggestion that university officials condoned misconduct.​
May 21: Statewide grand jury hears testimony from woman who says a school aide handed over $2,000 in cash to a call girl service.​
