UA bans booster, suspends Garner

SCOTT CAIN
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas has penalized itself by suspending defensive end Randy Garner for one game and banishing a booster for five years in hopes the NCAA will not investigate the football program.
The self-imposed penalties stem from an in-house and SEC investigation into allegations that Arkansas booster and Dallas-area businessman Ted Harrod paid athletes for work they didn't do or overpaid them for minimal work. Such payments, if not in line with normal wages, are considered extra benefits not allowed under NCAA rules.
Besides being a major financial contributor to Arkansas, Harrod is a friend of Athletic Director Frank Broyles.
The results of the university and conference investigation have been forwarded to the NCAA, Coach Houston Nutt said Saturday. Arkansas officials are waiting to hear whether the NCAA will accept the self-imposed penalties without adding to them and whether the association will open its own investigation.
Arkansas' football program never has been given NCAA sanctions. The basketball program was penalized three years ago after a 16-month investigation revealed one major violation and three secondary offenses.
Garner's violation came to light Saturday when he was withheld from practice. Asked about Garner, Nutt acknowledged Garner's NCAA infraction and said he was being withheld until the NCAA rules on his eligibility.
Garner, a senior starter from Atlanta, Texas, accepted $100 for only a few hours of work at Harrod's J&H Trucking last December in Dallas, Nutt said. It's considered a secondary violation, which means only a limited competitive advantage was gained and the incident was isolated.
Garner has repaid the money, Nutt said.
An athlete who accepts extra benefits endangering his eligibility has to be declared ineligible by the school. The school then appeals to the NCAA for reinstatement, which usually is granted in cases of secondary infractions.
No other current players are involved, Nutt said.
Former defensive tackle D.J. Cooper also accepted $100 for a few hours worked during free time the week leading up to the Cotton Bowl, Nutt said. Cooper, defensive MVP of the bowl, has completed his eligibility and no longer can be punished for NCAA rules violations.
Harrod, a Broyles-Matthews donor to Razorbacks athletics, has been told he cannot associate with the school's sports programs for five years, a source within the university said. SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer recommended that the school ban Harrod. Broyles-Matthews is the highest donor level, requiring a minimum $5,000 contribution per year.
Harrod did not return phone messages seeking comment.
Attempts to reach Broyles were unsuccessful.
The university and SEC early this year began investigating allegations that Harrod overpaid athletes in recent years. The inquiry lasted into June.
During the week of Cotton Bowl practices in late December, Harrod's former daughter-in-law, a former J&H partner and a former J&H bookkeeper publicly accused Harrod of paying dozens of Arkansas athletes, including basketball players, in the 1990s for more work than they had done.
Garner was not mentioned then. Cooper was. The other athletes have not been named in the in-house and SEC investigation, a source said.
The violation involving Garner was discovered by SEC investigator William Sievers.
Harrod is a North Little Rock native who attended Texas A&M and played basketball there. He has been a major supporter of the Razorbacks for about 15 years and donated enough money to have a Walton Arena exit named after him.
Harrod and his wife, Linda, are friends of Broyles and his wife, Barbara, and have traveled with them several times.
It is not against NCAA rules for boosters to employ athletes. It's common for players to find summer jobs with booster-owned businesses but they do so through an athletic department representative who monitors the jobs to make sure they're legitimate and not covers for easy money.
Athletes are not allowed to receive benefits that would be unavailable to the average student.
Arkansas athletes have found work with Harrod for more than 10 years, first in an asphalt and paving business he owned and more recently at his trucking company.
"I love our alumni, I think they're the greatest in the world," Nutt said. "[But] understand the rules. Don't get a hold of them during a Cotton Bowl week. Don't do something when you know that it's wrong.
"I love them helping our kids. The one thing we have left is summer jobs. You can work if it's gone through ... proper procedures.
"But when you don't, how tempting is it for a young man to say, 'Come over and get a hundred dollars. Work three hours, four hours, five hours?' Golly, everybody on our team would love to do that, especially during Christmas. Well, I don't think it's a good trade. You're hurting our program. That's the word I want to get out."
Garner has started 24 consecutive games. He led the defensive line in tackles (52) last season and led the team in sacks (5.5) despite playing against the strong side of the line.
Raymond House, Jermaine Petty and Keith Turner will fill in by committee in Garner's absence.
Ends are one of the defense's strengths, along with the linebackers. Nutt is counting on Garner's experience and leadership and is crossing his fingers that the suspension stays at one game.
"I would think just one, for the amount of money you're talking about," Nutt said. "I'm hoping."

This article was published on Sunday, August 27, 2000

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