Former Illinois football recruiter Gary Horton says...
Former Illinois football recruiter Gary Horton says he did break some NCAA rules but suggested it often was out of compassion for the athletes.
Horton, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was named by the NCAA as one of the Illinois assistant coaches involved in recruiting violations.
“We made mistakes, but we had no plan to cheat--nothing organized,” Horton told the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette. “We had responsibilties to look after these young men who came so far, some of them lacking the necessities to live in this climate.”
The NCAA placed Illinois on probation, barring its football team from bowl games last season and television next season.
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