University of Georgia Releases Records Detailing Three Recruiting Violations

The University of Georgia released part of the records pertaining to NCAA investigations of its athletic program Thursday after the Georgia Supreme Court lifted an order delaying the disclosure.

The records detail three violations by Georgia athletic representatives in the recruitment of football player George Smith in 1981 and 1982. The violations--recruitment inducements, excessive contacts and transportation--led the NCAA to publicly reprimand Georgia, impose a one-year probation and strip the university of three scholarships.

The NCAA ruled that a $500 check given to Smith by businessman Elton Don Brooks for working at an auto parts store was “in excess of the going rate,” according to the documents. Brooks, as an athletic representative of Georgia, should not have hired Smith, a prospective athlete, the NCAA had said.

Another violation documented in the reports was then-assistant football coach Wayne McDuffie’s arranging transportation to south Georgia for Smith from New Orleans and from Florida.

Universities are allowed three recruitment contacts with prospective athletes, under NCAA guidelines. But, according to the reports, McDuffie contacted Smith Feb. 10, 1982, marking the school’s fourth contact.

The NCAA investigation of the Georgia football program, initiated after the close of the Smith inquiry, resulted recently in the removal of 14 football scholarships over two years, but the NCAA did not impose sanctions on the team’s television and bowl appearances.