3 Men Indicted for Illegally Dispensing Steroids to College Athletes

Vanderbilt University weight coach E.J. (Doc) Kreis, a pharmacist and the pharmacist’s former aide were indicted Friday on charges of illegally dispensing more than 97,000 doses of muscle-building steroids and other prescription drugs to athletes at three universities.

The 97-count indictment returned by the Davidson County grand jury after a three-month investigation claimed that the drugs went to athletes at Vanderbilt, Clemson and Colgate universities.

Indicted with Kreis were M. Woody Wilson, who formerly operated a pharmacy two blocks from the Vanderbilt campus, and Thomas Patterson, a former employee of the drug store.

The defendants were named in a conspiracy count, and the remaining 96 counts dealt with dispensing drugs without a prescription. Kreis was named in seven of the dispensing counts, Wilson in 91 and Patterson in five.

Arzo Carson, chief of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said that about 5,000 or 6,000 doses went to Clemson, approximately 1,700 doses went to Colgate, and the rest was used by the 43 current and former Vanderbilt football players named as unindicted co-conspirators.

An investigation into the source of a drug found during an autopsy of a Clemson track star led to Vanderbilt at the start of the year.

Mack Brown, a first-year football coach, was named athletic director at Tulane, where scandals involving point-shaving and NCAA violations toppled the men’s basketball program.

Brown, 33, replaced Hindman Wall, who resigned last week after nine years at Tulane. Wall, whose resignation is effective June 30, said he was worn out by three years of turmoil in the athletic department, culminating in the basketball scandals. He said he had known nothing of the violations.

A judge at Tampa, Fla., has delayed sentencing of Denny McLain until Thursday. McLain, the last major league pitcher to win 30 games in one season, was convicted of loan-sharking, bookmaking, extortion and cocaine possession.

U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich granted the delay at the request of defense attorney Arnold D. Levine.

McLain, 41, faces a maximum sentence of 75 years in prison.

UNLV basketball Coach Jerry Tarkanian expressed optimism about signing Tommy Lewis, an All-American prep basketball player from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana.

Tarkanian said he thinks the 6-7 Lewis will sign with the Rebels unless “something bizarre happens.”

Tarkanian said he spent three hours Wednesday night with Lewis, who has narrowed his choices to UNLV and Syracuse. Lewis is expected to decide this weekend.

Three former U.S. Olympic boxing medalists, among them heavyweight Tyrell Biggs, who is continuing his recovery from drug and alcohol abuse, will fight in scheduled six-round bouts today at Corpus Christi, Tex.

Biggs, a gold medalist in the super-heavyweight class during last summer’s Olympic Games, is matched against Mike Perkins, 15-7-1, of Hallandale, Fla. Biggs is 1-0.

He will be joined by lightweight gold medalist Pernell Whitaker, 3-0, of Norfolk, Va., who is matched against Nicky Parker, 13-4-1, of Erie, Ohio. Light-heavyweight bronze medalist Evander Holyfield, 3-0, of Atlanta, will box Mark Rivera, 9-1, of Cleveland.