Running back Craig (Ironhead) Heyward said a...
Running back Craig (Ironhead) Heyward said a University of Pittsburgh assistant coach paid him $500 to wear a jacket promoting a metals company during the team’s stay in Houston last December for the Bluebonnet Bowl.
Heyward told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he knew it was wrong but readily agreed when Frank D’Alonzo, Pitt’s defensive line coach, gave him the money to wear a jacket advertising Summa-Harrison Metal Products Inc., a metal stampings company based in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak.
Heyward said D’Alonzo gave him an initial installment of $100, followed by a $400 lump sum.
Pitt Athletic Director Edward Bozik and a spokesman for Summa-Harrison said Heyward’s allegations were not true.
NCAA rules prohibit amateur athletes from being paid to endorse products, and coaches from paying money to players.
More to Read
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.