Kentucky Releases 3 More NCAA Allegations

The full text of three more National Collegiate Athletic Assn. allegations of wrongdoing against the University of Kentucky basketball program were released by the school Thursday, leaving only one of the 18 allegations undisclosed.

University spokesman Bernie Vonderheide said the school is not releasing one of the allegations because it has been informed that attorneys for Eric Manuel are expected to appeal the judgment on that allegation.

Manuel contends that the allegation, which includes a charge that he cheated on a 1987 college-entrance exam, is exempt from disclosure under state and federal law.

One of the allegations released Thursday on orders from a circuit court judge accused Dwane Casey, assistant basketball coach, of allowing an improper recruiting contact between Lawrence Funderburke of Columbus, Ohio, and Casey’s friend Janet Green. The NCAA said the alleged contact occurred when Casey and Green attended a basketball game at Funderburke’s school, Columbus Wherle High School, last December.

“I have never met Janet Green. She’s a longtime friend of coach Casey. So, that’s all I know about that,” Kentucky Coach Eddie Sutton said at a news conference Thursday.

Another allegation identifies Bill Chupil, a Columbus basketball talent scout, as “a representative of the university’s athletic interests.” It alleges that Chupil provided round-trip automobile transportation for recruit Funderburke and Mark Johnson, a friend of Funderburke’s, to travel to Lexington in June, 1987.

The NCAA also alleged that, during the trip, Funderburke attended a portion of the university’s summer basketball camp at no charge and Johnson was given a T-shirt.

The third allegation said that misleading information was given to NCAA investigators by Casey, Manuel and sophomore guard Sean Sutton, son of Eddie Sutton, last July. The NCAA said the information involved their knowledge of transportation of Manuel and Sutton to Lexington Lafayette High School in June, 1987, to take a college entrance examination.

The school has until Jan. 30 to respond to the allegations.

“The university will make no interpretation of any of the allegations,” Vonderheide said.

Joe Burch, interim athletics director, was unavailable for comment Thursday.

The university released the first allegation earlier this year, and Fayette Circuit Judge George Barker has ordered the school to release the complete texts of the 16 others, which Kentucky initially released in summary form.