Kentucky U Probes Gift of $20,000 to Asst. Coaches

Kentucky basketball coach Eddie Sutton employed help from a friend in raising $20,000 in outside income for two assistant coaches, a possible violation of NCAA rules, the university has reported to the NCAA.

The Louisville Courier-Journal reported in today’s editions it had obtained a portion of the university’s response to 18 NCAA charges of rules violations, a response which has not been made public.

Sutton and assistant coaches Dwane Casey and James Dickey contend the outside income was not a violation, but “the university does not agree” with that interpretation, the response said.

After Casey and Dickey were turned down for raises by then-Athletic Director Cliff Hagan during the 1987-88 season, Sutton told the pair he would attempt to raise the money from outside sources, the response said.

Neither assistant coach reported the outside income to the NCAA because they said it was not athletic-related income and therefore not subject to NCAA rules.

Triggered by Discovery

The information was gathered as part of a university investigation of the program ordered by David Roselle, Kentucky’s president, after a package bound for a Los Angeles-area recruit containing $1,000 in cash was discovered.

The response said Sutton used an unidentified “friend and booster of the university’s basketball program” to solicit $10,000 each for Casey and Dickey from two unidentified businessmen who are supporters of the Kentucky program. The money reportedly was for motivational speeches.