NCAA Summary Explains Firing : Women’s basketball: Earnest Riggins was fired as San Diego State coach last May because he represented an ex-player in dealings with an agent.

Earnest Riggins was fired last May after six seasons as the San Diego State women’s basketball coach because he violated NCAA rules by representing a former athlete in dealings with a player agent, the university said in a document released this week.

The allegation was contained in a summary of a report the university submitted to the NCAA, detailing last spring’s school investigation into the incident.

Riggins said the player was Chana Perry, an All-American center for San Diego State who completed her eligibility with the 1988-89 season. Perry is playing for a professional team in Milan, Italy.

The university released the 2 1/2-page summary this week after a request for the report by The Times under the California Public Records Act. The university has thus far declined to release the complete report on the advice of its attorney.

The summary said the university declined to renew Riggins’ contract because he violated an NCAA rule prohibiting university personnel from marketing student-athletes to professional teams and organizations or receiving direct or indirect compensation for such services. It does not say that Riggins gained any benefits from the dealings described.

Riggins has denied violating NCAA rules and said the university has misinterpreted his actions. He said his termination was improper and is contesting it through the California State University system’s grievance procedure.

Riggins, 52, also contends he was a victim of sex and race discrimination by the university because he is a black male who was coaching a women’s team, and he filed a separate grievance on these charges.

Riggins said both grievances have been denied at two levels within the university system. He said a hearing on the improper termination grievance has been scheduled for May 11, before an arbitrator from the American Arbitration Assn.

The university said in the summary that the investigation conducted by the athletic department began in April of 1989 and concluded that Riggins helped fill out an agreement that served as a basis for a contract the player (identified by Riggins as Perry) signed with an agent a week later. It also said that Riggins led “the discussion” in at least one meeting with the agent and his wife.

Riggins said he did fill in portions of the agreement but only on the instructions of Perry, to be used as a guide for further talks.

Riggins said that after the 1988-89 season he introduced Perry to the agent, whom he identified as Joe Betancourt of Crystal City, Tex. But, he said, he was never attempting to arrange a contract for Perry and denied leading the talks.

NCAA BYLAW 11.1.5 * Marketing Student-Athletes to Professional Teams/Organizations. Staff members of the athletics department of a member institution shall not represent, directly or indirectly, any individual in the marketing of athletics ability or reputation to a professional sports team or professional sports organization and shall not receive compensation or gratuities of any kind, directly or indirectly, for such services.