Athletes Received Illegal Funding, State Auditor Says

Thousands of dollars in public funds from Central Washington University basketball camps were improperly distributed to athletes, the state auditor found in a report released today.

The state report followed an internal auditor’s report last month that led to the resignation of long-time basketball Coach Dean Nicholson. That earlier CWU audit found that Nicholson made improper payments of more than $65,000 to 49 athletes over three years. The internal audit had concluded that no misuse of public funds had occurred, because the money came from private camps run by Nicholson.

But the state audit, which covered all athletic camps operated at CWU, found that “public funds generated by Nicholson’s basketball camps were improperly used for undisclosed financial aid payments to student-athletes,” according to a press release from the school.