A report in Saturday’s editions of the...

A report in Saturday’s editions of the Los Angeles Times that the NCAA is about to file charges against national basketball champion Nevada Las Vegas for major rules violations is a personal vendetta by a Times reporter, Coach Jerry Tarkanian claimed.

UNLV Athletic Director Brad Rothermel, who has announced he will leave his position at the end of this year, said the NCAA may have completed a preliminary investigation into the school’s basketball program, but he said he was unaware of any major violations involved.

Writer Danny Robbins reported that NCAA enforcement officials had prepared a list of charges and could send it to UNLV in a matter of weeks. Some of the allegations are “major,” according to an anonymous source quoted by the Times.

“If he’s talking about a source who’s saying there are major violations, I’d like to know who it is. It can’t be from somebody within the NCAA because the NCAA can’t release that information,” Tarkanian said.

As for Robbins, he said: “This is the same guy who has been trying to get us for quite a while. I don’t know what his problem is. He’s purposely been out to get us.”

John Cherwa, associate sports editor for the Times, issued this statement:

“Coaches often say reporters are out to get them when they read something they don’t like. Obviously, Danny Robbins doesn’t have a vendetta against Las Vegas, Jerry Tarkanian or anyone else for that matter. He’s simply reporting the story of a very high profile NCAA investigation. It’s a story he’s been covering for a long time and he will continue to report it for us.”