Pac-10 to Decide if Hobert Loans Will Result in Forfeiture of Games

A decision on the eligibility of Washington quarterback Billy Joe Hobert won’t be made before next week and forfeiture of games he played earlier this season is up to the Pacific 10 Conference, Tom Hansen, the league’s commissioner, said Friday in a statement.

A report of unsecured loans totaling $50,000 resulted in the suspension of Hobert by Washington to investigate the matter. Janet Justus, an NCAA official, called the loans--made in three installments last spring--the largest in memory and said the amount will be a factor in how the case is resolved.

While school officials said they feared the Huskies (8-0, 5-0 in the Pac-10) might have to forfeit games, that scenario did not seem likely because the conference generally does not take action harsher than that of the NCAA.

If the league declares Hobert ineligible and the school appeals, Justus said, her office would try to make an initial finding “before the next competition . . . but, given the magnitude of this case, it may take a little longer.”

The Seattle Times, which revealed the loans, reported Friday that Hobert asked two assistant coaches in April how he could arrange loans that complied with NCAA rules. Neither offensive coordinator Jeff Woodruff nor tight ends coach Myles Corrigan reported his inquiry to university officials who were qualified to interpret the regulations, the newspaper reported.