McNown Also Had Parking Placard

Cade McNown, former UCLA All-American quarterback, briefly possessed a handicapped parking placard in 1997, apparently while he was fit enough to be practicing with the team.

A review by The Times of Department of Motor Vehicles records shows that McNown had applied for and received the placard from February through mid-June 1997, shortly after his sophomore season.

Fourteen current and former UCLA football players were charged last week with illegally obtaining red--or temporary--placards by submitting false applications to the DMV. The DMV records do not indicate why the placard for McNown was granted.

The quarterback, due in training camp with the Chicago Bears later this month, could not be reached for comment. Calls to his agent were not returned.

UCLA officials, whose probe led to charges against the other players, said their efforts did not delve back as far as 1997.

“The pattern of evidence led the UCLA police department to focus its investigation on recent and alleged abuses,” a statement said.

Administrators declined to comment further but have expressed concern about reports of widespread student misuse of placards on the Westwood campus, where parking is costly and in great demand.

Temporary placards allow students a greater choice, even among spaces not designated for handicapped drivers. The placards are commonly issued to people recovering from surgery or hampered by short-term illness, a DMV spokesman said.

There were no reports of McNown suffering a significant injury or illness in the spring of 1997. He practiced with the team in April, playing well enough to complete 18 of 21 passes in one scrimmage. Coach Bob Toledo said in a published report: “Cade is really stepping up his game.”

Records indicate that McNown didn’t apply to renew the placard.

In the more recent instance, 14 players obtained placards by submitting applications with bogus physician names and fabricated reasons ranging from asthma to lower back pain, the city attorney’s office said. One athlete claimed to have Bell’s palsy, a nerve disorder that causes facial paralysis.

The players--including several starters and key reserves--are scheduled for arraignment July 28 on misdemeanor charges that carry a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. If found guilty, they will face additional punishment from the university.