FBI Investigates Allegations of Money Paid to Coach of High School Recruit

The FBI has begun a probe of allegations that a Memphis high school football coach, Lynn Lang, was paid to influence a star player’s choice of college.

“We have initiated a preliminary investigation to determine if any federal violations have occurred,” FBI special agent Kelli Sligh said Friday.

Sligh declined to say what laws could be involved because the inquiry is just starting.

Besides the FBI, the Southeastern Conference, the NCAA and Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Assn. are investigating how colleges recruited Albert Means, a defensive back from Trezevant High.

An assistant football coach at Trezevant, Milton Kirk, went public with claims that Lang solicited $200,000 to get Means to sign a letter of intent with the University of Alabama.

Means, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, began at Alabama last fall but withdrew and enrolled at Memphis this month after learning of the allegations.

The Commercial Appeal reported Friday that Kirk told NCAA and SEC investigators this week that he witnessed a University of Kentucky booster give Lang an envelope containing $6,000 during Means’ official visit to the school on the weekend of Dec. 18, 1999.