The Florida State football program is facing new allegations of impropriety following the recent release of a law enforcement report, which suggests that athletic department officials failed to take disciplinary action after being informed of a player's gambling habits.
The investigation, which focused on events surrounding former Seminole quarterback Adrian McPherson, was conducted cooperatively by the Florida State police, Tallahassee police and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The 500-plus page report, obtained by The Cavalier Daily, was entitled "Operation Coin Toss," and contains information suggesting that prominent FSU athletic administrators, includingBob Minnix, associate athletic director for compliance, andAndy Urbanic, athletic director for football operations, had information last spring that former Seminole quarterback McPherson might have bet on college sports and possibly even his own Florida State football team.
McPherson was arrested on November 27, 2002, and charged with felony countsof grand theft and forgery. McPherson, who allegedly stole a blank check from a Tallahassee business to pay off gambling debts, was accused of making out the check to a childhood friend, Melvin Capers, in the amount of $3,500. Capers allegedly cashed the check and also was arrested. These arrests set off a joint criminal probe, which has resulted in a misdemeanor gambling charge for McPherson and felony bookmaking charges for FSU graduate and bookie, Derek Delach, and for Seminole football manager Jeffrey Inderhees.
In a sworn statement to the investigative team, Inderhees reported approaching Urbanic in late May or early June of 2002 with allegations of McPherson's involvement in gambling and credit card fraud. Inderhees, an FSU student and scholarship manager for the football team, claimed he went to Urbanic in the spring of last year and offered him a copy of an incriminating email written by McPherson. He said that Urbanic declined to view the email, then warned him that accusing McPherson of gambling could be considered slander.
"There's a lot to be said, there's a lot to be known, and when the time is right, it's going to come out," Inderhees told The Cavalier Daily, adding that he could not answer any specific questions about the investigation, as per orders of his attorney.
Also included in the investigators' report were allegations that FSU head coach Bobby Bowden received a phone call from a former Seminole, now in the NFL, who allegedly told Bowden that he suspected McPherson had thrown Florida State's Nov. 23 game against N.C. State. The Seminoles lost the game, 17-7, and McPherson completed only 8 of 20 passes for 80 yards and ran the ball seven times for two yards in the game.
The identity of the former FSU player who made the phone call was not released.
There is no concrete evidence that McPherson may have bet against FSU, but his cell phone records do indicate that he called the online booking company twice on Nov. 18, 2002 and twice more on Nov. 20?-just three days before the game.
Investigators stated that Bowden acknowledged in a November 2002 interview that he received the former player's phone call following the N.C. State game. Bowden was interviewed a second time as the investigation continued into 2003. A transcript of the second interview, held Jan. 14, 2003, revealed a reversal of position by Bowden. He is quoted as stating under oath that "I can't even recall a pro or former pro or former player calling me ... I guess I've had so many calls between now and then, I can't even hardly put my finger on what it was about."
The ramifications for the FSU football program are currently unclear but could include NCAA probation and forfeiture of games. Currently, however, the only consequence of the current investigation has been directed toward McPherson.
"Gambling violations are student-athlete specific," said David Storm, University associate director of athletics for compliance. He added that penalties for such infractions are a loss of eligibility.
"The NCAA is pretty straight-forward about what is a gambling-related issue," David said.
If an athlete is suspected of such an offense, the institution "has an affirmative duty to withhold the student from competition. It becomes an institutional decision whether that infraction has occurred," he said
This portion of the NCAA rule places the burden on the Florida State program to determine the credibility of the allegations against McPherson and take appropriate measures.
Several of the former quarterback's acquaintances interviewed by investigators reported witnessing McPherson place bets on college and professional basketball games. McPherson allegedly placed bets of up to $1000 on individual games, and bet against the Florida State basketball team on at least one occasion. It remains unclear, however, whether McPherson bet on Seminole football games in which he was involved. Former roommate Otis Livingstone signed a statement reading, "Adrian McPherson also betted on Florida State University in the 2002 football season every time they played. Each time he bet he always bet on FSU to win."
Other friends of McPherson's contradicted Livingston's claim, and Florida State officials declined to comment on the allegations.