European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 9, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday july 9, 1987 the stars and strikes Page 21 sports agents probe heating up by Chris Mortensen c.1987 Cox news service Chicago a Federal grand jury investigation into the activities of new York based agents Norby wallers and Lloyd Bloom is about to intensify with indictments expected within 60 Days. Many of the 60 current and former College football and basketball players who have been subpoenaed will testify before the grand jury Here during the next month . Attorney Anton Valutas and assistant . Attorney Howard m. Pearl spent much of Mon Day and tuesday formulating a schedule for testimony sources said. The sources said Valutas and Pear Are ready to accelerate heir Case after a lengthy fact finding mis Sion thai included a nationwide Fri investigation. Walters and Bloom who Are based in new York have admitted giving Cash to numerous College athlete and signing them 10 representation contracts Viola Lions of Mcaa rules. They have denied breaking any Laws. Sources have said charge of fraud extortion an violation of the Rico racketeering influenced corrupt organizations act Art being considered against he agents by the grand jury. Several athletes also have been told they face possible fraud and tax evasion charges. The . Attorney believes the athletes committed fraud when they signed documents that re certified their athletic scholarships stating they had done Noth ing to jeopardize the scholarship after accepting Money from the agents. Tax evasion is a possible charge in the Money was not reported As  placed the expense of the investigation Al ready in the hundreds  Many of the College athletic programs whose athletes have been subpoenaed Are nervously awaiting the out come of the investigation. Some players Wilh eligibility remaining have been subpoenaed. Numerous College athletic directors say they have been denied information on the Case by the . Attorney and the Fri. The exception was the Fri s disclosure to the University of Alabama that basketball Center Derric Mckey had received Money from and signed a con tract with Walters. Mckey lost his senior season of eligibility. The Fri agent has been reprimanded sources said. However sources said the . Attorney is More Likely to cooperate with the colleges after indictments Are returned by the grand j Ury. Only a handful of athlete and at least two of Wal ters employees Terry Bolar and former nil wide receiver Ron Jessie have already testified before the grand jury which convened. On May 19. Sources said at least  of those athletes faces charge of perjury by cause he allegedly did not Tell the truth about when he received Money from Walters. Derrick me key Brent Fullwood the player changed his Story when evidence was produced to dispute his testimony sources said. Since that incident attorneys representing players have negotiated delays in testimony to better familiar ize themselves with the Case. Many attorneys defending players do not expect Valukas to come Down hard on the athletes because Many arc regarded As unsophisticated. Chicago based attorney Matt Lydon is representing five players who have been subpoenaed including a Burn running Back Brent Fullwood who Likely will testify within the next two weeks. Lydon has had several conversations with Valukas and Peart. He said he docs not anticipate Fullwood being indicted although a suit wallers has filed against Fullwood alleges the payment of More thanab too including $4,000 prior to Fullwood s senior season in 1986. I do not have a commitment from the . Attorney on whether my clients will be charged or not be charged said Lydon. All the athletes i represent will cooperate completely and truthfully if and when they arc called to testify. There Are extenuating Circum so Antes i believe have been brought to the . Attorney s attention. These athletes Are very poor kids. The Mcaa rules have placed temptation at a very High risk with these Young  however one attorney who represents some players but a cd not to be named said i Don t think there is any doubt that some athletes arc going to be  some attorneys believe players will be named As in indicted co conspirators. Some athletes who Are indicted will be offered Community service in return for guilty pleas according Richard Margolis an attorney who represents Atlanta Falcons draft Choice Kenny Flower formerly of Clemson University. Flowers current agent. Gene Burrough has admitted Ilia Row ers accepted 117,000 from Walters prior to and during his senior season at Clemson. Grand jury investigations Are conducted privately. Valutas always prefaces his conversations with a re Porter by saying i will not acknowledge the existence of i grand jury  tie existence of a grand jury investigation became known in May when players received subpoenas to appear in Chicago. The players had one connection All Hadeen linked to wallers and Bloom. Valukas chose the 34-year-old Pearl from a staff of u assistant . Attorneys in the special prosecution division to spearhead the Case. The Fri became involved shortly after the beating of a Chicago agent Kathy Clements on March 16. No connection Between Walters and the beating has been made Clements associate Steve Zucker was a former criminal attorney in Chicago. A Chicago police detective also noticed a copy of a March 12 Atlanta Constitution Story about wallers on Clements desk the morning of the beating. He look he newspaper with him an passed it along to the Fol the Chicago office of the Fri coordinated a nation wide investigation. In the March 12 report in the Constitution wallers admitted giving Money to numerous College athletes and signing them to contracts. The March 12 report also quoted an nil players association official saying that to College seniors had contacted the Union and alleged that wallers had threatened them physically for switching agents. Wallers bristles each Lime those threats Are mentioned in print. What you have is an unidentified a Flea source quoting two unidentified persons who claim they were players wallers said angrily. Sources close to the investigation say Valukas is More directly involved in the Walten Case than in most cases. One Chicago attorney said both Valukas and Pearl Are considered tenacious but extremely competent. They do not aim  Walton undergoes foot surgery Boston a Boston Center Bill Walton who has played 0 Aba sea ions u expected to miss his fourth year after undergoing surgery tuesday to make his right foot less vulnerable to in jury. Celtics general manager Jon Volk is hopeful Walton can return in 1988 89, when the player will be 36 years old. There s no certainty in any of his vote said. There s no certainty hell be Back. All we know is he had the lame surgery on his left foot and he missed two  he added that tuesday s operation slightly less Radical a broken navicular Bone in his right foot limited Walton to 10 regular sea son games and 12 of Boston s 23 play off games last season. Rather than Hope the injury would heal during the off season Walton chose to have surgery aimed at eliminating the pressure believed responsible for the fracture. Bone was removed from three areas of his right foot and ankle at presbyterian inter Community Hospital in Whittier Calif. The surgery was done by or. F. William Wagner and or. An Thony Daly. Walton was expected to be hospitalized for three to five Days and have his foot put in a cast. In 1985-86, Walton s tint season with Boston he averaged 19.3 minute per game As a backup to Center Robert Parish. Volk feels that Walton can fill the substitute s role despite his age. We re not talking about an unrealistic workload for someone thai age Volk said particularly if that person has t played All that much in be pre ceding  he added that he would be Happy for the Opportunity to have him Back. 1 would think if hit foot is Well the rest of him will  a foot injury sidelined Walton for All of he 1978-79 season. He played 14 games with the san Diego clippers inc next season then sat Oul the following two years after undergoing surgery on his left foot that was similar to tues Day s  has played five seasons since  said the celtics would Honor Walton s contract for next season Al though he declined to say if Walton would be paid his full salary reported to be Aboul $450,000.under the Aba s salary Cap rules he said the celtics can use half of Wal ton s salary to sign a free  s making bad news not As bad Volk said of the ability to use the Money. Bishops balk at yielding sum testimony data Dallas a United Metlio isl Church Bishops Are reluctant to provide attorney general Jim Malton with the hundreds of pages of testimony gleaned from their investigation into the play for pay football scandal at Southern methodist University a Church spokes Man says. The Rev. Spurgeon Dunnam. Editor of the United me Thouis reporter said the committee of four Bishops that investigated the scandal agreed previously that its voluminous files should remain confidential even from sum officials find at Loveys. Mattox announced last month that he would look into the improprieties that brought sum s football programs the toughest sanctions the Mcaa Ever levied against a collegiate football program. Malton said a meeting Between mat for and sum officials wednesday in Austin would be the first the attorney general has had with them. Mattox has expressed particular inter est in 1863,013 in Severance pay the University approved for former athletic director Bob hitch former head football coach Bobby Collins and former hitch Assi so Henry Lee  general feeling of the committee was that this Type of information should not be made available to the Public said Dunnam who served As a spokes Man for the Bishops during their invest  was very much the concern 01 the Bishops Fiat their materials not be Sedas a club against anyone Dunnam  am not saying that the committee would be uncooperative but based on their discussions a link it would be fair to assume that the files will not be readily released particularly for any punitive purpose that someone might have he said. Mattox has suggested thai sum May have to Slop remaining instalments on the Severance payments because hey apparently were made in return for the three officials agreement that they would remain silent about Cash pay ments to football players. 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