European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 7, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday january 7,1989 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary Kentucky ree no from probe by Mcaa by Danny Robbins newday Eric Osburn of Redondo Beach,calif., punched in at the Emery worldwide air freight warehouse in los Angeles at his usual time,5 30 a.m., on March 31. As a territory representative for Emery Osburn s first order of business that Dawn was to sort package that he and other Emery workers would later deliver in the los Angeles area. Known As picking the Job re quires opening crates full of packages and sorting the packages by address and zip code. He was going through crates that had arrived from Emery s Dayton Ohio Hub when he said he found a package with its Flap open exposing the package contents. I saw a videotape saying Kentucky versus some other University Osburn would state later in a deposition and i saw some Bills behind up in the sleeve of the videotape. It was Kentucky versus something at some dome of some  the addressee was Claud Mills the father of los Angeles High school basketball Star and University of Kentucky recruit Chris Mills. The return address bore the name of Wane Casey an assist ant basketball coach a Kentucky. The Cash tucked neatly Between the videotape and the card Board sleeve was $1,000 in Crisp new $50 Bills. Osburn s discovery became hot gossip among Emery employees one of whom a forklift Driver name Sutton John Zaverl had a brother in Law working As a clerk at the los Angele daily news. Two weeks later the Saga of Emery Airway Bill no. 043365177 was reported by the daily news touch ing off an Mcaa investigation that Kentucky basketball being Kentucky basketball has shaken the Bluegrass state to its roots. The school is currently preparing a response to 18allegations lodged by the Mcaa the most prominent being that Casey sent $1,000 to Claud  the others Are charges that Casey offered another recruit Cash and cars that a Kentucky player Sophomore swing Man Eric Manuel committed academic fraud and that Casey lied to Mcaa investigators. Casey and Mills have denied the  has declined to comment. The investigation has already Cost the school a athletic director Cliff Hagan and for this season at least a Star player Manuel. When it is completed next april at the earliest it could result in Banson postseason play and television appearances for the wildcats and cuts in the number of scholarship they can award. The Mcaa could Rule Manuel and Mills now in his freshman season ineligible and Force the univer sity to take action against Casey. And while head coach Eddie Sutton has not been directly implicated he could lose his Job. School officials emphasize that none of the charges has been proven that the Case must be heard by the Mcaa s committee on infractions. Still huge Shadow has been cast on the College basketball program with perhaps the richest tradition and most passionate following in the nation. There s never a Day that i Don t Wake up an think about what s going on and what might Hap pen said Sean Sutton the coach s son and the wildcats Sophomore Point guard. In addition to the Mills allegation the Mcaa has charged that Casey made improper recruiting inducements fraud charges sidelined Star recruit Eric Manuel. In 1986 and 1987 to Sean Higgins a teammate of Mills at los Angeles Fairfax High school including offers of a monthly allowance of $300, starting when Higgins signed a Kentucky letter of intent a car upon signing and the Opportunity to get a different car upon enrolling at Kentucky. Higgins signed with Urcla but enrolled at Michigan last fall. Manuel committed academic fraud in 1987 and the University violated Mcaa rules in certifying his eligibility. Those allegations come from questions surrounding a dramatic improvement in Manuel s scores on College Entrance exams last year. Manuel Kentucky s Only returning starter is sitting out practices and games this Yea until the matter is resolved. The Mcaa also has asked the University to pro vide information about unusual Cash payments made by the relative of a recruit soon after the rela Tive received parcels via Emery from a member of the Kentucky basketball staff. According to published reports the relative is the Mother of Shawn Kemp of Elkhart ind., the 6-11 prize of the wild cats 88 recruiting class and the staff member is Casey. Although Kemp did not meet proposition 48 eligibility requirements he enrolled at Kentucky. But he departed for a Junior College Trinity Valley Community College in Athens Texas the first week in no vember shortly after it was disclosed that he had pawned two Gold chains that Sean Sutton had reported missing from his dormitory room. Sean Sutton declined to press  Manuel Kemp and Rex Chapman who moved on to the Aba after two College seasons Kentucky has seen the makings of a final four team reduced to ashes. The wildcats have already lost to Northwestern la state and Bowling Green at Rupp Arena the 23,000-seat Palace where Kentucky had lost a total of 18 games in the previous 12 years. This could easily be Kentucky s first losing season since 1927. If nothing else the wildcats will play every Gam against a backdrop of controversy. This team just has t had a Chance to play basketball Sean Sutton said. It s always  the Mcaa s last investigation of the program prompted by a series of stories in the Lexington Herald Leader in october 1985, did nothing to Dis courage such talk. But the Mcaa was unable to develop similar in formation during its investigation concluded Only six weeks before the Emery Story came to Light although Kentucky was cited by the committee on infractions for a Lack of cooperation during the investigation. Manuel reportedly twice failed to score above 700,the minimum Standard for freshman eligibility under proposition 48, on the Scholastic aptitude test when he took the test while attending High school in Macon a. But when he too the american College test in june 1987, a Lafayette High school in Lexington he report edly scored eight Points higher than then Caa s minimum Standard for the act. Hagan his score was roughly equivalent to a 1,100 on the sats. The Mcaa has alleged that Manuel cheated by copying from the answer Sheet of a student who sat adjacent to him during the  to the Mcaa a comparison of the answer sheets shows that 211 of 219 questions were answered identically. On seven of the eight other. Questions the Mcaa said the spaces marked by Manuel were adjacent to the spaces marked by the other student. According to the Mcaa Manuel lied to the Mcaa and the University when questioned about the test and refused to sign a release form authorizing act officials to compare his test Booklet wit that of the other student s when requested to do so by the Mcaa and the University. The Mcaa has cited Kentucky for failing to ques Tion the Validity of Manuel s score based on his pre Vious academic record. Two Days before officially receiving the charge of academic fraud the school announced that Manuel had withdrawn from the team. Kentuckians feelings were gauged recently in Apoll conducted by the cats pause a weekly newspaper devoted to Kentucky sports. More than 600 of the paper s subscribers responded to the Survey an their comments were spread across 12 pages of the dec. 10 Issue. Among the findings nearly 57 percent said University president David Roselle should re move Sutton and his staff if the school is found guilty of violating Mcaa rules and nearly 97 per cent said the integrity of the Kentucky athletics pro Gram has been damaged by the Mcaa  that his readers tend to be Kentucky s most zealous supporters Oscar Combs editor an publisher of the cats pause said when you get 96.9 of these readers to say the integrity of us an the program have been damaged it s got to be bad. You would expect 10 or 15 percent of these people to Stonewall it through  Falcons dome May push braves to Atlanta suburbs Atlanta a if Atlanta builds a domed stadium for the football Falcons the braves May move to the suburbs. If the dome is a reality then the braves Are outta Here said Stan Kasten president of the club who has met with suburban government officials to discuss moving the National league team away from Atlanta Fulton county stadium in downtown at Lanta. The stadium has housed both teams since the late 60 s. The revenues and Bonds will have been used up by the dome Kasten said. It been made Clear to me by the highest City and county officials that if the dome goes through Mere s not going to be anything left for the braves he said. However Atlanta mayor Andrew Young and Fulton county commission chairman Michael Lomax Are working with Kasten on other options. We both urged that there Are a lot of opportunities to consider improvements at the current stadium or for facilities on the site of the current stadium Lomax said. Falcons owner Rankin Smith or. Hassid he won t renew his lease and will leave Atlanta if he does t get a new stadium. The proposed $ 180 million dome did but Georgia gov. Joe Frank Harris has supported it in his state budget recommendations. An sports radio College basketball Depaul at Loui not receive sufficient private financing Ville 8 06 . Saturday