SMU Football Probe Uncovers Evidence Pointing to Theft

DALLAS —  Assistant Atty. Gen. John Vasquez said today he has turned up evidence that a former Southern Methodist University athletic department employee may have stolen at least $10,000 from the department in the pay-for-play football scandal.

Vasquez did not name the employee but suggested that others may be involved in what he called the theft or misapplication of funds. He would not elaborate.

He presented his findings this morning to the SMU board and SMU President A. Kenneth Pye, who pledged assistance in the investigation.

Vasquez said that in the course of investigating the university’s involvement in payments to athletes on SMU’s football teams, which led to NCAA sanctions that canceled two SMU football seasons, his investigators “stumbled upon” a substantial amount of missing funds from the athletic department budget.