Boston College Suspends 13 Players

NEWTON, Mass. —  Boston College suspended 13 football players Wednesday for gambling, including two who allegedly bet against their school last month in a game against Syracuse.

Thomas Reilly, the Middlesex County district attorney, said the two players did not influence the outcome of the game, which Syracuse won, 45-17. Although the two players were not identified, Reilly said one did not play in the game and the other played on special teams.

“They realize that there are rules. They realize that they made a mistake,” Reilly said. “And they realize that there are consequences for their mistakes and they will be held accountable.”

Gambling on professional or college sporting events is against NCAA rules.

The suspended players include starting tight end Scott Dragos and linebacker Brian Maye, who had been a starter before he dislocated his elbow against Syracuse.

Other suspended players were identified as running back Jamall Anderson, offensive lineman Marcus Bembry, defensive back Paul Cary, defensive linemen John Coleman and Dan Collins, wide receivers Chris Cosenza, Steve Everson and Brandon King, center Kyle Geiselman, linebacker Jermaine Monk, and tight end Rob Tardio.

The list does not differentiate between those who bet from $25 to $1,000 on the World Series, college football or pro football and the two who placed $200 and $250 on Syracuse, giving 13 points against their own team Oct. 26.

Coach Dan Henning said the two players who bet against the school would not be allowed back on the team.

The others will sit out Saturday’s game against No. 17 Notre Dame, but could apply to the NCAA for reinstatement.

“We want every player on our team this weekend to be those that are interested in winning the football game,” Henning said.

Boston College was at the center of a point-shaving scandal in 1982 when Rick Kuhn was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in fixing six basketball games during the 1978-79 season.

Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk did not comment about whether the school would rescind the scholarships or take further action against the athletes. But he said that question arises “any time a student athlete renders himself ineligible.”

Reilly said no criminal charges were planned, but he left the option open as his investigation continues.

Everson already had been suspended for disobeying Henning’s request to reenter last Thursday’s game at Pittsburgh. King, grandson of boxing promoter Don King, and Anderson have not played this season because of injury.

“These guys know the NCAA rules and they made mistakes. But this is an aberration,” said John McBride, a lawyer for three of the suspended players. “These are 18- and 19-year-old kids, and they aren’t out there throwing games.

“This is not Rick Kuhn revisited. This is not the Black Sox.”

McBride represented Anderson, Monk, King and defensive back Kiernan Speight, who denied he had placed any bets and was not suspended. McBride said Speight may not play Saturday.

“He feels he was maltreated by his coach, by his teammates and by the school. He is keeping his options open and one of those options may be leaving BC,” McBride said.

Henning said rumors of gambling or point-shaving first surfaced after the Syracuse game, in which the Orangemen trailed, 14-7, before rallying for 17 points in the final 1:43 of the first half.

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Other College Gambling Scandals

Major gambling arrests and suspensions in college sports:

* JAN. 17, 1951--Henry Poppe and John Byrnes, co-captains of the 1950 Manhattan team, and three other men were arrested in an attempt to fix the Manhattan-DePaul game the previous night. On April 25, 1952, Bronx County Judge James Barrett suspended sentences on Poppe and Byrnes, put them on probation for three years, and also banned them from professional sports.

* FEB. 18, 1951--Manhattan Dist. Atty. Frank Hogan ordered the arrest of City College of New York basketball players Ed Warner, Ed Roman and Edward Gard on bribery charges and two professional gamblers and two intermediaries in a game-fixing scandal that would later involve college teams across the country.

* FEB. 20, 1951--Sherman White, LeRoy Smith and Adolph Biggs of Long Island University were arrested for taking gamblers’ bribes.

* JULY 24, 1951--Bradley basketball players Gene Melchiorre, Fred Mann, Bud Grover, Aaron Preece and Jim Kelly admitted taking bribes from gamblers to hold down scores in two games.

* OCT. 20, 1951--Alex Groza, Ralph Beard and Dale Barnstable were arrested for accepting $500 bribes to shave points in a game at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 14, 1949. Groza and Beard were suspended from professional basketball by NBA President Maurice Podoloff. On April 29, 1952, Judge Saul Streit gave suspended sentences to Groza, Beard and Barnstable and put them on indefinite probation. On Nov. 6, 1952, a judge barred Groza, Beard and Barnstable from all sports for three years.

* MARCH 2, 1952--Bill Spivey, Kentucky’s All-American center, was barred from athletics at the university.

* JAN. 10, 1954--Jack Molinas of the Fort Wayne Pistons was suspended for gambling.

* MAY 17, 1962--Jack Molinas was arrested on charges that he headed a ring that fixed college games. Professional gamblers Aaron Wagman and Joseph Hacken were arrested for fixing games, and 37 players from 22 schools were caught in the sweep. Molinas was convicted Jan. 8, 1963, and later sentenced to 10-15 years in prison.

* AUG. 16, 1961--St. Joseph’s (Pa.) was stripped of its third-place finish in the 1961 NCAA basketball tournament. One of the athletes caught in the fallout was Connie Hawkins from Brooklyn, N.Y., who had been recruited to play at Iowa. Hawkins allegedly introduced a gambler to a fellow player. He was tossed out of school and barred from playing in the NBA, despite the fact that he had never been charged with fixing a game. It took a bidding war with a new league, a $6-million lawsuit and seven years to get the NBA to change its mind.

* NOV. 24, 1981--Rick Kuhn, former basketball player for Boston College, and four others were found guilty of conspiring to shave points to fix basketball games in the 1978-79 season. Kuhn was later sentenced to 10 years.

* MARCH 27, 1985--John Williams of Tulane was arrested for participating in a game-fixing scheme. Tulane, on April 18, voted to end the basketball program. Charges were dismissed Aug. 28.

* JULY 10, 1995--Maryland quarterback Scott Milanovich was suspended by the NCAA for eight games for betting on college basketball, allegedly making six bets totaling $200. The suspension later was reduced to four games. Basketball player Matt Raydo was ruled ineligible for 20 games of the 1995-96 season. Football players Jermaine Lewis, Jaron Hairston and Farad Hall were suspended for one game.