Tide player denies wrongdoing in book case

I da Davis, the mother of Tide junior Marlon Davis, said she has talked to her son and he denied any wrongdoing, the Huntsville Times reported Monday. Paul Gattis’ story provides a look at the issue, and some context about the Ball State probation.

About the Ball State book case
ronically, a NCAA case involving improper use of textbook funds was resolved last week when Ball State was placed on two years’ probation.

Alabama has already been in contact with the Southeastern Conference and the NCAA regarding its textbook situation.

They key element here is the University became aware of the problem Thursday, and reported it immediately. It suspended the players, so the University did not play any ineligible players. If you remember the Antonio Langham situation, one of the big issues for the NCAA was gaining a competitive advantage by playing an ineligible player. In this situation, the quick action of the administration avoided those issues.

In case you haven’t seen the UA statement from Mal Moore:

TUSCALOOSA — The University of Alabama has suspended five football student-athletes – Antoine Caldwell, Glen Coffee, Marlon Davis, Marquis Johnson, and Chris Rogers – for today’s game with the University of Tennessee for a violation of institutional policy involving impermissible receipt of textbooks.

The infraction was discovered on Thursday, and the school immediately initiated an inquiry that is ongoing. The student-athletes were informed of the suspensions on Friday upon the initial results of the inquiry. The University is still in a fact-finding phase and will release further details when it is completed.

“This is a situation that developed late this week and we are actively investigating,” said Director of Athletics Mal Moore. “These suspensions are a measure aimed at dealing with the facts as we know them at this time. While I cannot discuss the situation in great detail, I can assure you we will address it fully when we have completed this inquiry.”