When allegations of pay for play first
surfaced at SMU, the main finger of
blame pointed at athletic boosters,
but that was before Texas Governor Bill
Clements told us some members of the
powerful SMU Board of governors
knew of continued athletic payments.
I did not know about it, although several
accused members continued to deny
involvement. The board of governors today
announced it had no recourse but
to disband.
The time is right, and the time
is ripe for a
new pattern of institutional governance
to be put in place.
The decision gained applause from some
faculty and students.
We did not have a system of checks and
balances before the Board of Governors
ran the entire school, and that
was negative.
It cleared the way for Dallas oilman Ray
Hunt to take charge of a new temporary
committee that will run the university
until a permanent government is set up.
And I believe that in a period of
adversity, both people
and institutions come out in better
shape than
they went in. In addition to fielding
questions about his new post, Hunt also
confirmed the university has received an
anonymous phone tip.
The caller claimed some women were paid
to seduce SMU players and
some students took tests for athletes
in Austin. Reporters asked Clements if
he cared to spill the beans again.
I categorically deny
any knowledge whatsoever
of such practices.
While one SMU committee looks into the
anonymous charges, another will
look into the formation of a permanent
government at SMU.
Both issues are bound to come up when
university leaders meet again on
May 8th.
Shelley Kofler, Channel 5 News
tonight, Dallas.