Lupoi, Sarkisian, and Washington Cleared from Payment Allegations
Adam Jude of the Seattle Times:
The NCAA will not penalize the University of Washington football program or former UW assistant coach Tosh Lupoi after the governing body’s six-week investigation into allegations that Lupoi had paid for a UW recruit’s tutoring.
Tom Hosty, the NCAA’s Director of Enforcement, notified University of Washington President Michael Young in a formal letter delivered today that the NCAA has “now completed the inquiry into those matters” and that “the enforcement staff does not believe that further action is warranted” in the investigation.
Neither the Seattle Times story nor Lupoi himself talking to CBSSports.com’s Bruce Feldman detailed the direction of the NCAA’s investigation. So it is unclear why the allegations were proven untrue or could not be proven. The LA Times story, which initially were very detailed allegations, had one major breakdown: everything Mike Davis, the high school track coach at the center of the allegations, said he received was in cash. So while his bank statements show corresponding deposits and charges, the paperwork says nothing about where that money came from.
If Lupoi’s bank statements and credit card accounts did not match up, there would be little for the NCAA to go on. Which would then raise the question of where the $3,000 deposit and charge Davis’ statements detail came from.