Dave Bliss leaves Baylor program

Bliss Resigns in Wake of Dennehy's Death

WACO, TX (AP) - Baylor basketball coach Dave Bliss resigned Friday over alleged violations in his program that have turned up following the disappearance and death of a player and charges he was killed by a former teammate.

"I'm the head coach and I'm accountable for everything that goes on in my program," Bliss said in a hastily arranged campus news conference. "I accept that responsibility. I intend to cooperate fully as the inquiry continues. I'll do whatever I can to make things right."

Since 6-foot-10 junior forward Patrick Dennehy was reported missing in mid-June, Bliss has been scrutinized for everything from who he recruited to how closely he oversaw the team.

Dennehy's family complained that coaches didn't take seriously threats he had reported receiving. There also have been accusations of a variety of NCAA violations, prompting the university to launch an investigation.

Dennehy's body was found last month in Waco near a rock quarry. Carlton Dotson, 21, Dennehy's roommate and former teammate, was arrested and charged with his murder July 21, after reportedly telling authorities he shot Dennehy when Dennehy tried to shoot him.

After Bliss' brief resignation announcement, Baylor president Robert Sloan said the school's investigation committee already has discovered major violations regarding players getting paid and improper drug testing.

He put the program on probation for up to two years, saying it will not participate in any postseason tournaments next season, including the Big 12 tournament. He also offered to allow any player to transfer.

"Additional sanctions may be imposed as the investigation continues," Sloan said.

Sloan also said athletic director Tom Stanton, who hired Bliss, was resigning, even though he "had no direct knowledge of any of the infractions."

Sloan and Bliss were among nearly a dozen Baylor officials who attended a memorial service for Dennehy in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday. Baylor, the world's largest Baptist university with 14,000 students, will hold its own memorial Aug. 28 on campus.

Bliss, 59, has been a Division I coach for 28 seasons, working previously at Oklahoma, SMU and New Mexico. He arrived at Baylor in 1999 and in four years began turning around a program that had been placed on NCAA probation twice since the mid-1980s.

Baylor was 14-14 last season, but just 5-11 in the Big 12. The Bears were 61-57 in his tenure.

Dennehy, a transfer from New Mexico transfer who sat out last season because of NCAA transfer rules, was reported missing by his family on June 19, about a week after he was last seen on campus.

Baylor announced that Dennehy had disappeared and asked the public to help find him after his Chevy Tahoe was found June 25 in Virginia Beach, Va.

Dotson, 21, remains jailed without bond in his home state of Maryland and awaits extradition to Texas, which could take as long as three months.

After his arrest, Dotson told The Associated Press that he "didn't confess to anything."

Bliss has been guarded since Dennehy disappeared. He read prepared statements several times and limited his media exposure. Through it all, he steadfastly denied any wrongdoing.

"We have followed the rules, however difficult they may be, for 30 years," Bliss said on July 28.

He also said that, as far as he knew, his players had no more to do with drugs "than the man in the moon."

None of the schools where Bliss has coached have been cited for NCAA infractions while he was there. However, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported last week that Bliss left SMU months after an NCAA investigation uncovered evidence of what would typically be considered major rules violations, including booster payments to a player.

Baylor began its probe after allegations surfaced that a coach told Dennehy his education and living expenses would be paid if he gave up his scholarship for a year. The committee also examined whether Dennehy received $1,200 to $1,800 from an assistant coach toward a car loan for his sport utility vehicle, and if players passed urine tests despite smoking marijuana.

Bliss said Friday he resigned after being "made aware of some situations within our program."

"These were rules that over the years I've had great respect for. Despite things that have been said, we've tried to work real hard for 28 years to have a chance to work with young people," Bliss said.

 

It appears there is going to be all kinds of shit coming out of Waco now. Drugs, tampering with those drug tests, payments, etc. Amazing how all that stuff comes out when the shit hits the fan.

You'd think it was the SEC with a list like that.

 

Yep, I'm waiting for tomorrow's edition of the Waco Tribune-Herald.


Baylor coach, AD resign
By Kim Gorum, Waco Tribune-Herald sports editor

After weeks of allegations concerning possible NCAA violations involving Baylor University's basketball program, Baylor President Robert B. Sloan Jr. Friday accepted the resignations of head men's basketball coach Dave Bliss and athletic department head Tom Stanton.

Sloan also announced the university's beleaguered basketball program would go on probation for two years and that players would not be permitted to make post-season appearances for one year.

Additional sanctions are possible as an internal investigation of the program continues, he said.

"Institutions such as Baylor that are committed to higher standards must hold themselves to those higher standards," Sloan said. "As president of this university, I reiterate that our university is committed to core convictions of honesty, integrity, openness and accountability.

"Today we will put those core convictions into practice."

Abruptly announced late Friday afternoon, the press conference began with Bliss, Baylor's basketball coach for four years, announcing his resignation in a rambling statement on Baylor's goodness and his own intention to do right.

"However, with the situation that I have been made aware of, I am the head coach and I am accountable for everything that goes on within my program," he said. "I accept that responsibility."

The veteran coach, who has seen his earlier stints at the University of New Mexico and Southern Methodist University scrutinized even as his current coaching staff drew mounting criticism, took no questions at Friday's press conference.

Sloan said the university's investigation had found at least two instances of players who were not on scholarship, yet received money to pay for tuition from a third party — a violation of NCAA rules.

Addressing charges that some Baylor basketball players failed drug tests but suffered no consequences, Sloan said Baylor's drug-testing procedures had been violated and that further drug-testing protocol would be severed from the athletic department and placed with the Baylor Health Center.

Sloan said Baylor's athletic director, Tom Stanton, was not aware of any infractions but was stepping down nonetheless because of his responsibility for the athletic department's integrity.

"While Tom had no direct knowledge of any of the infractions, as the man of character he is, he accepts responsibility for maintaining the integrity of Baylor's athletic program," Sloan said.

Sloan described the violations as "serious or major infractions" by NCAA standards.

The press conference came one day after Sloan attended the San Jose, Calif., funeral of Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy, 21, whose body was found in a gravel pit several miles southeast of the university.

Former teammate Carlton Dotson, 21, has been arrested in connection with Dennehy's death.

Since Dennehy's disappearance, family members and friends have said Dennehy claimed Baylor representatives were paying much of his tuition and costs at Baylor, even though he was not on scholarship.

In addition, Dotson's estranged wife, a Dennehy friend and others have told of drug usage by several members of the basketball team as well as failed drug tests that Baylor coaches were reportedly aware of.

"The sanctions announced today are strong," Sloan said. "Even though, they are preliminary in nature. Details of some of the sanctions will be finalized as the investigation continues or is completed. Importantly, additional sanctions may be imposed as the investigation continues."

 

Baylor Coach Dave Bliss & President Robert Sloan statements to the media

Baylor head men's basketball coach Dave Bliss' statement upon his resignation

"I have resigned from Baylor University effective immediately. I came to Baylor four years ago to fulfill a challenge of competing in the tremendously competitive Big 12. But I also came because of my faith. I'm a Baptist and a Christian, and I looked forward ... to the occasion to do what I loved -- that's coach basketball -- and also to share my faith and belief in God. It was a period that we had degrees of success but we always, I thought, gave a good account of ourselves. We worked hard to improve on our program each and every year.

"But today I was made aware of some situations within our program after meeting with the inquiry committee that rules were broken. These are rules that over the years I've had great respect for. Despite things that are said, we tried to work real hard for 28 years to have a chance to work with young people. However, with the situation that I have been made aware of, I am the head coach and I am accountable for everything that goes on within my program. I accept that responsibility and it's certainly not something ...

"I intend to cooperate fully as the inquiry continues. I'll do what I can to make things right. I came to Baylor to do things right, we've made mistakes, but we own up to them from this point forward and we will cooperate in any way they'd like for us to cooperate. In a few weeks, the students will be back here at Baylor. It's been a tough summer for Baylor. It's had a lot of distractions, to say the least....

"Once the students get back on campus, this university especially will resort to doing what it does best, and that is educate and influence the lives of young people."



Baylor University President Robert B. Sloan Jr.'s statement on NCAA violations

"Near to the heart of Baylor University is a commitment to integrity. It is a commitment that goes beyond compliance with the NCAA rules and regulations. Indeed, it is a commitment that not only includes the NCAA rules and regulations but goes beyond it. It's a commitment to ourselves and our Lord as a Christian institution where faith and integrity matter.

"Institutions such as Baylor that are committed to higher standards must hold themselves to those higher standards. As president of this university, I reiterate that our university is committed to core convictions of honesty, integrity, openness and accountability. Today we will put those core convictions into practice.

"As you know, this is a difficult time for Baylor University. But we have an obligation to pursue an aggressive and thorough investigation into allegations related to our basketball program.

"The investigation is not complete. It will take additional time to achieve the level of thoroughness we desire. We will take as long as is necessary to do this correctly and with integrity.

"We also want to conduct the investigation in as transparent a way as possible without jeopardizing the investigation. So, as we are able to strike such a balance, and have significant activity to report, we will make information available.

"The Investigative Committee and I have determined that there have been serious or major infractions — violations — as that term is defined by the NCAA bylaws, relating to financial aid and awards and benefits. We have concluded that two student-athletes received money for payment of tuition to Baylor that came from a third party. As we have just said, the head men's basketball coach has admitted involvement in these infractions. Of course, we will be self-reporting these violations in the appropriate manner to the NCAA.

"Coach Bliss has tendered his resignation. I have accepted his resignation effective immediately.

"Additionally, the initial phase of this investigation has revealed a violation of NCAA rules relating to instances in which staff members have knowledge of a student-athlete's use at any time of a substance on a list of banned drugs and have failed to follow institutional procedures dealing with drug use. The committee and (university) counsel have found instances in which the university neglected to follow its own internal procedures for reporting failures to drug tests. Again, these will be reported to the NCAA.

"Beginning immediately, I am instituting a new procedure for drug testing of student-athletes to preclude any future problems of this kind. I will be taking the athletic department completely out of the drug-testing protocol by severing the drug-screening from the athletic department and, in addition, simplifying the reporting of events. From this day forward, all drug-screening of student-athletes will be performed solely by nurses or doctors at the Baylor Health Center utilizing observed testing procedures. All positive drug tests will be automatically reported directly to Baylor University's Office of Judicial and Legal Student Services for action and notification of appropriate personnel in the athletic department.

"Baylor University cares about its integrity. Therefore I am placing the men's basketball program on probation effective immediately for a period of not less than two years.

"Baylor University cares deeply about its students. Therefore, any member of the basketball team wishing to leave Baylor to seek other opportunities will be allowed to do so. There are many fine young men on the team who have done absolutely nothing wrong. The probation is unfair to those without fault. I apologize for having to take this action, but we will treat these young men the way we would want to be treated ourselves. We are proud of them and we hope they do remain a part of the Baylor Family. The men's basketball team will not participate in post-season competition during 2003-2004. This includes the Big 12 tournament.

"Baylor program quality issues are being studied and the investigation continues.

"The sanctions announced today are strong. Even though, they are preliminary in nature. Details of some of the sanctions will be finalized as the investigation continues or is completed. Importantly, additional sanctions may be imposed as the investigation continues.

"One final note. Today I also with deep regret have accepted the resignation of athletic director Tom Stanton. While Tom had no direct knowledge of any of the infractions, as the man of character he is, he accepts responsibility for maintaining the integrity of Baylor's athletic program. Tom will continue to oversee the athletic department in the interim while the university conducts a national search for a new athletic director and handles other important matters of transition.

"I will have other occasions to express my deep appreciation, and the appreciation that the entire Baylor Family owes, to Tom Stanton for his leadership of athletics ... to express our appreciation to him for what he has meant not only to Baylor athletics but to Baylor University."

 

Bliss is sure gonna come out looking shitty! Good riddance

 

Yep, his career is toast.

Baylor shakeup: Allegations of drugs, financial improprieties lead Stanton, Bliss to resign
By Kim Gorum, Waco Tribune-Herald sports editor
With a stunning admission that the university had violated NCAA rules and its own deepest convictions, Baylor president Robert B. Sloan Jr. said Friday that he had accepted the resignations of men's basketball coach Dave Bliss and athletic director Tom Stanton, and imposed major penalties on the program.

In a hastily called news conference at Baylor's Bill Daniel Student Center, a somber Sloan said an internal probe of the program had revealed major violations of NCAA rules, including two instances of student-athletes receiving money from a third party to pay for their tuition at Baylor, as well as irregularities in the university's drug-testing procedures.

Sloan said Bliss had admitted his involvement in infractions concerning student-athletes receiving money for their tuition.

"I came to Baylor to do things right," Bliss said in announcing his resignation, shortly before Sloan spoke. "We've made mistakes but we own up to them from this point forward and we will cooperate in any way they'd like for us to cooperate."

Sloan said the investigation, conducted by a trio of Baylor law professors and outside counsel Kirk Watson of Austin, had uncovered problems that led him to impose several penalties:

* The men's basketball program will be placed on probation for at least two years;

* The team will be banned from postseason play, including the Big 12 Tournament, for the 2003-04 season;

* Any player who wants to leave the team to play elsewhere will be given his release, allowing him to transfer to another Division I school without being forced to sit out a season.

"There are many fine young men on the team who have done absolutely nothing wrong," Sloan said. "I apologize for having to take this action, but we will treat these young men the way we would want to be treated ourselves. We are proud of them and we hope they do remain a part of the Baylor family."

Sloan also warned that the penalties may not be the last word on the matter.

"Details of some of the sanctions will be finalized as the investigation continues or is completed," he said. "Importantly, additional sanctions may be imposed.”

Sloan said Stanton, who was present at Friday's news conference but did not speak or answer questions, had no direct knowledge of any infractions, but "accepts responsibility for maintaining the integrity of Baylor's athletic program."

Sloan also said he had not sought Stanton's resignation, and that the athletic director would continue to oversee the athletic department while the university searches for a replacement. He declined to say when such a search might begin, or whether it would precede any search for Bliss' successor.

Sloan named Stanton, a fellow Abilene native and former Baylor baseball teammate, his "athletic marketing czar" in 1995, then moved him into the athletic director's chair a year later after dismissing Dick Ellis. Stanton's hiring of Bliss in March 1999 was hailed by many Baylor fans as the best move of his tenure, but he also has been a lightning rod for criticism after firing three football coaches in seven years as the program became less and less competitive in the Big 12.

Sloan said the Baylor investigators had also learned that staff members failed to follow institutional procedures dealing with drug use despite knowledge of student-athletes’ use of banned substances, and that the university neglected to follow its own internal procedures for reporting drug-test failures, in violation of NCAA rules.

In response, Sloan said he was removing drug-screening responsibilities from the athletic department and simplifying the reporting procedure. All future drug-testing, he said, will be performed by nurses or doctors at the Baylor Health Center, and all positive tests will be reported directly to Baylor's Office of Judicial and Legal Student Services for action and notification of the athletic department.

Under Baylor's former protocol, positive drug-test results were sent from the testing lab to director of sports medicine Mike Sims, who notified the head coach and the athletic director. The athletic director was responsible for forwarding those results to the Office of Judicial and Legal Student Services.

Sloan took action after meeting with Bill Underwood, who chairs the panel leading Baylor's investigation, and conducting a conference call with Baylor regents Friday afternoon. Sloan told the board that the investigating committee had found rules violations and that Bliss and Stanton would resign.

"It's a sad day, and yet the old expression 'tough love' is appropriate here," regent Carl Bell of Dallas said. "We deal with the very, very unfortunate situation in a fair but very firm manner, and we move on to make Baylor what we want it to be."

Bell praised Sloan's "decisive action" in launching the investigation and announcing the penalties, and said he believes better days are ahead for the school.

"But those better days don't just happen," Bell said. "Those better days are brought about by leadership and by dedication and by taking the proper action that we all, administrators and regents, must take."

Board of regents Chairman Drayton McLane, meanwhile, told a Houston Chronicle reporter that he didn't think it was appropriate to comment about the situation.

But friends and family of 21-year-old Baylor player Patrick Dennehy, whose disappearance and shooting death almost two months ago sparked the investigation that led to Friday's bombshells, weren't as reticent.

The 6-foot-10 transfer from the University of New Mexico was memorialized Thursday in San Jose, Calif., almost two weeks after law enforcement officials discovered his decomposed body in a gravel pit five miles southeast of Waco.

Dennehy's mother, Valorie Brabazon, said she was glad Bliss had stepped down.

"I think it's great," she said in a cell phone conversation as she strolled in San Francisco on Friday night, "because all those interviews he was doing and he said he didn't know about this or that going on, and I knew he was covering up something."

She thought Stanton, however, was blameless.

"He's still a good guy in my book," she said. "I think they kept a lot away from him."

Friends and family members have alleged that Baylor coaches provided Dennehy with illegal benefits, including money for tuition, and that they ignored warnings that he and former teammate Carlton Dotson had been threatened by another player. Dotson, 21, is being held in a Maryland jail, awaiting extradition to Texas after being charged with murder in Dennehy's death.

Jackie Alendorf, a friend of the Brabazon family, said she had a feeling something was up when she saw how down Bliss was at Dennehy's funeral Thursday.

"He was so broken up," Alendorf said. "Patrick really loved him."

She said Bliss and her pastor, Dick Bernal of Jubilee Christian Center, talked for a long time after the service.

"I feel very disappointed and sad that it had to come to this," she said. "Bliss didn't do this all by himself. He was trying to help Patrick."

For weeks, Bliss had denied any wrongdoing, even stating at one time that his players had no more to do with drugs "than the man in the moon."

Others weren't so sure.

"I'm actually happy that they're resigning," said Adriana Gallegos, Dennehy's former girlfriend. "If they're doing wrong, I don't think they need to be in that position and coaching."

She said Dotson and Dennehy smoked marijuana regularly and had guns, despite having no jobs or other obvious means of support. Cleaning house in the athletic department will help future basketball players at Baylor, she said.

"I think when stuff like that happens and the players aren't held responsible, they don't mature," Gallegos said. "When you're 21 years old and getting all that extra money, you don't know how to handle it."

Gallegos said both Dennehy and Dotson acted stupidly with the money they were given.

"I think the coaches are 100 percent to blame for everything that's happened so far," she said. "If the coaches weren't babying them so much and giving them so much money, Patrick would still be here."

Melissa Kethley, Dotson's estranged wife, said the investigation should extend to Baylor's entire athletic program. Kethley said she saw Dotson smoke marijuana regularly while he was on the team, not only with his teammates but also with other athletes.

"They need to take a good look at every single sport," she said. "They've got some problems."

Brian Brabazon, Dennehy's stepfather, believes the resignations reflect major problems throughout Baylor's athletic program.

"I think that at the least, Coach Bliss knew what was going on, and I think his program was pretty much out of control," he said. "If Patrick was one of the kids who received money, or Carlton, (Bliss’ staff) should have nipped it in the bud when it first came to life."

Brabazon also remains angry at Bliss because he feels the coach did not do enough to watch out for Dennehy's safety.

"We gave Patrick in good faith to Baylor," he said. "They didn't have to baby-sit him, but they should have at least known when he was missing.

"I don't care about the resignations, but we have to get to the bottom of this. I want to know why Patrick felt threatened and why they didn't do anything about it. These guys may have resigned, but they are not going to get off scot-free. They are going to have to answer some hard questions before this is all over."

 

Some coaches just have to bend the rules a bit. Sooner or later it bites them.

Bliss’ long career hits surprising low point
By John Werner, Waco Tribune-Herald staff writer

Dave Bliss had been a winner every place he'd gone.

He led Oklahoma to its first Big 8 title in 1979 and made SMU a three-time NCAA Tournament team in the 1980s. Then he guided New Mexico to seven NCAA berths in 11 seasons.

When Bliss arrived in Waco in March 1999, Baylor athletic director Tom Stanton said it gave the basketball program instant credibility.

But Bliss left Baylor's program in shambles by resigning Friday amid major NCAA rules violations and the death of forward Patrick Dennehy.

Baylor placed the basketball program on two years probation, marking the first Bliss team in his 28-year career as a head coach to receive such a penalty.

The 59-year-old Bliss has compiled a 526-328 career record, going 61-57 at Baylor in four seasons. Assistant coach Doug Ash has been with Bliss throughout his head coaching career.

Taking over a Baylor program that went 0-16 under Harry Miller in the Big 12 in 1998-99, Bliss led the Bears to a 14-15 record in his first season. The Bears went 4-12 in conference play, giving hope to a suffering program.

The Bears seemed ready to take off the following season by going 19-12 and landing a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. It was Baylor's first postseason tournament berth since reaching the 1990 NIT.

Along the way, the Bears upset No. 6 Kansas at the Ferrell Center, and then upended Big 12 regular season champion Iowa State in the second round of the conference tournament.

With freshmen Lawrence Roberts and John Lucas on board in 2001-2002, the Bears finished 14-16 in a rebuilding year. The Bears improved slightly to 14-14 last season before losing in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament for the second straight year.

Bliss began his coaching career under Bob Knight at Army from 1967-69 before returning to alma mater Cornell as an assistant coach for two seasons. When Knight took over at Indiana in 1971, Bliss rejoined his mentor for a four-year stint as an assistant coach.

Upon Knight's recommendation, Bliss took his first head coaching job at age 32 at Oklahoma in 1975. After a 9-17 debut season, Bliss guided the Sooners to four straight winning seasons, including the 1979 Big 8 title.

Bliss then took over at SMU, where he reached the NCAA Tournament in 1984, 1985 and 1988. Though Bliss' SMU program was never placed on probation during his 1980-88 tenure, a probe of the athletic program in 1987 suggested that major violations in the basketball program might have occurred.

However, the NCAA chose not to pursue the allegations regarding the basketball program because SMU's football program was already serving the "death penalty" in 1987-88. Bliss left for New Mexico in 1988.

Bliss' New Mexico program flourished by reaching seven NCAA tournaments and three NITs in 11 seasons.

 

Knight ought to go to Waco and KICK HIS ASS!!