On the hot seat

Steve Addy

Friday, June 23, 2000 | 10:34 a.m.

Of six UNLV players and recruits named in NCAA allegations against the men's basketball program, only one still wears a Rebels uniform, and a fullcourt press is underway to help Chris Richardson retain that privilege.

Richardson, a 6-foot-6 backup forward, is accused of misleading NCAA investigators about a free bed procured for him as an incoming freshman in June 1998. His eligibility depends on whether he and UNLV can persuade the NCAA Committee on Infractions that he did not intend to mislead them.

When UNLV goes before the committee Aug. 11-13 in Beaver Creek, Colo., its primary goal will be to refute allegations about the 1997 recruitment of Lamar Odom and argue that various secondary violations shouldn't yield major NCAA sanctions.

But Richardson's case will be heard then, too, and he'll likely have to explain inconsistencies stemming from two interviews with NCAA investigators.

Because of the matter, athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro and coach Bill Bayno held Richardson out of UNLV's first-round loss to Tulsa in the NCAA Tournament March 17. He also had been ruled ineligible for a day in the regular season, the university's 122-page response revealed.

"Our stance is that this student-athlete didn't attempt to mislead the NCAA," Cavagnaro said, declining to name Richardson. "But at the time, when the allegation was made, we had to (bench Richardson) because it was an eligibility issue. You always want to err on the side of caution.

"It was a good-faith move by the university and (Richardson) to acknowledge the seriousness of the allegation."

UNLV has been allowed to retain counsel for Richardson in accordance with NCAA policy. Attorney Daniel J. Albregts of Las Vegas has been on the case since March and he'll accompany Richardson to the Beaver Creek hearing. Richardson could not be reached for comment this week.

"(Richardson) was truthful about all aspects of the inquiry. He was honest about everything," Albregts said Thursday. "We hope the NCAA finds he did not intentionally mislead them. We are working closely with the university to try to have the best possible outcome."

Richardson, from Corpus Christi, Tex., has played 49 games for UNLV over two seasons, but could lose his eligibility if the Committee on Infractions believes that his testimony "violated the provisions of ethical conduct" for student-athletes.

He could receive lesser penalties, such as a suspension for part of next season, if the NCAA finds mitigating circumstances.

The central issue is not whether Richardson and former Rebel Matt Siebrandt improperly received beds procured by ex-assistant coach Greg Vetrone (UNLV admits that violation), but Richardson's conflicting testimony on whether his mother Brenda Mack paid Vetrone for the bed.

Vetrone testified to the NCAA that he acquired the used mattresses and box springs for free and received no money from Mack. Siebrandt, granted immunity by the NCAA, and his parents testified that Vetrone didn't ask them to pay for the bed and no payment was offered.

On Aug. 31, 1999, Richardson stated to NCAA investigators that his mother told him she had paid Vetrone for the bed, but he didn't know how much.

After the denials of Vetrone and the Siebrandts, the investigators returned to UNLV on Jan. 18, 2000, to re-interview Richardson. Informed of the denials and the potential consequences if his testimony proved false, Richardson was offered limited immunity, but rejected it.

However, he told investigators he had seen his mother give cash to Vetrone, and she told him it was for the bed. Mack later testified that she gave Vetrone from $150 to $300, but could not recall the exact amount. In his second interview, Vetrone maintained he had received no money.

Regardless if money changed hands, UNLV and Richardson's attorney maintain that Richardson testified according to what he believed to be correct, so his conduct was not unethical.

Albregts said, "(Richardson) believed his mother when she said the mattress had been paid for. To the extent that there might be differences from one statement to the next -- statements that were taken six months apart -- it wasn't from Chris trying to intentionally mislead anybody."

On the date of his second interview, Richardson was declared temporarily ineligible, then reinstated that day after repaying half the cost of the U-Haul truck used to pick up the beds.

Though the allegations regarding Richardson are limited to the bed, he and UNLV dodged more serious charges that he was given about $800 in cash by suspended booster Steve Stein.

In testimony by former Rebels guard Desmond Herod, who transferred to Seton Hall last year and was granted NCAA immunity, Richardson is said to have received two payments from Stein of about $400 each during the 1998-99 season. Herod also admitted getting $100 three times in Stein's office, and that is one of the official NCAA allegations, as well as Stein allegedly giving Odom $100.

Richardson and Stein deny the allegations, and Herod's testimony can't be corroborated, so the NCAA did not cite the alleged payments to Richardson in its charges pertaining to Stein.

Regarding the alleged payments to Herod and Odom, UNLV's response stated that Herod's testimony is detailed enough to have the "feel of credibility," but that there is too much contradictory testimony to determine if the allegations are substantially correct.