NCAA panel suspends Richardson for lying

Steve Addy

Friday, Nov. 10, 2000 | 10:21 a.m.

Despite handing UNLV forward Chris Richardson an open-ended suspension Thursday, the NCAA might have actually done him and the Rebels a favor.

By indefinitely suspending Richardson for lying to NCAA investigators during UNLV's pending infractions case, the NCAA is allowing him and the university to begin the appeals process a few weeks earlier than expected.

And the sooner Richardson's appeal is heard, the shorter his suspension is likely to be.

Thursday's announcement by the Committee on Infractions was an unusual accommodation by the NCAA, considering it could have delayed Richardson's punishment until its overall ruling on UNLV's case. That announcement is expected around Nov. 27, two UNLV sources say.

By then, Richardson and the Rebels would be five games into the regular season, which begins Nov. 17, and Richardson's appeal would likely drag into January when UNLV begins its Mountain West schedule.

Instead, with the committee's ruling of unethical conduct by Richardson, he can immediately appeal to the NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee. UNLV expects the process to last about four weeks, and university insiders are optimistic Richardson's eligibility will be reinstated.

In the meantime, the 6-foot-6 junior can practice with the Rebels, but not suit up or attend road games. Technically, Richardson could play tonight in UNLV's home exhibition against the L.A. Stars, a non-NCAA team, but the university said he will sit out.

"In essence, the NCAA broke our case into a couple of parts, and we appreciate them doing that in regards to (Richardson)," UNLV athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro said. "This will give us a head start on the appeals process.

"If the NCAA had waited to issue everything at once, it might have been too far along (in the season) and made the appeal impractical."

Richardson was excused from practice Thursday and unavailable for comment. Coach Bill Bayno conceded that Richardson had expected the suspension.

"Now we're going to wait and hope for a fair (length of suspension)," Bayno said. "Chris and I had a long talk, and this is a good lesson in life. If you only dwell on the short-term, it's a setback. Or you can be a man and come back strong, and Chris will do that. He'll be there (tonight) cheering on his teammates."

Richardson's attorney, Daniel J. Albregts of Las Vegas, said the appeal will point out that Richardson's suspension actually began in March when UNLV held him out of the first-round NCAA tournament loss to Tulsa at Nashville.

"Chris and I are quite disappointed that the committee found an unethical conduct violation," Albregts said. "But we're hopeful that the unusual exception afforded us by the NCAA (the expedited suspension) is an indication that Chris will be able to be reinstated."

The optimism of Albregts and those at UNLV is partly because of the wording of the notification letter received from Committee on Infractions chair Jack H. Friedenthal.

"Normally, the committee does not release any of the findings in an infractions case until the completion of the infractions report," Friedenthal wrote. "However, in light of the rapidly approaching season, the committee felt it appropriate to make an exception in this case so that the student-athlete reinstatement process can be started for Mr. Richardson."

Friedenthal, a law professor at George Washington University, was also on the committee in 1993 when UNLV was handed three years probation for violations under former coach Jerry Tarkanian.

It is up to Friedenthal and seven other committee members to decide how severely to punish UNLV for several rules violations under Bayno, mostly stemming from the 1997 recruitment of Lamar Odom.

The Rebels have self-imposed a series of probation-like sanctions, including scholarship and recruiting limitations, but the committee will probably hand down actual probation in its final report.

Cavagnaro was hesitant to view the committee's treatment of Richardson as a sign that UNLV will be given lighter sanctions in the overall case. After all, the NCAA regards UNLV as a repeat violator because of its 1993 probation.

"This is an unusual area. There's not much precedent for it being handled (separately)," Cavagnaro said. "It's hard to get a read on it."

Details of the ruling against Richardson will not be released until the NCAA's full report, but a source close to the case said the committee determined that Richardson lied to NCAA investigators on Jan. 18, 2000, in his second of two interviews with them.

In that interview, Richardson was notified that the NCAA doubted his testimony of Aug. 31, 1999, in regards to a free bed provided by former assistant coach Greg Vetrone on June 22, 1998.

Given a chance to amend his testimony, Richardson turned down the NCAA's offer of limited immunity, then told investigators he saw his mother Brenda Mack pay Vetrone $300 cash for the bed. Vetrone and former UNLV player Matt Siebrandt, who also received a bed, testified that no money changed hands.

Richardson, from Corpus Christi, Tex., is regarded as the Rebels' best athlete and has won the team dunk contest all three years, but has been a career backup. Last season he averaged 4.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in 28 games.

Partly because of Richardson's suspension, Bayno said 6-8 freshman forward Omari Pearson won't be redshirted this season and will play tonight.