Reid “concerned” about NCAA gambling bill; criticizes Dean Smith

Scott Sonner

Friday, Sept. 15, 2000 | 11:21 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - Sen. Harry Reid insists he still has "lots of arrows in my quiver" but admits he's concerned about the ability of Nevada's delegation to block a proposed ban on betting on college sports.

Reid, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, also offered some advice Thursday to former University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith: "Stick with coaching."

Smith helped rally support on Capitol Hill this week for the measure that cleared the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday proposing an end to legal betting on NCAA sports at Nevada casinos.

"We're talking about something that can taint young people," said Smith, who added that the ban wouldn't hurt Las Vegas casinos because they can still take bets on pro sports.

"It isn't like they aren't making enough money," the coach said.

Reid, the minority whip, said it was the latest in what he maintains is a misinformation campaign by the NCAA.

"There are some wonderful people who are well-meaning, but they are being brainwashed by the NCAA," the senator said Thursday in a telephone interview from Washington.

"Dean Smith - everything I know about him or from watching him coach all those years - seems like a very nice man. But he knows nothing about journalism or the First Amendment," Reid said.

"These NCAA goofs are running around telling people if we don't have a betting line in Las Vegas, there won't be one anymore. But it's not true. All the major publications say they will continue to publish the lines," he told The Associated Press.

"Dean Smith knows nothing about the entertainment business or gambling. He is a coach. He should stick to coaching."

The measure has bipartisan sponsors in both chambers but is drawing much of its key support from Republicans. Backers say the integrity of amateur sports is at stake.

"This is a chance for Congress, in the last hours of this session, to do something good for a cause many Americans really love and appreciate, and that's college sports," said Rep. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a sponsor of the bill and its chief proponent on the Judiciary Committee.

Reid and other opponents of the prohibition say it will do nothing to stem the problem NCAA backers say it is intended to address - gambling on college campuses.

"This is an illegal bookmakers dream come true," Reid said after the Judiciary Committee approved the bill Wednesday night.

"This bill makes Nevada a scapegoat for rampant problems with illegal gambling - problems the NCAA has done nothing to solve. This bill will only serve to drive more gamblers to illegal bookies. It will not protect athletes or prevent corruption in college sports," he said.

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., said this week that Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi assured the bill's supporters they will get a chance this year to muster 60 votes to break a certain filibuster by Nevada's senators.

In Indianapolis, NCAA spokesman Wally Renfro said while the proposed legislation would not stop gambling on college campuses, it was "an important step" in that direction.

"It doesn't make much sense to undertake the fight against illegal gambling if you don't address all the issues," he said.

Renfro said the NCAA has "an aggressive educational plan" that includes visits to campuses to talk about illegal wagering, and works with coaches, administrators and law enforcement agencies to discourage players from gambling.

Reid helped keep the bill from coming to a vote on the Senate floor earlier this month. He said if the Nevadans can prevent action on the measure until next year, they will have a chance to change the minds of some backers.

"So that when we go into it next year, it won't be the slam dunk people think that it is," he said.

Reid declined to say Thursday whether he would mount a filibuster to prevent a Senate vote or what other options he'd consider.

"I'll do my best. No predictions," Reid said.

"I'm concerned. ... But I've got lots of arrows in my quiver."