Coaches rally against betting

Benjamin Grove

Wednesday, June 27, 2001 | 10:55 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- College coaches massed today in their largest gathering yet on Capitol Hill to reapply pressure on Congress to outlaw gambling on college games in Nevada sports books.

About 15 coaches were joined at a media conference outside the Capitol by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Reps. Linsey Graham, R-S.C., and Tim Roemer, D-Ind., leading sponsors of the bill that takes aim at Nevada's biggest industry.

The bill has been stagnating in Congress since the Senate Commerce Committee, led by McCain, narrowly passed it May 3.

Aides say McCain is looking for an opportunity to introduce the bill on the Senate floor for debate and vote, but Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., Senate majority whip, has blocked those attempts in the past.

Reid and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., dismissed the NCAA press conference today as a marketing ploy.

"John (Ensign) and I will do what we have to do to protect the state of Nevada," Reid said.

Still, NCAA officials vowed to keep pressure on Congress until the betting-ban bill passes.

"We could parade thousands of college coaches up here; we could parade over 360,000 student athletes before you to demonstrate a simple reason why we're here: gambling on student athletes is wrong, whether it is legal or illegal," Cedric Demsey, president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, said.

Rep. Tom Osborne, R-Neb., former Nebraska football coach, said it wasn't fair for players to deal with the added pressure of point spreads hanging over games.

"It's tough on the athletes," Osborne said. "And of course, it's tough on the integrity of the game."

The coaches are lobbying members of Congress this week to close a "Las Vegas loophole" that allows legal betting on college games in one state: Nevada. Bill supporters say banning bets in the state will curb the influence of gambling on athletes, such as pressure to beat point spreads and pressure from bookies who contact players.

Proponents argue the bill ultimately could decrease gambling by college students because gambling in Nevada creates a "framework" for illegal betting to thrive.

"I've left the field when we won and been booed; I've left the field when we lost and been cheered," South Carolina football coach Lou Holtz said. "The only difference was in one we beat the point spread."

Some of the coaches present today have trekked to Congress before for hearings and media events since the NCAA in 1998 first started lobbying on the issue.

"It's embarrassing for me to have (the coaches) come up here time and time again to tell Congress that this is a problem," Graham said.

The lawmakers said the influence of gambling money in campaign contributions had blocked the bill.

"This is all about money," McCain said. "This is all about $10 million in campaign contributions from the gambling industry."

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., dismissed that charge, saying gambling money amounted to a "spit in the ocean" in overall campaign contributions to Congress.

Coaches in attendance included University of Colorado football coach Gary Barnett, University of Memphis basketball coach John Calipari and retired University of Michigan coach Bo Schembechler.

Nevada lawmakers and the gaming industry strongly oppose the betting-ban bill and denounced the NCAA media event. Bill foes say the legislation takes unfair aim at the legal gambling in one state when the real problem is widespread illegal gambling in America.

Nevada lawmakers said the NCAA should fix its own problems, such as low graduation rates and exploitation of student athletes, rather than chase after Nevada.

They pointed to a report released Tuesday by the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics that outlined a "disgraceful environment" in college sports.

"They should be on the defensive right now," Ensign said.

The rhetoric on both sides of the issue was not new. Dempsey said coaches had gathered today in part because they had a rare summer break in their hectic schedules.

Dempsey said the NCAA is always examining and seeking to fix the problems that plague college sports.

"The Knight issues and concerns are nothing new to our association," Dempsey said after the press conference today. "We can handle those issues. We can't handle the gambling issue without the help of Congress."

For emphasis, Berkley, carried a copy of the Knight report to the press conference and stood among the throng of reporters as the coaches spoke.

Berkley said there was no new momentum in the House in support of the betting ban bill.

Berkley and Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., have introduced a bill in the House that would require universities to institute anti-gambling programs, as well as launch a study of illegal gambling and increase penalties for illegal gamblers.

The bill has 98 co-sponsors.