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Ex-prep coach says Michigan State offered money for player
[size=-1]WOODY BAIRD[/size]
[size=-1]Associated Press[/size]
<!-- begin body-content --> MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A former high school coach has testified that three Southeastern Conference schools paid him money for his top football player, including a $150,000 payoff from the University of Alabama. He also says Michigan State offered money for the player.
Lynn Lang said he received the money on Alabama's behalf from Logan Young, a Memphis millionaire who is on trial on federal bribery and money laundering charges.
Lang, the former head coach at Trezevant High School, is awaiting sentencing on a guilty plea to racketeering conspiracy. He said he took the money to convince defensive lineman Albert Means to sign with the Crimson Tide in 2000.
Young's lawyers contend Lang is lying to save himself from a long prison sentence.
In testimony Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Lang said Alabama paid him money to steer Means to the school along with Kentucky and Georgia. He also testified that Michigan State, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas offered money for Means but never paid.
Means, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, testified earlier in the day that he let Lang choose his college.
Others who testified Tuesday were Alabama athletic director Mal Moore and Young's ex-girlfriend, Lisa Mallory.
Lang said he began shopping Means around to various colleges when he realized in 1999 how many schools wanted him. He said he was referred to Young, a longtime Alabama booster, by former Crimson Tide assistant coach Ivy Williams.
Lang said he began the bidding for Means at $50,000, and Young "took to it like water."
Lang testified that former Kentucky recruiting coordinator Claude Bassett gave $7,000 for work at a camp and a Means visit to campus, and that former Georgia head coach Jim Donnan gave $700 "out of his pocket" for work at a camp. He added that Bill Harper, a Georgia booster from Memphis, sent him a $100 bill in an envelope.
Lang, who made less than $30,000 at Trezevant High, said he kept upping the price until it topped out at $150,000, which he received in a series of payments each smaller than $10,000, the threshold at which bank transactions must be reported.
Young told him that since the payments were in cash, "If anything happened, it was his word against mine," Lang testified.
Beginning his cross examination, defensive lawyer James Neal questioned Lang about denials of taking a payoff he made to federal investigators, the NCAA and officials with the Memphis school system.
Neal was to continue his questioning Wednesday.
In his testimony, Means said he depended on Lang to deal with college recruiters.
"He took care of everything else," Means said. "That's why I trusted him."
Means also said someone else, who was not identified in court, took his college entrance exam for him, and he acknowledged lying about that to a grand jury.
"I was afraid," he said.
While entering his guilty plea in 2002, Lang said he arranged for a stand-in to take Means' entrance exam.
Means, who said he had never met Young, stayed at Alabama for one football season. He transferred to the University of Memphis after reports of a payoff to Lang became public.
Alabama's recruitment of Means became part of an NCAA investigation that led to sanctions against the Crimson Tide in 2002 that deprived the team of scholarships and bowl eligibility.
Means finished his college football eligibility last season and expects to graduate in May. He said he hopes to have a professional football career.
Mallory told the jury Young is a heavy drinker who likes to brag about Alabama football.
She said Young talked about Means, saying, "He's mine."
Under defense questioning, she said Young also made similar comments about other high school players who did not sign with Alabama but went to other colleges.
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Ex-prep coach says Michigan State offered money for player
[size=-1]WOODY BAIRD[/size]
[size=-1]Associated Press[/size]
<!-- begin body-content --> MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A former high school coach has testified that three Southeastern Conference schools paid him money for his top football player, including a $150,000 payoff from the University of Alabama. He also says Michigan State offered money for the player.
Lynn Lang said he received the money on Alabama's behalf from Logan Young, a Memphis millionaire who is on trial on federal bribery and money laundering charges.
Lang, the former head coach at Trezevant High School, is awaiting sentencing on a guilty plea to racketeering conspiracy. He said he took the money to convince defensive lineman Albert Means to sign with the Crimson Tide in 2000.
Young's lawyers contend Lang is lying to save himself from a long prison sentence.
In testimony Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Lang said Alabama paid him money to steer Means to the school along with Kentucky and Georgia. He also testified that Michigan State, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas offered money for Means but never paid.
Means, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, testified earlier in the day that he let Lang choose his college.
Others who testified Tuesday were Alabama athletic director Mal Moore and Young's ex-girlfriend, Lisa Mallory.
Lang said he began shopping Means around to various colleges when he realized in 1999 how many schools wanted him. He said he was referred to Young, a longtime Alabama booster, by former Crimson Tide assistant coach Ivy Williams.
Lang said he began the bidding for Means at $50,000, and Young "took to it like water."
Lang testified that former Kentucky recruiting coordinator Claude Bassett gave $7,000 for work at a camp and a Means visit to campus, and that former Georgia head coach Jim Donnan gave $700 "out of his pocket" for work at a camp. He added that Bill Harper, a Georgia booster from Memphis, sent him a $100 bill in an envelope.
Lang, who made less than $30,000 at Trezevant High, said he kept upping the price until it topped out at $150,000, which he received in a series of payments each smaller than $10,000, the threshold at which bank transactions must be reported.
Young told him that since the payments were in cash, "If anything happened, it was his word against mine," Lang testified.
Beginning his cross examination, defensive lawyer James Neal questioned Lang about denials of taking a payoff he made to federal investigators, the NCAA and officials with the Memphis school system.
Neal was to continue his questioning Wednesday.
In his testimony, Means said he depended on Lang to deal with college recruiters.
"He took care of everything else," Means said. "That's why I trusted him."
Means also said someone else, who was not identified in court, took his college entrance exam for him, and he acknowledged lying about that to a grand jury.
"I was afraid," he said.
While entering his guilty plea in 2002, Lang said he arranged for a stand-in to take Means' entrance exam.
Means, who said he had never met Young, stayed at Alabama for one football season. He transferred to the University of Memphis after reports of a payoff to Lang became public.
Alabama's recruitment of Means became part of an NCAA investigation that led to sanctions against the Crimson Tide in 2002 that deprived the team of scholarships and bowl eligibility.
Means finished his college football eligibility last season and expects to graduate in May. He said he hopes to have a professional football career.
Mallory told the jury Young is a heavy drinker who likes to brag about Alabama football.
She said Young talked about Means, saying, "He's mine."
Under defense questioning, she said Young also made similar comments about other high school players who did not sign with Alabama but went to other colleges.
--------
Mods, please decide if this is correct forum...
