June 27, 2001
Texas A&M Head Football Coach R.C. Slocum was among a group of NCAA Division I coaches, athletics administrators, and college presidents who spoke to various members of Congress about the importance of proposed legislation that would extend a ban on legal sports wagering on college athletics to all states.
The group discussed the proposed legislation and its impact on intercollegiate athletics during individual meetings throughout the day on Capitol Hill.
"I was honored to be selected by the NCAA to come to Washington and discuss issues pertaining to college athletics and gambling," Slocum said. "More than an individual calling, I think this is more of a reflection on the good relationship between Texas A&M University and the NCAA. I was pleased the NCAA included the coaches in this group."
NCAA President Cedric Dempsey and NCAA senior vice-president Daniel Boggan led the group which included Slocum. Some of the other members of the group included: John Calipari, basketball coach at Memphis; Lefty Driesell, basketball coach at Georgia State University; Jerry Dunn, basketball coach at Penn State; Andy Geiger, athletics director at Ohio State University; Lou Holtz, head football coach at the University of South Carolina; Roy Kramer, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference; Reverend Edward "Monk" Malloy, president of the University of Notre Dame; and Bo Schembechler, retired football coach at the University of Michigan.
"After hearing from our coaches, who are closest to this issue, we hope that members of Congress will see that legal sports wagering impacts the integrity of the athlete and the game," Dempsey said. "These coaches have come here today to demonstrate how important the legislation ?" as it was introduced ?" is to the intercollegiate athletics community. We're very concerned about the far-reaching effects of legal sports wagering on college sports."
Other members from the Big 12 Conference included: Gary Barnett, head football coach at Colorado; Barry Collier, basketball coach at Nebraska; and Larry Eustachy, basketball coach at Iowa State.
The group is calling for passage of The Amateur Sports Integrity Act (S. 718) and the Student Athlete Protection Act (H.R. 1110). S. 718 was introduced by Senator John McCain, R-Arizona; Senator Sam Brownback, R-Kansas; and Senator John Edwards, D-North Carolina. The legislation would remove the grandfather clause from the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).
"After some of the members of Congress hear the personal experiences of our coaches, presidents, athletics directors and conference officials, we hope they will better understand the seriousness of this issue and its potential impact on college campuses and athletics programs," Demsey said.
A House version of the bill, H.R. 1110, known as the Student Athlete Protection Act, was introduced March 20 by Representatives Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina; Tim Roemer, D-Indiana; Tom Osborne, R-Nebraska; Ron Kind, D-Wisconsin; and 42 cosponsors. It has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.