By: Lauren Hinnant
University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides received a official notice on Monday that the NCAA is looking athletic recruiting and into rooms rented by student-athletes in 2009 and 2010.
The housing investigation notice says twelve student-athletes received illegal benefits from the Whitney Hotel on Devine Street when their rent payments were less than $15 a night.
A more recent incident listed by the NCAA is the involvement of USC alumnus and Philadelphia businessman, Kevin Lahn. Lahn's Student Athlete Mentoring Foundation (SAM) is accused of having "impermissible recruiting contact" with freshman wide receiver Damiere Boyd. Lahn has since been disassociated by the university and Boyd is serving a four game suspension.
At yesterday's press conference, Head Coach Steve Spurrier said he hopes the situation doesn't get any worse.
"I hope we're not in serious trouble, I don't think we're going to be," said Spurrier.
He went on to say he does not want to speak about the NCAA investigation anymore.
South Carolina's Athletic Director Eric Hyman could not comment specifically on the school's investigation, but he spoke in generalities on the Monday night radio show, "Inside the Roost."
"They'll deal with some of the issues that we have and they'll talk and give us an opportunity to represent ourselves at that point in time they'll make a judgement call," said Hyman.
David Adair at radio station 107.5, The Game says don't be surprised if the NCAA makes an example out of South Carolina because of the investigations at the University of Miami, Ohio State, and the University of Southern California. He also said consequences might not be as bad for the university as the penalties given other schools because the NCAA respects President Pastides, Spurrier, and Hyman and because of their cooperation with the NCAA's investigation.
The university has until December to respond to the notice. Any possible penalties would not be announced until next year.
This is the second time the University of South Carolina has been flagged by the NCAA. The first came in the Lou Holtz era in 2005.
