By Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech athletic officials shrugged off concern this weekend about any connection to a Florida man accused in the “pay-to-play” scandal.
The national pay-for-admission has brought down several prominent business people and actors. Tech coach Buzz Williamson caught the attention of national media after one of the key figures in the case was spotted behind the team’s bench during the Miami game at Cassell Coliseum.
Williams admitted to knowing Martin Fox but says he did not realize Fox was mentioned in what federal authorities have labeled “Varsity Blues.” While Fox is not a household name, he is known in the college coaching world because of his involvement with AAU youth basketball.
Fox is facing charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering. The FBI says Fox facilitated academic fraud as a middleman and funneled bribes to a test administrator for college entry exams.
Virginia Tech recruit Landers Nolley from Fishburn, Georgia, has sat out the entire season after the NCAA questioned his entry score not once but twice. The university says there is no apparent connection between Fox and Nolley.
Although Fox was sitting behind the Hokie bench at the Miami game, Williams maintains he did not know he was being implicated in the federal case. He was surprised when reporters brought it to his attention shortly before the ACC basketball tournament.
Fox is associated with Houston Hoops, a Texas AAU program. Several top players have funneled through that area of the country. Williams is one of several college coaches who have been called close to him.
Virginia Tech Athletic Director Whit Babcock said he feels confident in what Williams has told him about not knowing about any the questionable activity.
More than 50 people have been indicted in the bribery case and now face charges. In some cases, parents provided large sums of money that were given to college coaches who falsified documents so individuals could gain admittance to a certain school as an athlete when they weren’t.
William Singer is at the forefront of the case. He owns and operates a company called “Edge School and Profession Community.” Parents worked with him to acquire college admission to schools like Stanford and Wake Forest. Federal authorities have said the investigation is continuing but have not stated if there are any more pending arrests.
Virginia Tech is confident there has been no connection to the scandal and their athletic programs.
This comes on the heels of the university self-reporting as many as 10 minor violations to the NCAA. Babcock has said nothing about the Nolley situation, but the reported violations involving the basketball program dealt with staffers placing pictures of prospective athletes on television screens in men’s basketball offices during the athlete’s visit.
In addition, an undergraduate manager was also scolded for attending an Elite basketball camp over the summer. In that incident, a NCAA official was in attendance and asked the individual to leave.
Two violations involved a member of the football team, including contact by an assistant coach and a prospective player prior to a permissible date. A second violation involved a university staff member tweeting a meeting with a future player and his family.
The women’s basketball program was also cited for an improper entertainment payment. Four others involved women’s golf, men’s swimming and women’s lacrosse.
The violations have been dealt with internally, and it is not known if the NCAA will hand down any penalties. Most of the concerns were all from last year.