Funding from ex-NFL player could be center of Brown investigation
A former NFL player who helped fund a tour of campuses for football prospects from the Wichita, Kan., area might be at the center of an NCAA investigation into the amateur status of Tennessee freshman Bryce Brown.
The NCAA could determine that the person in question is representing a certain school's athletic interests. That could make the donation an extra benefit given to recruits which is against NCAA rules.
However, Brown's longtime adviser, Brian Butler, told CBSSports.com on Thursday that the donor had no interest in any of the players who took a six-day tour of Southern universities. Butler would not name the person.
It was reported this week that the NCAA is investigating Brown's amateur status. Tennessee AD Mike Hamilton told the Knoxville News Sentinel that the school is appealing the NCAA's initial ruling. Hamilton would not say what the ruling is, however; Brown might have to repay extra benefits and/or serve a one or two-game suspension.
Hamilton stressed that Tennessee is not under NCAA investigation.
• Kiffin: NCAA investigating phenom Brown's eligibility
At least part of the issue seems to center around a multi-college trip taken by Brown and other prospects during Brown's sophomore year at Wichita East High School. Butler said most of the $7,000 raised for the trip came from that former NFL player residing in Wichita. The money funded a whirlwind six-day "academic tour" of at least 13 schools in the South. Ten players rode in a cramped, rented, 15-passenger van for most of the trip.
Campus visits lasted, at most, a few hours, Butler said. They were meant to get the players acquainted with the academic staff at each school. VolQuest.com reported that seven of the 10 players in the van are at Division I schools.
In addition to money from the primary donor, Butler said there were fundraisers held for the trip.
"I told them [NCAA] about how much money I asked for each kid to raise," Butler said. "I told them the cost per kid. They said, 'OK, we don't need to see bank statements.'
"I don't want these people [donors] to put their names out there. [The primary donor] played in the NFL. I trained him, too."
Butler's organization, Potential Players Foundation, is registered as a non-profit organization. He advises and trains area athletes, helping them get college scholarships. Recently, he raised his weekly fee for one session from $75 to $80. In the past Butler worked with both Bryce and his brother Arthur, a rising sophomore at Miami.
Butler, 34, was under investigation by the NCAA earlier this year for his role in training those athletes. The NCAA was trying to determine if Butler improperly profited from his relationship with those players. On his website, he charged for updates on Bryce Brown's recruitment. He has since stopped charging a fee. Butler added he has not spoken to the NCAA since March.
Brown finally signed with Tennessee in mid-March after a long and, at times, contentious recruiting process. Miami pulled its scholarship offer after Brown did not meet a school-imposed deadline. Brown, a tailback, was largely considered the No. 1 recruit in the country.
"I've got nothing to hide," Butler said. "We're talking about a kid who is an honor roll student. ... A kid who is a Tim Tebow kid."
Butler said the party initially drove 28 hours from Wichita to Florida, visiting Florida, Florida State, Florida A&M, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama-Birmingham, Alabama, Clark, Mississippi, Tulsa, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Accommodations, Butler said, ranged from staying at a private residence to a Comfort Inn to mid-range hotels.
"We visited schools Bryce had no interest in," he said.
Butler added that three or four of the six days were spent on the road and that players were crammed into the van, sometimes next to luggage. The investigation is believed to be part of a regular NCAA process during which the association looks into the recruiting of the nation's top football and basketball recruits.
It is known that the NCAA is concerned that the college basketball recruiting culture is infiltrating football. Basketball coaches have long been frustrated by having to go through unscrupulous "handlers" and "advisers" -- some with their hands out -- to get to top recruits.
"I know they don't want football to turn into basketball," Butler said. "I understand why they don't want it to get that way. I know I'm a rare breed. They look at me like I'm a [bad person] making money off the kids."
Butler said that if Brown is required to repay money, it would be a financial burden on the player's family. He had just gotten off the phone with Bryce's father. Arthur Sr.. who was seeking updates.
Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin called the investigation "a giant distraction." Brown has been allowed to practice but has been sidelined by a sore hip.
Tennessee opens with home games against Western Kentucky and UCLA.
