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Michigan awaiting to hear whether Crawford can play
DETROIT -- Michigan's leading scorer Jamal Crawford hasn't yet heard
from the NCAA if he will be eligible to play Thursday night against Purdue.
The NCAA initially suspended Crawford, a 6-foot-6 freshman guard, for six games for violating its rules concerning amateurism, based on his relationship with a Seattle man he lived with for three years while attending Rainier Beach High School. But the NCAA re-opened its investigation following media reports about Crawford's relationship with Barry Henthorn. The Detroit News reported Thursday that Crawford's college career could be in jeopardy because of a letter he wrote in May declaring himself eligible for the NBA draft. Henthorn told the newspaper that the draft letter has become the central issue in the NCAA's investigation. The NCAA is considering declaring Crawford ineligible "forever," Henthorn said. Madej told The Associated Press that Michigan officials have discussed the letters with the NCAA. "There has been discussion about the letters, but I don't know what the NCAA has said or what our discussions have been with the NCAA," he said. "I am assuming I'm going to hear something about it (Thursday)." Michigan Athletic Director Tom Goss and coach Brian Ellerbe did not respond to requests for an interview, the News reported. On Feb. 16, Ellerbe told the News he knew that Crawford had "checked out the NBA Draft" in the spring. "He just wanted to see where he stood," Ellerbe said. Crawford wrote the letter believing he could test his value in the NBA Draft, then withdrew, without jeopardizing his collegiate eligibility, Henthorn said. College players can apply for the draft and withdraw once, according to NCAA rules. The exception does not apply to high school students, NCAA representative Jane Jankowski said Wednesday. Jankowski was not commenting specifically on the Crawford case. A representative for the NBA, Mark Broussard, confirmed to the newspaper that Crawford's letter, postmarked May 14, 1999, arrived in league headquarters, followed six days later by another letter in which Crawford withdrew from the draft. Crawford's May 14 letter to NBA Commissioner David Stern, obtained by the News, read: "This letter is intended to formerly (sic) declare myself, Jamal Crawford, eligible for the 1999 NBA Draft. I understand that I will have up to one week prior to the draft to reconsider my position without effecting (sic) my NCAA eligibility or my ability to declare myself eligible in the future under the same guidelines." Crawford asked that any paperwork from the league be mailed to "my residence" -- giving the address of Henthorn's multimillion-dollar home in Edmonds, Wash., a Seattle suburb.
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