University of Maine head coach Shawn Walsh said Friday he knew
Maine defenseman Jeff Tory might have trouble with NCAA academ-
ic requirements since last year.
 
In Saturday's Bangor Daily News, Walsh is reported to have ack-
nowledged he knew Northern Michigan and Alaska-Fairbanks had
stopped recruiting Tory when they discovered Tory might be in-
eligible his freshman year.
 
Walsh said that while he knew Tory had been rejected by two
schools, he didn't bring the rejections to the attention of ad-
missions officials at Maine or the athletic department's NCAA
compliance officer, Woody Carville. Carville said if he had
known about the rejections, he would have checked with the NCAA
office.
 
Walsh said it's standard procedure for him not to mention po-
tential problems about players who are being recruited - even
if the players are accepted at Maine.
 
"My impression is we had information no one else got," Walsh
told the BDN. "I saw no reason to check with the NCAA."
 
Northern Michigan coach Rick Comley told the BDN he had disc-
ussed Tory's academics with Walsh last winter. Comley said he
commented to Walsh he saw no way Tory could play as a freshman.
 
Comley said that in addition to talking with Walsh about Tory,
a member of his coaching staff shared written information with
UMaine assistant coach Grant Standbrook. The information was
about Alaska-Fairbanks's efforts to recruit Tory and the pro-
gram's subsequent pulling out because of Tory's high school
transcript. The NCAA informed Alaska-Fairbanks Tory's grades
were not satisfactory.
 
Walsh believes Tory is eligible and said he stands behind his
and Carville's interpretations of the NCAA academic require-
ments.
 
"My only mistake was in not double-checking before allowing
him to play," Walsh told the BDN.
 
Maine has filed an appeal. If unsuccessful, Tory will have to
sit out the remainder of the season and appeal to the NCAA to
be cleared to play next season.
 
Ryan Robbins
Stodder Hall
University of Maine
 
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