I read this on rec.sport.hockey and after a short discussion with
another HOCKEY-Ler, I decided to go ahead and post this...I didn't
want to be seen as airing other people's dirty laundry, but I didn't
see anyone else post this and it's also been mentioned before - yet I
thought it had been settled.  A couple of questions that should be
raised follow.  (I'm not even sure if Jeff is still on HOCKEY-L, btw.)
 
>From: [log in to unmask] ((Jeff Horvath))
>Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey
>Subject: Sabres Update (7/13/93)
>Date: 13 Jul 1993 10:11:38 -0500
>Message-ID: <[log in to unmask]>
...
>And a final tidbit:  Buffalo Sabre/Rochester American Doug MacDonald is
>currently trying to straighten out a small NCAA rules violation that
>occurred while he was playing for the University of Wisconsin.  Aparrently
>MacDonald and the Badgers star goaltender Duane Derksen were living with
>two well known hockey supporters during their senior year (91-92).
>Apparently they paid rent much lower than the current market value.  This
>was deemed a violation by the NCAA as it constituted a benefit not
>available to non-athletes.  The NCAA is deciding what action to take.  One
>of the possiblities is to force the Badgers to forfeit their entire 91-92
>season in which they lost in the NCAA finals to Lake Superior State.  The
>University of Wisconsin is hoping the NCAA does not choose this option and
>is taking action of its own.  Among other things, they are asking Derksen
>and MacDonald to repay the difference in money owed.
 
1) Repay the difference - to who?  The NC$$ in the form of a fine?
   The school?  The booster?
2) The school may end up getting punished...but what happens to the
   boosters?  An oft-heard criticism of the NC$$'s punitive measures
   is that the people committing the illegal acts tend to get away
   with it.  Some sort of banning of the boosters in question would
   seem to make sense here.
 
Anything is possible...but in comparing this to other cases, such as
Lowell, there were also rent reductions going on there as well as
many, many other things, and no games were forfeited.  It sounds like
this is the only incident being investigated at UW and it wouldn't
seem to warrant such a heavy blow, especially if the school is
cooperating as I suspect they are.  I just wonder why it seems to be
dragging on so long since we first heard about it a while ago.
---
Mike Machnik           [log in to unmask]          [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                  *HMN* 11/13/93