CSU Revises Recruitment Policy
This year the CSU athletic department decided to immediately
revise its recruitment policies.
“We revise our policies every year, and normally publish them
during the summer months,” said Gary Ozzello, senior associate
athletic director. “But, under the circumstances we decided to
revise them now, rather than wait to institute the new
policies.”
In an article published in Monday’s Collegian, Ozzello said the
university is speaking with players and coaches to investigate
recent claims made by Hardbodies Entertainment Inc. and Secret
Services that the businesses have provided strippers for CSU
football recruitment parties.
“The university was unaware of these allegations, but it is part
of our review that’s ongoing and if we find any truth to these
(claims) we will take prompt action, Ozzello said.”
On Wednesday morning the athletic department staff met to
discuss revisions to athletic recruitment policies and to reiterate
department goals, Ozzello said.
“Previously the Student Athlete Handbook stated the expected
conduct for players,” he said. “Now we have taken an approach to
define expectations more specifically. For example, it now states
that underage drinking is forbidden, illegal drugs are forbidden
and strip clubs and such are forbidden.”
Mark Driscoll, athletic director, said that in addition to
adding specific language to the Student Athlete Handbook, player
host forms will be altered.
“We’ve reviewed what we do and we’ve added some language to the
host form,” Driscoll said. “When recruits come in we pair them up
with an existing player and the host has a sheet that tells how
things are supposed to go; the language we’ve added will make the
expectations more specific.”
The exact wording of the policy revisions will be decided next
week when athletic coordinators meet with football coaches.
Regardless of the exact wording uncertainty, Driscoll said he
hopes expectations about appropriate behavior will be clarified by
the language changes.
“We seem to be dealing with issues that we have never dealt with
before,” Driscoll said. “Appropriate behavior is not rocket
science, it’s just like how your mom or dad expects you to
act.”
Tom Milligan, assistant vice president for University Relations,
said the athletic department has done a nice job handling the
recent events.
“I think that when you look at the things that are going on in
the world and in collegiate athletics it is appropriate to evaluate
your own program,” Milligan said. “In this case the athletic
department has found a proactive and responsible way to deal with
it.”
Ozzello said the language changes in the Student Athlete
Handbook should make athlete expectations explicitly clear in the
future.
“Now, there should be no questions of our (recruitment)
policies,” Ozzello said. “They are plainly stated.”
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