Hamilton committed to San Diego State after UO visit
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Associated Press
EUGENE, Ore. -- The father of a University of Oregon football recruit says that his son decided against the school after he was offered sex and drugs during a campus visit, according to a California newspaper.
Leo Hamilton, the father of running back Lynell Hamilton from Stockton, Calif., told The Stockton Record that his son was offered marijuana, alcohol and sex at off-campus parties during his official visit to Oregon the weekend the Ducks played Arizona State.
Furthermore, he thought that UO coaches did little after being informed of the incidents.
"Lynell said no, but he never should have been in a situation where he had to make that decision,'' Leo Hamilton told the newspaper.
Lynell Hamilton signed Wednesday with San Diego State.
Allegations of inappropriate activity during college recruiting visits are not new nationwide, but Hamilton's comments mark the first time such accusations have been leveled against Oregon.
According to Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti, his coaching staff looked into the accusations and found nothing to substantiate Lynell Hamilton's claims of marijuana use.
"I don't know if it happened or didn't happen, but we talked to everyone involved and no one mentioned marijuana,'' Bellotti told The Record.
During a press conference Friday, Belletti said he conducts exit interviews with every recruit who visits the university, and he has never heard of a similar problem.
"Never in the eight years I've been the head coach has anybody suggested to me that there was a problem with drugs or alcohol and that they would not come here or that they were concerned about that,'' Bellotti said.
Oregon athletics director Bill Moos said a number of points remain unclear, but that he's satisfied with the findings from an internal investigation.
"In a number of instances -- those events that may be in question -- we could not be sure,'' Moos told The Record this week. "There may have been a situation that was not in line with what we want in a recruiting visit.''
Moos and Bellotti said Friday they didn't wish to comment directly on the allegations, or discuss what was published in The Record, because the school's compliance staff worried discussing the incident further would violate NCAA rules.
Lynell Hamilton made official visits to Oregon, Michigan, Colorado, Alabama A&M and San Diego State. Oregon was his first choice, but his parents steered him toward San Diego State based on his experiences at the other schools, the newspaper reported.
"Oregon was my No. 1 choice,'' Lynell Hamilton told The Record. "But they blew it for both of us.''
Since when did morals enter into recruitment ?
Scott King of Dogs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press
EUGENE, Ore. -- The father of a University of Oregon football recruit says that his son decided against the school after he was offered sex and drugs during a campus visit, according to a California newspaper.
Leo Hamilton, the father of running back Lynell Hamilton from Stockton, Calif., told The Stockton Record that his son was offered marijuana, alcohol and sex at off-campus parties during his official visit to Oregon the weekend the Ducks played Arizona State.
Furthermore, he thought that UO coaches did little after being informed of the incidents.
"Lynell said no, but he never should have been in a situation where he had to make that decision,'' Leo Hamilton told the newspaper.
Lynell Hamilton signed Wednesday with San Diego State.
Allegations of inappropriate activity during college recruiting visits are not new nationwide, but Hamilton's comments mark the first time such accusations have been leveled against Oregon.
According to Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti, his coaching staff looked into the accusations and found nothing to substantiate Lynell Hamilton's claims of marijuana use.
"I don't know if it happened or didn't happen, but we talked to everyone involved and no one mentioned marijuana,'' Bellotti told The Record.
During a press conference Friday, Belletti said he conducts exit interviews with every recruit who visits the university, and he has never heard of a similar problem.
"Never in the eight years I've been the head coach has anybody suggested to me that there was a problem with drugs or alcohol and that they would not come here or that they were concerned about that,'' Bellotti said.
Oregon athletics director Bill Moos said a number of points remain unclear, but that he's satisfied with the findings from an internal investigation.
"In a number of instances -- those events that may be in question -- we could not be sure,'' Moos told The Record this week. "There may have been a situation that was not in line with what we want in a recruiting visit.''
Moos and Bellotti said Friday they didn't wish to comment directly on the allegations, or discuss what was published in The Record, because the school's compliance staff worried discussing the incident further would violate NCAA rules.
Lynell Hamilton made official visits to Oregon, Michigan, Colorado, Alabama A&M and San Diego State. Oregon was his first choice, but his parents steered him toward San Diego State based on his experiences at the other schools, the newspaper reported.
"Oregon was my No. 1 choice,'' Lynell Hamilton told The Record. "But they blew it for both of us.''
Since when did morals enter into recruitment ?
Scott King of Dogs
