Ohio State to investigate sales of cars to athletes
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The issues are continuing to pile up for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Already dealing with Jim Tressel's major NCAA violation that he withheld information about players receiving extra benefits, the Columbus Dispatch reported Saturday the university will investigate the purchases of used cars made by dozens of the university's student athletes at two Columbus car dealers to see if any sale violated collegiate rules.
The investigation was initiated after The Dispatch found in public records that at least eight Ohio State athletes and 11 athletes' relatives bought used cars from Jack Maxton Chevrolet or Auto Direct during the past five years. The investigation will involve outside experts and examine at least 50 sales, focusing on whether the athletes received improper benefits.
The common thread in those two dozen transactions was the salesman: Aaron Kniffin, who has worked at both dealerships.
The Dispatch and John Taylor of College Football Talk said that Kniffin is the same salesman that was connected to another investigation involving vehicles driven by quarterback Terrelle Pryor. The university cleared Pryor in that case.
The university's head enforcer of NCAA rules told the paper they will look into the matter but they don't believe they have done anything wrong.
"We'll take a step back, we'll take a look at the transactions and the values, and we'll make some determinations in consultation with the (Big Ten) conference office and go from there," said Doug Archie, associate athletic director and head of compliance at OSU.
"I have nothing to believe a violation has occurred," he said.
The Dispatch notes that NCAA rules prohibit athletes and their relatives from receiving discounts that are not offered to the general public.
Jack Maxton owner Jeff Mauk and Auto Direct owner Jason Goss both told Archie they never have given athletes special deals. They also, according to The Dispatch, "routinely call Archie's office when an athlete is ready to buy a car, provide the purchase price and discuss who will co-sign on a loan."
But Archie said he relies on the car dealers to provide accurate information.
"I'm not a car expert. We have to rely on their integrity and their word when it comes to selling a car," he said. Ohio State runs "spot checks" on some transactions against the Kelley Blue Book value.
Archie said that he'd rather one or two dealerships didn't receive all the OSU business. "It's something from a compliance perspective that I would rather not have," he said.
The Dispatch's research uncovered information on one sale:
Public records show that in 2009, a 2-year-old Chrysler 300 with less than 20,000 miles was titled to then-sophomore linebacker Thaddeus Gibson. Documents show the purchase price as $0.
Mauk could not explain it. "I don't give cars for free," he said. Gibson said he was unaware the title on his car showed zero as the sales price. "I paid for the car, and I'm still paying for it," he said, declining to answer further questions.
Going further, the paper asked officials at two national car-valuation companies -- National Automobile Dealers Association and Kelley Blue Book -- to estimate the value of the cars at the time of purchase. The values they estimated were higher than the price paid in nearly half of the transactions. But they said it's difficult to accurately evaluate the sales without seeing the vehicles to assess condition and options.
"No one can tell you what a car's worth," Goss said.
The Dispatch also spoke to two former NCAA enforcement officials on the condition of anonymity, and they told the paper individually there's cause for concern.
The two collectively have decades of NCAA compliance experience. Neither had ever heard of so many athletes buying cars from the same salesman.
The newspaper also reported the following about Kniffin:
Goss and Kniffin both have attended seven football games as guests of players, including the 2007 national championship and the 2009 Fiesta Bowl. At some point after 2008, Archie barred Kniffin from the players' pass list because OSU rules prohibit athletes from inviting people with whom they do business.
Toward the end of the story, The Dispatch also reported Kniffin has had financial problems since 2006, including owing more than $130,000 to the IRS, and noting his $570,000 Delaware County home is in foreclosure.
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