UW president: ‘We failed’ our athletes

  • Tuesday, April 27, 2004 9:00pm
  • Sports

SEATTLE – A Washington softball player once was so overmedicated, she gleefully pretended to swim on the dugout floor. Teammates recalled a drugged player stumbling into the head coach’s arms.

When pregame muscle relaxants took too much of a toll, leaving a player too drowsy to take the field, she might receive a “focus pill” – Ritalin or over-the-counter caffeine stimulants.

An alarming picture emerged Tuesday as the University of Washington released an internal report examining the practices of a former team physician and athletic trainer assigned to the softball program.

“The welfare of our student athletes is a fundamental responsibility,” university president Lee Huntsman said. “We failed, and this is deeply troubling and painful.”

The report determined no one intended to harm the players, yet investigators found that athletes’ health was indeed at risk.

Dr. William Scheyer and former trainer Craig Moriwaki routinely provided painkillers and muscle relaxants before games, according to the report. Players gave Scheyer nicknames: “Dr. Feel Good” and “The Candy Man.”

Scheyer’s lawyer denied his client did anything improper. Efforts to reach Moriwaki at his last known job in Hawaii were unsuccessful.

The university also reported a possible NCAA violation to the Pacific-10 Conference. Investigators learned players received the drug Ritalin or over-the-counter stimulants on four occasions in the past four years after they had received too many narcotic painkillers from either Scheyer or Moriwaki.

The investigation also found the softball program exceeded the NCAA’s 20-hour weekly activity limit over a 3 1/2-year span by a combined 36 1/2 hours. The violation is deemed a minor NCAA infraction.

Huntsman also briefed reporters on several other matters that have rocked the UW athletics program in the past year. Washington fired former football coach Rick Neuheisel last summer for high-stakes gambling on the NCAA basketball tournament.

Earlier this year, the NCAA cited Washington for lack of institutional control. Another investigation that followed Neuheisel’s firing disclosed a slew of $5 betting polls on the NCAA tournament.

Huntsman blamed the problems on “the major failures of individuals” but said he was especially troubled by the softball situation.

“Of all of our problems, the one that disturbs me the most is the health care of our softball players,” Huntsman said. “We’re very fortunate that no harm came to them.”

The report was released one day after former softball coach Teresa Wilson filed a federal lawsuit against the school. She was fired in December during the early days of the investigation.

It became clear, Huntsman said, that Scheyer and Moriwaki provided narcotic medications and other prescription drugs to softball players, and that Wilson had created an environment “that allowed that training and care to continue.”

Wilson fostered an environment of “fear and intimidation,” the report said.

Wilson’s attorney, Rayla Allison, denied the claims.

“They’re trying to point the finger elsewhere for their mismanagement,” Allison said. “Coach Wilson had no knowledge of any illegal practices by Dr. Scheyer or anyone else in the athletic training room.”

Allison also denied that softball players were isolated, as the report contended, saying Wilson – who built the program from scratch into a national power – encouraged them to take part in campus activities and strive for academic success.

Investigators concluded Wilson and others – including former athletic director Barbara Hedges – knew or should have known what was happening.

Several players said they saw an overly medicated player stumble into Wilson’s arms, a claim the coach denied in the report.

Hedges, who announced her retirement in January, issued a statement through the university. She said she always was concerned about the health and well-being of Washington athletes.

“I can state unequivocally and honestly that I did not know that our student athletes were subjected to questionable or unacceptable medical practices,” Hedges said. “Had I known otherwise, I would have taken every measure at my disposal to end these troublesome practices.”

One player said that from 2000-02, she received from Scheyer between 100 and 180 narcotic pills, and that in 2001 and 2002 she was taking the medication two or three times daily.

None of the players was identified in the report.

One player said in three separate games, she was high from medication received from a team trainer – to the point that she was “giggly, loopy and was laughing on the dugout floor,” the report said.

Teammates confirmed the story to investigators, saying the woman “was playing under the influence of medication.” They described her as a “zombie” who appeared drunk and wobbly with glazed eyes.

“Players stated that this player was so high that she was laughing loudly in the dugout and lying on the dugout floor, ‘swimming,’ ” the report said.

Huntsman also released the school’s response to the NCAA gambling investigation. The school doesn’t feel it deserves the institutional control charge, saying Neuheisel acted individually.

Neuheisel’s defense has centered on a memo issued by a former athletic department compliance officer who incorrectly interpreted NCAA rules against gambling.

“Both the NCAA and the University of Washington instruct coaches and athletic department staff to rely on interpretations of compliance officers,” Neuheisel’s lawyers wrote in a response to the NCAA charges.

Huntsman also gave an update on Washington’s efforts to overhaul its compliance office.

Finally, Huntsman announced that the athletic department will be reviewed by a commission led by former NCAA president and ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan and University of Tulsa president Bob Lawless.

“We are well on the road to fixing things,” Huntsman said.

Copyright ©2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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