Accused of paying a player under the table while working as defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2007, Florida coach Will Muschamp today denied any wrongdoing.
"Totally deny it," Muschamp told Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun. "I don’t know where this is coming from."
The allegations surfaced Wednesday on Roopstigo.com in a story by former New York Times and Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts. The story is centered on former Auburn player Mike McNeil, who is facing charges of armed robbery. McNeil alleges that Muschamp called the player into his office following a practice and paid McNeil nearly $400 for reasons unknown.
According to Roberts' story, here is McNeil's account of the incident:
"I had no clue what it was about because I’d never directly asked him for anything. He slid about $400 over to me. He went into a drawer and gave me money and said, 'Is this enough? Is this good?' And I said, 'Yeah, I’m good.'"
The story also alleges other serious NCAA violations, including academic fraud, impermissible recruiting benefits as well as local police corruption. Several other players quoted in the story have since backed off their statements, saying they were misquoted or denying certain facts. Roberts, in an interview with Al.com writer Brandon Marcello, defended the story.
Muschamp denied the allegations Wednesday through a spokesman and Thursday through the Sun. His next scheduled media availability is following Saturday's spring game.
Comments