On the matter of the player -- generally understood to be Derrick Rose -- that allegedly had some sort of special help in obtaining a qualifying SAT score, Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson told ESPN.com that the Tigers had no reason to believe anyone had faked a test score, and, "If we thought that we wouldn't have played him."
On the matter of the improper travel benefits, Johnson told ESPN that selling seats on team charters is a standard practice at Memphis. It sounds like a big focus of the NCAA's investigation will be making sure that every person who bought a seat on a Tiger charter actually paid for the ticket.
As with the SAT matter, the player at the center of the travel benefit allegation is Derrick Rose. The person alleged to have received the air fare and hotel rooms is Rose's brother, Reggie.
Reggie Rose's involvement raises nearly as many questions as it answers. As Henry Abbott of TrueHoop reports, the elder Rose is a mysterious figure in basketball circles, frequently jetting around the country with no obvious means of support.
Let's say, just for the sake of argument, that Reggie Rose did actually pay for every charter flight and every hotel room. Where, exactly, does a guy whose only "work" involves a couple of non-profit AAU programs, get that kind of money?
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