MU officials catch a spy from WVU

Chuck Landon
Daily Mail sportswriter

Jack Bogaczyk <jackb@dailymail.com>
Daily Mail Sports Editor

Friday April 21, 2006

Garnet Career Center

HUNTINGTON -- Marshall University officials confronted, detained and seized stenographer's notebook pages from a West Virginia University student who was in the bleachers at Edwards Stadium for a Herd football practice April 11.

The student had connections to the Mountaineer football program. The pages contained diagrams of football formations and derogatory comments about certain Marshall players.

After campus police were called, officials said, the student was escorted from the stadium to the car that he apparently drove to Huntington.

Authorities determined from the license plate that the 2006 Mercedes-Benz was registered to a Parkersburg dealership that loans cars to the WVU athletic program.

Initially, Marshall officials said, the undergraduate student claimed to be a member of the media who was merely taking notes for a story.

When challenged, they added, the student said he attended the University of Alabama-Birmingham, one of the Herd's Conference USA rivals.

Then he tried to flee, MU officials said.

Mark Gale, Marshall's director of football operations, said the student never admitted that he was enrolled at WVU. But officials found a card in his pocket that listed the names of the Mountaineer football staff and their phone numbers.

Marshall Athletic Director Bob "Kayo" Marcum and WVU AD Ed Pastilong acknowledged Thursday that the incident occurred.

The schools will meet in football for only the second time in 83 years in the much-anticipated season opener on Sept. 2 in Morgantown.

"We contacted West Virginia University in regards to the incident," Marcum said Thursday. "Not only that, but we FedEx'd a copy of the young man's notes to them also. The two institutions, I am sure, can work out a solution."

Pastilong said, "Our coaches and schools have talked regarding this, and following those discussions, everything is OK."

The WVU student was acting "without the authority of anyone in the athletic department or anyone on the football staff," Pastilong said.

Gale said the WVU student's last name was Baxter. Citing privacy issues, Pastilong would not identify him.

"He's a work-study student, and he was assigned to responsibilities in the Puskar Center (where the WVU football offices are located)," Pastilong said. "The young man has since been reassigned outside the Puskar Center."
Marshall Public Safety Director Jim Terry said he could not release the student's name.

"I sent it to (Marshall athletics) compliance director, David Reed," Terry said. "We're treating it as a student conduct incident. We're not treating it as a criminal matter."

MU President Stephen Kopp reportedly contacted WVU President David Hardesty about the incident. Marcum phoned Pastilong, and Herd Coach Mark Snyder called Mountaineer Coach Rich Rodriguez.

Rodriguez said Thursday that he and Snyder spoke on the phone twice about it. The WVU coach said he would have no comment and that Pastilong would speak for WVU athletics on the matter.

Gale helped to discover the note-taking student, along with MU operations graduate assistant Darryl West, a former Pitt football player. Gale and West routinely monitor the stands for anything suspicious during Herd workouts.

They approached him after they noticed him sitting alone taking notes, apart from the usual bunch of Marshall fans at practices.

NCAA rules prohibit opposing coaches, staff members or football program representatives from attending another school's practice without permission.

"Following discussions between the schools and the coaches, we're putting the issue behind us," Pastilong said.

WVU officials had been reluctant to resume the long-dormant football series, while MU officials were eager to play.

A year ago, Gov. Joe Manchin insisted that Pastilong and Marcum negotiate until agreement could be reached on a series that is under contract for seven years (2006-2012).

As for the practice incident, Marcum quipped, "I'm just glad that they are interested in us."