The independent investigation into the high school transcript of former Kentucky player Eric Bledsoe found the explanation for a questionable grade change “not credible,” The Birmingham News reported Friday.
The report of that investigation commissioned by the Birmingham City Schools was made public Friday.
Names, classes and grades were redacted on the report released by the Birmingham Board of Education. Through independent reporting The Birmingham News confirmed the class in question is Algebra 3 and was taught by Larry Webster.
The Birmingham News reported that a three-month investigation by an outside law firm hired by the board concluded Bledsoe’s Algebra III grades for first and second terms in 2008-09 were changed by Webster, who acknowledged making the changes , according to the report. The report says Webster explained that Bledsoe completed “make-up and extra work” that justified the grade changes.
“We do not credit this explanation,” the report said. “We note that the teacher changed (Bledsoe’s) grades far more frequently than those of any other students in his class.”
Reginald McDaniel, a Birmingham-based attorney representing Bledsoe’s coach at Parker High School, voiced his disappointment that the report did not affirm the former UK player’s transcript as valid.
“This dampens the day for those who were hoping otherwise,” McDaniel said.
The report leaves Bledsoe and UK vulnerable to the NCAA ruling the player ineligible.
Such a ruling could lead the NCAA to order Kentucky to vacate the 34 victories last season that included Bledsoe’s participation and return money earned for play in the NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA made such a ruling against Memphis after retroactively ruling Derrick Rose ineligible in the 2007-08 season.
Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald- Leader has covered Kentucky basketball since the 1981-82 season. That time includes five coaches, five Final Fours, four athletic directors, two interim athletic directors and many memories. Before coming to Lexington, Tipton worked eight years for the Huntington (W.Va.) Herald-Dispatch. He covered Marshall’s basketball team for two seasons before coming to the Herald-Leader.
2 comments ↓
Jerry:
With respect you are reaching here.
This is over and done… like it or not, the school board, the governing body is accepting the teacher’s judgment and the facts he produced in the matter..
The NCAA has no authority, NONE to do a thing. They have no concrete evidence to think otherwise. To do so they would have to come up with something and contradict the local governing body.
Sorry, you, Thamel, the N.Y. Times and Pat Forde have all just lost. And for the record I’ve been in the sports media business myself for over 30 years. I try not to think some of the things some of the posters have stated about you specifically over time but I must admit, reading your work it’s getting harder and harder to think they aren’t saying more truth about you than fantasy.
Mark Liptak
Jerry this should put an end to any speculation on your part about the NCAA continuing to “investigate” UK:
From ESPN.com:
“Because of the ruling, the NCAA will NOT get a new transcript from Bledsoe; therefore, IT WON’T REVIEW Bledsoe’s eligibility, which it cleared prior to his freshman season.”
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5612393
End of story.
Mark Liptak