Armen Keleylen. author ol “Big Rad Confidential: inakte Nabraaka Football,” dlaplayad a variety of emotiona at hia praaa conference, including (from Ml) that of
immoral, llstonor md txpMnif.
Keteyian: Osborne’s comments unfair
By Chack Green '
Senior Report*/
Many critical comments from
Nebraska football coach Tom
Osborne about “Big Red Confiden
tial; Inside Nebraska Football/' are
“unfair and false/’ the book’s author
said Thursday.
Speaking to a group of about 30
journalists in a hospitality suite at the
Comhusker Hotel, Armen Keteyian
said Osborne’s comments display his
“over-sensitiveness to cnticism,
especially from the fjnst.” *
“To know Tomas well as I know
him, I kind of expected him to come
out and attack my credibility/’
Keteyian said. “He couldn’t attack
my reporting. It’s loo strong."
“I have treated Coach Osborn?
with the utmost respect throughout
the book. But Osborne has not ac
corded me the same treatment.”
The book takes an inside look at
the Comhusker football program,
mentioning alleged incidents such as
players receiving payments from
boosters, players setting their game
passes, steroid and drug use, disci
pline problems and NCAA cover
ups.
Keteyian said he particularly was
upset with Osborne s claim that he
and fellow Sports Illustrated reporter
Martin Dardis offered former Ne
braska quarterback Nate Mason
compensation for information on al
leged drug use by former Nebraska I
_ N
hack and Heisman Trophy winner
Mike Rozier. —
At a press conference earlier this
month, Osborne said he talked to
Mason “three or four" times, and
had learned that Mason was offered
money at his house during an inter
view.
“But then Nate says he was of
fered something over the phone,"
Keteyian raid .-“If Osborne is going
to stand up at a press conference and
say something like that, he'd better
get it right,".
Keteyian denied offering Mason
“or anybody else" payment for in
formation.
Keteyian, 36, said his journalism
career, which began when he was 17,
should provide credibility.
He won awards as a sportswriter
for the San Diego Union, and served
as Sports Illustrated's chief investi
gative reporter from 1982 to 1989,
covering stories on gambling, proba
tions and various other athletic scan
dals. He also worked for NBC, cover
ing the 1988 Summer Olympic
Games, and recent!, has been hired
as a sports correspondent for ABC’s
“World News Tonight."
“In spite of my career, Osborne
accuses me of offering money for a
story like some supermarket tabloid
journalist."
Osborne’s comments about the
Mason incident “really hurt,"
Keteyian said
“He did exactly the tiling he ac
cuses journalists of doing. He used
second-hand information,” he said.
*‘I have yet to hear Nate Mason stand
up and say I offered him anything,
and he won’t, because I didn’t.”
, Keteyian returned to Lincoln for
the press conference because “there
are two sides to every story,” and he
wanted tQ tell his side, he said.
‘ ‘I’m not trying to picka fight with
Tom Osborne or the Nebraska pro
gram,” Keteyian said. “Ultimately,
the only loser will be me in any fight
like that.”
Keteyian also said he is bothered
by the amount of criticism he person
ally has received for incidents men
tioned in his book.
For example; it was former I-beck
Doug DuBoaa’s mother who alleg
edly told Keteyian that she sent cash
topy for her son’s car - a Nissan
30uZX - which was the focal point of
the NCAA’s 1986 investigation of
Nebraska’s program.
“But Dotig told me she sent a
check,” Keteyian said. “He doesn’t
even know the form of payment he
says he got.”
Omaha businessman Everett Al
ger allegedly told Keteyian that Roz
ier had worked for him during theoff
season months, but Rozier denied
ever working for him when asked by
Keteyian.
“Mike Rozier and (former wing
back) Irving Fryar told me they’d
only had one drug test during his
senior year,” Keteyian said. f,But
Osborne told me he'd tested both of
them frequently that season." } -
These and other contradictions,
Keteyian said, decrease the credibil
ity of his critics.
* ‘I’m just the messenger,' ’ he said.
"Coach Osborne doesn’t like the
news, so he’s doing everything to kill
the messenger."
To know Tom at
won at I know
Mm, I kind of ex
pected him to
come out and
attack my credi
bility. He couldn’t
attack my report
ing. n't too strong.’
--Jfefoyfon
Keteyian also dismissed criticism
for using a number of unnamed
sources throughout the book. He said
the identity of some of the sources
would have to suffer the conse
quences of disrupting Nebraska’s
program if they were disclosed.
"Just because someone doesn't go
on the record doesn’t mean they don’t
know what they kn*w," he said.
The book does quote specific
coaches, administrators, former and
present players and others connected
with Nebraska’s program.
“But, at this point, not any ot
these people have stood up and
shown any shreds of evidence to be
untrue,” Keteyian said.
Osborne said earlier this month
that Keteyian (old him ne knew Ne
braska’s program was corrupt, and
that he was <rout to expose it.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Ketevian
said. “You can’t walk into the front
door of a program like Nebraska’s
and tell the coach what you’re up to,
that you’re doing a story like that. ”
Keteyian said he believes Osborne
is making an effort to correct prob
lems at Nebraska, but “making an
effort doesn't always mean you're
winning.”
* ‘Osborne preaches about doing it
right, and I applaud him for his ef
forts,” he said. “But he’s trying to
manage an unmanageable situ
ation.”
One of Osborne’s main problems,
Keteyian said, is that he often “de
taches himself from the realities of
college football.
“1 just question the impact that’s
going to have in years to come,”
Keteyian said.
Osborne’s behavior, Keteyian
said, can be compared to a last -ditch
attempt to win a football game with a
“Hail Mary” pass at the end.
“We all know how often those
passes are completed,” he said.
OSU, Rodgers hope for successful weekend
Kodgers returns to playing field
van* nopiemperger
Staff Reporter
Saturday marks an anniversary Nebraska I
back Terry Rodgers would rather forget
One year ago Saturday, Rodgers playod
against the University or ,
Nevada-Las Vegas, a game
the Comhuskers won 47
16. Rodgers rushed for 50
yards in the game, and his
dream of playing football at
Nebraska was being real
ized.
But two days later,
Rodgers tore the anterior
cruciate ligament in his left
knee, and he hasn't played
since.
The cause of the injury still puzzles Rodg
ers.
"It was a freak accident” he said. "It was
a non contact option drill in practice. I made a
cat and the knee went out."
Rodgers underwent major reconstructive
surgery last October, and since has been in
volved in a strenuous rehabilitation program,
v "Rehab is nothing special," Rodgers'said.
Just a lot of lifting You get your strength
back in stages working yourself closer and
closer to 100 percent
“I’m not quite there yet. My speed is pretty
good, though, and I am ready to play.”
Rodgers, the son erf former Huslcer wing
back, and 1972 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny
Rodgers,.has practiced since August, but has
not played in Nebraska’s first three games.
But it wasn’t by choice - not entirety.
“He said he felt he was ready to play last
weekend,” said Huskerrunnmg backs coach
Frank Solicit. “The decision was not to take
him because of the limited travel rotter.
“We’re going to use him this weekend.
He 11 go in as the third I-back behind (Ken)
Clark and (Leodis) Howera."
Though he is not comfortable with his new
position on the depth chart. Rodgers said he
knows it could charige at any time.
“During the season, anything can happen,''
he said. “I-Backs go down like I went ckrfvn
Iasi year, and people have to move up. (Foot
ball) is the type of 'ame where it’s always
competitive, it s comj. slitive in the off-season.
It*s competitive during the season.
, Sea RODGERS on 8
Coach has worries about NU
By Chuck Green
Senior Reporter
Respect isn’t something Oregon State couch
Dave Kragthorpe loses sleep over, but he may
be awake a little later Friday night
The fifth-year Oregon State coach said he
h«* a lot to accomplish Saturday when his
Beavers play No. 3-ranked Nebraska in Memo
rial Stadium at 1:30 p.m. The game will be
broadcast live by the KRNU (90.3 FM) net
-?1^*!d,^‘UufoLIow * show titled
TH£Tatt that begins at 12:30 p.m.
The better we play has more of a positive
effect**! this team,” Kragthorpe said. “With
such a formidable opponent as Nebraska, we
have to play well. If we do, that can be a very
positive thing for us.
I
Krtpihorpe said.
Oregon State lost to Washington State 41-3
the following week, then defeated Boise State
37-30 last Saturday. •
“We’re 2-1, which is ahead of what the
prognosticators thought, so I guess that’s pretty
good,” Kragthorpe said. ‘*But I don’t feel
we’ve played as well at we can. We haven’t hit
stride yet”
Oregon State’s problems conrc primarily on
speaai teams, Kragthorpe said. The Beavers
need to improve on kick coverage and returns,
•swell as have more consistency on offense, he
Oregon State quarterback Nick Schichtlcy
has led the Beavers' offense, completing 37 of
76 passes for 595 yards and five touchdowns.
He also has thrown four interceptions.
Fullback Pat Chaffey leads 6regon State’s
ground game. Chaffey, a 6-foot-2,214-pound
senior, has rushed for 228 yards and two touch
downs on 60 carries.
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said Oregon
State s defense is his primary concern.
They play a style of defense where they
hmre something joing on all the time,” he said.
The things they do are predicated on forcing
uie other team into a bad playj’
~ Sea BEAVERS on 8
*
