FRIDAY, AUGUST 23. 2002
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 5B
OSU investigates harassment
By Brandi Ball
By Brandi B
Daily O'Collegiate via U-wire
Oklahoma State University
STILLWATER, Okla. - Following a sexual harassment complaint made by an Oklahoma State University athlete, the OSU athletic department has completed its in-house investigation of the allegations.
"We, in compliance with university procedures and rules, investigated the matter and included the university attorney's office, affirmative action office and the ombudsman," said Harry Birdwell, OSU athletic director. "We found no grounds for dismissal."
Matt Thomson, a member of the OSU men's track and field and cross country teams, made the complaint in late May.
According to Thomson, Catrina Acosta, OSU women's track and cross country coach made inappropriate gestures and comments toward him on several occasions.
Earlier this summer, Thomson told The Daily O'Collegian
Acosta began harassing him in March.
"My girlfriend dropped me off at the track one day, and the women's coaches were all standing outside," he said. "I stopped to speak to them and Acosta grabbed my ass."
Thomson said Acosta approached him in May, asking why he was ignoring her.
"I asked her why she couldn't act professionally, and it just blew up from there," Thomson said.
Thomson also recalled a time where he was finishing a workout session with some other runners.
"[Aacosta] asked, 'Can I go a few laps with you?'" Thomson said. "I told her she probably couldn't keep up, and she said, "That wasn't the kind of laps I was talking about."
According to Thomson, he and his teammates even changed their training times to avoid running into Acosta.
"There was always this sexual innuendo with her," he said. "It was a very uncomfortable environment."
Despite the allegations by Thomson, the athletic department's investigation did not discover any wrongdoings by Acosta.
"Our investigation did not find anything that constituted grounds for dismissal," Birdwell said. "But, we have taken disciplinary measures, which are, of course, a personnel matter."
Thomson said he, as well as his teammates, went through separate interview processes with Associate Athletic Director Dave Martin.
"During the interview, I was just asked about the events that led up to my complaint," Thomson said.
After the initial interview, Thomson said, he never heard from the athletic department again.
Birdwell, however, said Thomson was debriefed after the investigation, and the department "advised the student of the avenues he should take legally."
Nebraska followers look to Lord to lead post-Crouch Cornhuskers
By Wendell Barnhouse Knight Ridder Newspapers
Nebraska, after three decades of unmatched excellence and consistency, has become a religious experience for Cornhusker football fans.
This year, they'll place their faith in Lord.
Jammal Lord will replace Eric Crouch, last year's Heisman Trophy winner, at quarterback.
"After the first quarter of the first game, everybody will realize that Jammal Lord is the real deal," said senior I-back Dahrran Diedrick, last year's leading rusher.
Last season, Crouch was responsible for 48.5 percent of Nebraska's offensive production and led the Huskers to the national-championship game. Lord, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound junior, has a pedigree the size of Mini Me.
To make its option offense effective, Nebraska needs great
quarterback play the way the X Games needs daredevils. Diedrick led the Big 12 Conference in rushing with 1,299 yards, and Crouch added 1,115.
The Huskers averaged 5.6 yards per rushing attempt because when Crouch turned the corner, he was a threat to pitch or keep.
The indecision that imparts on a defense is crucial to Nebraska's success.
All the Huskers say that Lord has the ability, that he might even be a more effective passer and scrambler than Crouch.
But going into Saturday's season opener against Arizona State in the Black Coaches Association Classic, Lord is the great unknown.
The last time Nebraska entered the season without an experienced starting quarterback was 1998, coach Frank Solich's first year. The Huskers finished 9-4 that season.
"We need Jammal to understand that he doesn't have to be Eric Crouch," Solich said. "The thing he needs to do is take care of the ball. One thing he does as well as any quarterback I can recall at Nebraska is once a play breaks down, he makes something out of it."
In his career, Lord has rushed for 213 yards and completed 14 of 24 passes for 181 yards. Despite his inexperience, the native of Bayonne, N.J., is confident.
"I don't feel like I'm going in cold because I've been playing football and sports all my life," said Lord.
If Lord struggles or is injured, there is no experienced backup at quarterback.
One candidate is sophomore Mike Stuntz, who threw the touchdown pass to Crouch on the trick play that helped beat Oklahoma last season.
The other is freshman Curt Dukes, who graduated from high school early and participated in spring practice.
Budding Journalism Major.
Spent summer writing for hometown paper.
Future holds editorial position at major pub.
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