August 4, 1998
On the fact that the NCAA has made its final decision:
"It's been a tough go at it. Probably the toughest thing I've ever done as a coach is tell those guys we were taking ourselves out of a bowl last year. They handled it well and the good thing about it is that it puts all the innuendoes and different slants to rest and we can get back to possessiveness and just playing football. Like I said, I think that our administration did a fantastic job of supporting the whole situation and keeping everything together. Bob Burton, our compliance officer did a magnificent job with his presentation and expertise. I think the self-imposed penalties that we imposed were hard for us to do. Thank goodness it all worked out that that was sufficient. So now, the best thing about it is that the cloud is gone now and we can go about business."
On the fact that Texas Tech taking the football team out of bowl game and the men's basketball team out of the NCAA Tournament helped in the process:
"I think so. I think that having a guy like Bob Burton on board who has been with the NCAA before, he had a good feel on what it would take. I think our administration had a good feel after talking to the attorneys. You're giving the possibility of being in a championship game and all the recruiting things that we did, it's pretty severe. Thank goodness, it all went well. It's nice to get it over with, it really is."
On where this leaves the Texas Tech football program:
"I think whatever had come down the pike, because the quality and character of what they're made of, they would've accepted whatever decision they made. It's a breath of fresh air. I think when you can play for something, it certainly makes a big difference. What we did last year, it was awful hard on the seniors. I would have to say that we feel pretty good about where we are now."
On the uncertainty of not knowing about the NCAA ruling:
"There's always the uncertainty. Everybody's got an answer and everybody knows more than everyone else knows. What happens is that there's so much negativity in the world today that if you're not careful, you begin to think that everything that happens is going to be bad. That's just the nature of America. Thank goodness it turned out okay. We've still got some sanctions, we've got some recruiting numbers that we've got to live up to- drastic measures. They are drastic measures- some we can live with and some we'll do the best we can with."
On comparing the NCAA sanctions with Miami and Alabama:
"When you're restricted, the big thing is that if the guys you have on board can play and if you don't have any dead weight, you have a chance to exist. We don't have many guys on our team who are bad players so we've got a chance."
On the fact that the Red Raiders could potentially be going to a bowl and the impact that has on the team:
"It is a huge plus. The huge plus is the fact that there's no more cloud, no more maybes, no more uncertainties. That's the great thing about it. If you only knew what the last two years have been for our guys. They've been told everything in the world. They expected the worse. Some of these recruits were told that if they came here, they would never, ever be able to play in a bowl game. You believe what people tell you. Now we can go about business. All the changes we've made in the whole process have happened for the best. We'll be a bigger, better, stronger university because of this. Our academic support group is second to none, I think our compliance program is absolutely unbelievable. I've always appreciated the support of John Montford and Dr. Donald Haragan, so that part has been real good."
