More allegations against Baylor asst.

OldTimer · July 24, 2003

More allegations made against Baylor assistant

Dennehy's mother says coach drove player to Waco last year

07/24/2003

By JEFF MILLER and LEE HANCOCK / The Dallas Morning News

A Baylor University assistant men's basketball coach identified as telling player Patrick Dennehy that he would "take care" of some of his financial needs also drove him from Albuquerque, N.M., to Waco last year when he transferred from the University of New Mexico, Mr. Dennehy's mother said.

That drive, which Mr. Dennehy's mother said was made by assistant coach Rodney Belcher, would be a violation of NCAA rules concerning extra benefits provided to athletes.

The player's father, Patrick Dennehy Sr., told The Dallas Morning News on Tuesday that, according to his son, Mr. Belcher also had assured the player that the school would help him pay for tuition and living expenses after he gave up his scholarship for a year at the request of the basketball staff.

Colleges

Video: Rebecca Lopez reports

Read the affidavit (.pdf)

07/24: Grim task for family in Waco

07/24: More allegations made against Baylor assistant

07/23: Coach arranged pay for Dennehy, father says

07/23: Search intensifies for Dennehy's body

07/23: For Dotson, fall from grace was swift

07/23: Blackistone: Don't blame Bliss for this tragedy

07/22: Waco police say former teammate confessed

07/22: Friend's revelation 'just crushing'

07/20: Behind friendship, a mystery

Patrick Dennehy bio

(from baylorbears.com)

More Baylor

Baylor athletics spokesman Scott Stricklin said Wednesday that department and coaching staff would not comment on the latest allegation by Valorie Brabazon, Mr. Dennehy's mother, that the assistant coach drove her son and his belongings from New Mexico to the Central Texas school.

Baylor announced Tuesday that it had begun an internal inquiry independent of the athletic department to examine the father's claims about the financial arrangement, which also would violate NCAA rules.

Mr. Belcher, who was an assistant at New Mexico when Mr. Dennehy played there, could not be reached for comment. Dennehy family members described him as a mentor to the player who heavily influenced his decision to transfer to Baylor.

"They were very close, extremely close," the elder Mr. Dennehy said.

In a related development, a New Mexico athletics spokesman said Wednesday that Mr. Dennehy's girlfriend, track athlete Jessica De La Rosa, told school officials within the last 10 days that a Baylor assistant basketball coach paid her $100 to take a cab ride while visiting Mr. Dennehy in Texas.

Even though Ms. De La Rosa doesn't attend Baylor, such a payment would still violate the NCAA's extra benefits rules.

She has declined to comment about the incident.

Ms. De La Rosa didn't name the coach to officials at her school, said New Mexico spokesman Greg Remington. But the elder Mr. Dennehy told The News that Ms. De La Rosa told him it was Mr. Belcher.

Mr. Remington said a confirmed violation such as the one detailed by Ms. De La Rosa would be followed by financial restitution and a period of athletic ineligibility for the athlete. He speculated that Ms. De La Rosa, a hurdler who will be in her sophomore season next year, could be ineligible for one or two meets.

"While they're all serious," Mr. Remington said of rule violations, "this was a minor deal."

Mrs. Brabazon said that, after her son disappeared, Ms. De La Rosa told her that Mr. Belcher was one of at least two Baylor coaches whom Mr. Dennehy went to this spring to say he was being threatened. Mrs. Brabazon said that she then phoned Mr. Belcher and that he confirmed that her son had told him about that.

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Rodney Belcher

"I talked to Coach Rodney," she said in a recent interview. "He said Patrick had come to him and said that someone was stalking him. He said that ... [Mr. Dennehy] was kind of afraid of what was going on. But the coach said my son never gave him a name.

"The coach said Patrick didn't ask him for help. But I said, 'That's a help-me call.' You shouldn't have to say, 'Could you please call the police?' "

Head coach Dave Bliss has said no one on the staff was told of such threats.

Mr. Dennehy has been missing since mid-June. Carlton Dotson, a teammate and former roommate, has been arrested and charged with his murder.

Baylor athletic director Tom Stanton, in a statement released Wednesday about the father's allegations, said: "It is unsettling to learn about these assertions and rumors against Patrick and the university at this particular moment when Patrick is not here to give his side of the story. Patrick's reputation is important to us, and the reputation of our athletic department and its coaches is important to us.

"Since last Sunday, when a news reporter informed us of the concerns regarding Patrick's time here, Baylor has begun a vigorous internal inquiry independent of the athletic department to determine the facts in this situation. The investigation will be thorough. We take these issues very seriously. We are hopeful questions about Patrick's first year at Baylor can be resolved quickly."

Mr. Stricklin said Wednesday that the school isn't ready to identify members of the body investigating the allegations.

The father also said that Ms. De La Rosa told him that a Baylor coach apparently helped Mr. Dennehy get $1,200 to $1,800 to go toward the purchase of a car.

He said he was concerned that his son, who had to sit out a year because he was a transfer student, had agreed to give up his scholarship.

"I said, 'How are you going to pay your rent, pay your tuition and all these things?' He said, 'I don't know how they're going to do it, but Coach Belcher said they're going to take care of me.' "

Mr. Belcher is a Waco native who played basketball at McLennan Community College and the University of North Texas. He coached at high schools in the Dallas area for 11 years before getting into college coaching as an assistant at New Mexico for the 2001-02 season under Fran Fraschilla. That was Mr. Dennehy's second and final season at New Mexico.

Before the 2002-03 season, Mr. Belcher and Mr. Dennehy moved to Baylor. NCAA rules dictate that a player transferring between Division I schools must sit out a year before being eligible to play.

E-mail jmiller@dallasnews.com and lhancock@dallasnews.com

Cooley · July 25, 2003

Don't know if anyone noticed that the assistant coach was former North Texas player Rodney Belcher. Belcher played with Beaumont Ozen's High School coach Andre Boutte. (under Tommy Newman)

UNTLifer · July 25, 2003

I noticed that Cooley. I guess that will just give the BU faithful another reason to explain our impending dominance over them.

ADLER · July 25, 2003

"Don't know if anyone noticed that the assistant coach was former North Texas player Rodney Belcher. Belcher played with Beaumont Ozen's High School coach Andre Boutte. (under Tommy Newman) "

A funny but true story.

As a graduate assistant under Tommy Newman, Rodney Belcher came off the bench and played AS Andre Boutte in one game.

Edited July 25, 2003 by ADLER

drex · August 4, 2003

I hate to see Rodney Belcher dragged into this mess. As you know, Rodney played here under Tommy Newman. He seems like a fine young man. I think that if he is guilty of the things being said about him that it is a classic example of a good man under the influence of Dave Bliss, who always has had a penchant for renegade players. Hope Rodney comes out of this OK, but you know that Bliss will let the assistants take the fall if he can.