The list of indiscretions linked to the men’s basketball program headed by coach Tom Penders continued to grow Wednesday when The Washington Post published a report of four players using the telephone access code of assistant coach Tom Penders, Jr. to place long-distance calls. This incident comes after revelations in The Hatchet that team member Atilla Cosby faces nine misdemeanor counts stemming from an alleged sexual assault last May – a fact that Penders neglected to mention to Athletic Director Jack Kvancz in January when Cosby was charged. Amid a steady stream of ethical lapses that pose significant hazards to GW, the program has lost credibility with the entire University. GW must reign in its men’s basketball team and restore confidence in the program.
Two seniors and two freshmen obtained the assistant coach’s phone code and ran up a bill whose ultimate size is still undetermined. As of now, the tally stands at $1,400. The final amount could determine the NCAA sanction in the case, possibly resulting in players losing their eligibility. Obtaining free phone calls or anything else of value as a benefit of being an athlete violates NCAA rules.
The Post also reported Penders’s failure to inform Kvancz of Cosby’s new charges and statements the coach made denying responsibility for any of the recent incidents saying he could not “police these kids 24 hours a day.” The University should bear in mind that “these kids” are Penders’s own recruits. If a coach cannot control his own players, then who can?
Ultimately, the questionable off-court actions of Penders’s players and their associates – including gunshots on F Street after a December 1999 game, Cosby’s interaction with an alleged prostitute last summer and a fight between the Colonials and theUniversity of Tennessee team over winter break – disgrace the University they represent. Something must change. Coaches cannot withhold information from the athletic director. Players cannot be left unsupervised to do as they please. Team members and their coaches cannot continue to duck responsibility for their actions. Anyone associated with GW can only hope the University finally makes a serious effort to restore credibility to GW basketball.
