Following a report on Thursday that Oregon had paid nearly $30,000 to two different scouting services, including $25,000 to Will Lyles, the NCAA requested documents from the school related to the services acquired. On Friday evening, the school released a statement saying it would compy with the NCAA's request.
The University of Oregon contacted the Pacific-10 Conference Friday morning regarding scouting services that specialize in the identification of potential student-athletes, according to the Ducks' Director of Athletics Rob Mullens Friday.
As a result, the athletics department has been asked by the NCAA to provide documents related to the purchase of services provided by scouting agencies contracted by the school's football program.
Mullens said the athletics department first called the Pac-10 office Friday morning and the NCAA contacted the University's compliance office to request the documents later that same day.
"We have been asked to provide a series of documents by the NCAA and intend to fully cooperate," Mullens said. "I reiterate that it is our belief that the purchase of such services is within the allowable NCAA guidelines."Of course, what the NCAA is interested in is the purpose of the money the school paid Lyles, not the practice of using recruiting services. Schools use them all the time to help find talent that may have slipped beneath the radar, but the NCAA is more interested in the role Lyles may have played in bringing running back Lache Seastrunk to Oregon.
Lyles has a mentoring relationship with Seastrunk, and he was also tied to LaMichael James. Two running backs from the state of Texas who ended up going to Oregon.
