Conference denies NCAA criticism

Mountain West Conference leaders denied they criticized the NCAA President Mark Emmert’s leadership.

CBSSports.com reported last week the conference had been critical of NCAA leadership.

Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson and Colorado State President Anthony Frank, the conference’s board chairman, issued a joint statement that read, “If we ever arrive at a situation where we have concerns with the NCAA, we will express them via appropriate channels within the formal NCAA governance structure. No such concern has been expressed by our conference.”

A few more details of the notice of allegations UM received last week from the NCAA leaked Wednesday.

The estimated total of extra benefits provided by former rogue booster Nevin Shapiro totaled $170,000, the Associated Press reported citing anonymous sources of information. That figure comes in well below previous estimates Shapiro gave Yahoo! Sports in 2011.

In the story that made the NCAA investigation public, Shapiro said the total was “in the millions of dollars.”

The low six-figure total could further exemplify the weakened state of the Miami case after the NCAA admitted investigative misdeeds cost enforcement staff 20 percent of the evidence.

Of the $170,000 the AP reported was spent, $90,000 allegedly went to former Hurricanes Vince Wilfork and Antrel Rolle to lure them to a sports agency.