College Football

The University of Tennessee, hoping to avoid sanctions, told the NCAA that former assistant football coach Jack Sells--fired last Friday--broke recruiting rules at least six times and then lied to an NCAA investigator.

David Berst, the NCAA’s chief rules enforcer, said the violations were major. Sells said most were unintentional and that he is being made a scapegoat.

Sells, 29, spent less than three years on coach Johnny Majors’ staff. Among the alleged violations, Tennessee agreed that:

--Sells arranged an airplane ticket for recruit Brian Thurman through a Knoxville travel agency so that Thurman could attend a summer football camp.

--Sells had improper contact with Thurman on one occasion at Thurman’s high school in Chicago.

--Two contacts Sells made with recruit Pete Bercich and his family at high school baseball games were violations.

--Sells improperly provided a ride to Laura Bercich, the recruit’s sister, during a family visit to Knoxville.

--Sells violated a rule when he ate dinner with the family at a Knoxville restaurant during that visit.

Sells was interviewed about the alleged recruiting violations on Dec. 14 and has since acknowledged that he lied to the investigator and asked a travel agent to lie to the NCAA if questioned.