Kansas State is focus of NCAA investigation

Kansas State discovered possible rules violations in its football program and is cooperating with the NCAA in an investigation.

Athletic Director Tim Weiser said Tuesday the Big 12 Conference school reported the violations to the governing body.

He said the probe is focused on a former university employee, three former football players and two current members of the team.

One of the current athletes is playing and the other is practicing with the team, Weiser said.

“To this point there is no evidence that any member of the coaching staff, support staff or representatives of our athletics interests are involved,” Weiser said.

The athletic department, Weiser added, started investigating the allegations of extra benefits and academic misconduct when they surfaced in March. Coach Ron Prince and his staff were later told about the investigation and some were interviewed in late July or early August.

A fourth man was charged with murder in the shooting of Memphis defensive lineman Taylor Bradford, authorities said.

Devin Jefferson, a 20-year-old student at the school, was arrested Monday night on allegations he told three other men the player was carrying a large amount of cash.

Authorities said Bradford, 21, was rumored to have won more than $3,000 at a nearby casino the night before police found him Sept. 30 in his car, which had crashed into a tree a few blocks from his campus apartment.

Jefferson was charged with first-degree murder in the perpetration of aggravated attempted robbery, Sgt. Vince Higgins said.

“Mr. Jefferson was the instigator of the robbery attempt,” Higgins said. “Jefferson was the mastermind, but we had to build a case before we could arrest him.”

Quarterback Tim Tebow said he received hundreds of threatening messages on his cellphone leading to Florida’s game at top-ranked Louisiana State last weekend.

They were the reason Tebow pretended to dial a cellphone after his first touchdown pass, a two-yarder to Kestahn Moore that made it 10-0 in the second quarter.

Tebow said many of the messages contained physical threats and most included foul language.

“I really don’t use that type of language too much, so I can’t tell you,” Tebow said, declining to reveal any of the messages.

“Some people did take it way too far, farther than you should take it with sports. But I think for the most part people were just having fun. Unfortunately, there’s people like that everywhere.”

Off-the-field issues are mounting at Penn State.

Less than a week after running back Austin Scott was suspended for violating a team rule, Coach Joe Paterno said that he was looking into the possibility that some Nittany Lions may have been involved in a fight.

The questions come months after Paterno, angry about an April fight involving players, punished the entire team by making the players pick up garbage the day after games at Beaver Stadium.

“I’ve been alerted there might have been a couple football players involved in a fight. To what extent, to what degree, what happened, I’m not quite sure yet,” Paterno said when asked whether players were involved in a weekend altercation.

Nevada quarterback Nick Graziano is out for the season after surgery to repair a torn tendon on his right foot.

Fresno State defensive lineman Jason Shirley was suspended indefinitely for an undisclosed violation of school policy.