Friends say ex-FSU quarterback repeatedly placed online bets.
By STEVE BOUSQUET
Published June 5, 2003
TALLAHASSEE - Two boyhood pals of Adrian McPherson told a jury Wednesday that the former Florida State quarterback repeatedly placed bets on college and pro football games using his cell phone, a friend's laptop and an online betting service.
Otis Livingston said McPherson called him, possibly from the Seminoles' locker room, and asked him to bet $1,000 on the Miami-West Virginia game Oct.26. He said McPherson also bet on the FSU-Notre Dame game, which he did not start, played that same day. McPherson picked the Seminoles to win, but they fell 34-24.
"He was getting ready to play a game," Livingston recalled. "He just told me to place the bet for him. I think it was a grand, like $1,000, on a half."
Miami won. McPherson missed the spread and lost the bet, Livingston said, and kept betting.
The testimony came on the first day of a two-day trial that may be one of the most widely publicized misdemeanor cases.
The trial is bringing more notoriety to one of the nation's most successful and troubled football programs. Court TV provided all-day coverage. CNN, ESPN and the New York Times are among other national media in Courtroom 2A of the Leon County Courthouse.
Livingston and another friend, Melvin Capers Jr., said it was McPherson's idea to open an online betting account in Capers' name at SBG Global, whose Web site promises "fastest free payouts in the industry." The betting began at $100 and soon expanded to $400 and $500, then $1,000 and included "15 or 20" games in all, Capers said.
They testified that the three would pool bets and gamble together using a computer owned by Livingston's sister. They said McPherson's handwriting appears on the Western Union form, used to wire cash to cover the bets, but he did not sign the form - his friends did.
"He knew he couldn't do it," Livingston testified. "Since he played football, they're not allowed to gamble."
Jeffrey Inderhees, a former FSU football equipment manager, told jurors McPherson once visited him in his dorm room and asked about setting up an online gambling account, but not in the player's name.
"It was just so he wouldn't get caught, so nothing could be traced back to his name," Inderheess said.
McPherson's lawyer, Grady Irvin Jr., reminded jurors that Livingston and Capers were gamblers and both face felony charges. He accused the pair of testifying against McPherson in return for leniency - a charge both denied.
Irvin noted Inderhees faces a bookmaking count and shouted, "Felony bookmaking. Maximum term is five years at Florida State Prison. ... You're trying to help yourself out, aren't you?"
"It's not true," Inderhees said.
As the case known as "Operation Coin Toss" unfolded before a jury of three men and three women, McPherson, 20, displayed little emotion. He sipped bottled water and occasionally took notes on a legal pad. His parents sat in a row behind him.
The case also underscores how the university dominates life in the state capital. The trial judge, Tim Harley, is an FSU graduate. So is prosecutor Georgia Cappelman, whose father, Bill, was a star quarterback for the Seminoles in the late 1960s.
The state called a special agent and two computer experts from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement who worked on the case.
Analyst Selisa Beville noted a burst of activity the night of Oct.21, with calls from McPherson's cell phone to SBG Global, a Western Union money transfer and betting activity from the laptop's hard drive.
It was an NFL Monday night - Colts vs. Steelers.
But under Irvin's rapid-fire and hostile cross-examination, Beville said she had no way of knowing it was McPherson placing the bets.
McPherson, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound athlete who was Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball in 2001, must get an acquittal in hopes of salvaging a collegiate and professional career.
He was dismissed from the FSU squad Nov.25 after he was charged with stealing a blank check and receiving stolen goods after it was cashed. He gave up his athletic scholarship and works in a Tampa-area health club.
Testimony is expected to end today. McPherson's lawyers may call FSU coach Bobby Bowden, whose appearance on the stand could be a public relations nightmare for the university. Bowden has said he had no personal knowledge of McPherson's gambling.
Prosecutors unsuccessfully tried to block Bowden and other athletic department officials from having to testify.
And Harley rejected a motion by McPherson's attorneys to throw out the case because it was too weak.
Today is the defense's turn. McPherson may testify, and Irvin hinted he may call Bowden.
"We're going to put on important witnesses," Irvin said. "We remain optimistic."
