Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Senior guard, linked to a gambling investigation, blames himself for violating NCAA rules.
By ANTONYA ENGLISH
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 8, 2001
GAINESVILLE -- Teddy Dupay's final moments as a Florida Gator were spent reading a four-paragraph statement to a horde of media Friday afternoon, then making a quick retreat.
"I love you coach," Dupay whispered as he shook hands and hugged basketball coach Billy Donovan before leaving.
Dupay and Florida athletic officials confirmed Friday what had been speculated for months: his UF career is over. Since April, the 22-year-old guard has been linked to a University Police Department investigation into gambling.
"I understand that I have violated NCAA rules and I take full responsibility for those actions," said Dupay, wearing a dress shirt and tie. "I put myself in a situation that I should not have put myself in, and I am paying the price for that."
Athletic director Jeremy Foley said Dupay has been declared ineligible by the university for the 2001 season and will not play basketball at UF again.
"The fact of the matter is that the institution had no choice but to come to this conclusion," Foley said. "This in an individual issue, not an infractions issue."
Neither Foley, Donovan nor Dupay would comment on exactly what NCAA rules Dupay violated, citing student confidentiality.
But Foley said the decision was made Thursday after the final details of the investigation by UPD were made available to him. He said he became aware of the situation involving Dupay in April, which is the same time the university announced that the UPD had launched an investigation into possible gambling by a student-athlete.
Foley adamantly said that reports other athletes were investigated were erroneous and that "only one" student-athlete was the subject of an investigation.
State Attorney Bill Cervone said Friday he had not received the UPD report.
Dupay's attorney, Gilbert A. Schaffnit, said Friday night that he was not aware of any criminal charges being filed against Dupay and said the investigation could go much deeper than involving Dupay.
"Presumably there are other aspects of this investigation that don't involve Teddy," said Schaffnit, who added he has not seen the UPD report. Dupay's mother, Pamela, declined to comment Friday night, but said this summer that her son was a witness in the investigation.
The NCAA mandates a one-year suspension for any student-athlete who solicits or accepts a bet involving college sports. Dupay, who ranks third in UF history in three-point shooting, would have been a senior this season.
"We have a special relationship and this is not easy for me," said Donovan, who met Dupay six years ago when he took the Florida job and began recruiting the then-high school sophomore. "I'm going to miss not having him around, not having him to coach. But I know our relationship will continue to go on for a long, long time. I love Teddy, I will stand by him for the rest of his life. ... I totally support and respect this decision."
Foley and Donovan met with Dupay on Thursday, then Dupay spent the rest of the evening preparing to address the media, Donovan said. Players were told in a meeting with Donovan on Friday.
"We knew something was going to happen because we read the papers like everyone else, but we didn't know it was going to be so severe," said guard Brett Nelson, who added that he wasn't shocked.
"Whether you're in school or not, you definitely want to stay away from gambling." center Udonis Haslem said. "I don't know what the situation was with Ted; I don't know if he did it or if he didn't do it. ... It's unfortunate, but you know Teddy is always going to be a part of this family."
Foley said Dupay will be allowed to remain on academic scholarship, but Donovan said he isn't sure what Dupay's plans are. Foley said it is his understanding that NCAA rules will not allow Dupay to transfer to another institution to play basketball.
Donovan said he's confident he has the talent to recover from the loss of Dupay, but is concerned about the team's emotional well-being.
"The biggest question and concern I have is how does this affect our basketball team emotionally?," Donovan said. "I still think that we could have a terrific year. I've got a lot of confidence in our players."