Coach discusses athletes' behavior

IU football coach Gerry DiNardo said Tuesday that three players are involved in an IU Police Department investigation into long-distance phone fraud, but he does not anticipate any student-athletes will be ineligible for Saturday's game against Ohio State.\nDiNardo said one of those players "involved to the highest degree (in the fraud case) was dismissed over the summer."\nAthletics Department Director of Media Relations Jeff Fanter said sophomore Damien Jones was the only football player to be dismissed since the beginning of the summer to date.\nReached at his dorm room late Tuesday, Jones declined to comment.\nAccording to the IUPD, the investigation was prompted by a confession by one of the players to police officers investigating a similar, but unrelated, case. The confession came from a player at Foster Quad who said he took part in making about $480 in unauthorized long-distance calls. The access code belonged to a football program staffer who has not yet been identified.\nPolice reports indicated at least nine players were involved. IUPD would not confirm DiNardo's statement citing a specific number of suspects because the matter is an ongoing investigation.\n"The case is still being actively investigated, and our detectives are currently working to determine who may be involved in the commission of any fraud with the unauthorized telephone calling number," IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said.\nMinger said he couldn't release other information about names of anyone involved with the investigation.\nNCAA bylaws prohibit the use of telephone, calling cards or credit cards for personal use without charge by student-athletes, calling it an extra benefit. The rules call for restitution or suspensions.\nAs of Oct. 20, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas had suspended at least 21 athletes -- including 11 football players -- for making a total of $5,617.62 in long-distance phone calls, according to the Associated Press. The first round of suspensions by UNLV came in late August.\nAt IU, students have to enter a seven-digit personal access code to make long-distance calls on campus. University Information Technology Services charges nine cents a minute for domestic phone calls.\n-- Contact staff writer Brandon Morley at bmorley@indiana.edu.