According to this article over at CBS Sportsline, a number of major college athletic departments have received a subpoena duces tecum for documents related to deals between the athletic departments under investigation and Student Financial Services, Inc. Apparently, there is a question of whether the athletic departments were receiving cash consideration (i.e. kickbacks) in return for recommending the company as a preferred lender for education-related loans.
Apparently, 39 40 separate universities have received subpoenas in the investigation. Andrew Cuomo (Mario's son) is the New York Attorney General running the investigation, and it is apparently an outgrowth of a broader probe of student loan providers and college administrators, which he claims have uncovered a "pattern of favoritism" for lenders who provided kickbacks, revenue sharing plans, trips, etc.
The schools in question are (according to the New York Office of the Attorney General press release):
| Arkansas State University | Tulane University |
| Auburn University | University of Alabama-Birmingham |
| Bowling Green State University | UCLA |
| CAL State Sacramento | UNC Greensboro |
| Central Michigan University | University of Central Florida |
| Colorado State University | University of Detroit Mercy |
| East Carolina University | University of Houston |
| Florida Atlantic University | University of Kansas |
| Georgetown University | University of Louisville |
| Georgia Tech | University of New Orleans |
| Georgia State University | University of North Alabama |
| Howard University | University of Oregon |
| Indiana State University | University of Pittsburgh |
| Marquette University | University of South Florida |
| Ohio University | University of Texas at San Antonio |
| Oregon State University | University of Texas El Paso |
| Rutgers University | University of Texas Pan American |
| Southern Illinois University | Wayne State University |
| Tennessee Tech | Wright State University |
| Texas Christian University | Youngstown State University |
Keep in mind that a subpoena is neither proof nor accusation of guilt. Many a subpoena has been issued to an innocent party. But Cuomo thinks these schools have either information that implicates Student Financial Services, Inc., or possibly the athletic departments of the schools in question.
I am going to be closely following this story and updating this post as responses come in. This post will probably get bumped back to the front page periodically when it scrolls off.
BLOGOSPHERE UPDATES
Kyle King at Dawg Sports also blogs about this.
RESPONSE UPDATES
These will consist either of denials or acknowledgements of culpability, settlement announcements, or indictments. Non-information such as "We are cooperating with the probe" will be ignored.
Update [2007-8-6 9:47:8 by Truzenzuzex]: