Oregon wrestling coach Chuck Kearney and two of his assistants will reimburse $732 to the Athletic Department after an Oregon University System audit revealed discrepancies in the team’s 2000-01 travel budget.
Overall, however, University officials said they are pleased with the findings of the report issued by the OUS Internal Audit Division, which investigated the travel budgets of Oregon’s 17 athletic programs.
“We were delighted to learn there were no major difficulties,” University Vice President Dan Williams said.
Oregon Athletic Director Bill Moos requested the audit on Oct. 10 after discovering that former softball coach Rick Gamez had misused more than $5,700 of the team’s 1999-2000 travel budget. Gamez resigned Oct. 1.
No discrepancies have been reported regarding the 2001-02 Athletic Department travel expenses.
As part of the audit, OUS officials interviewed coaches as well as current and former student athletes. The review also included teams’ travel vouchers and expense reimbursements on per diem meals.
“I am gratified by the results of the review because it shows we have been doing a really good job of tracking expenses,” Moos said in a released statement. “In a very detailed review of thousands of expense reports for 17 different athletic programs, the reviewers found only minor discrepancies in one program. … The coaches stepped forward and voluntarily paid $732 to balance the books.”
The audit revealed inaccurate documentation of daily meal money by the wrestling coaches. Several wrestlers told auditors that the coaches had asked them to sign blank per diem sheets, the same problem found with the softball program’s travel procedures in an audit last year. The wrestling coaches, including assistants Richard Stewart and Jeremy Ensrud, denied they asked the student-athletes to sign blank per diem sheets.
Even so, the coaches will balance the budget.
“Our reimbursement is meant to be taken as a sign of good faith by all members of our coaching staff,” Kearney said in a statement. “We have and will continue to work on ways that we can improve and streamline our procedures, not only in travel but in all areas of our program.”
Williams said miscommunication between the wrestling coaches
and players may have led to the
disputed budget.
“Even with the best of intentions, there is room for mistakes,” Williams said. “That’s not saying it’s OK, but it’s understandable.”
The OUS report recommended that the Athletic Department improve documentation of travel expenses.