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| | Sunday, February 6 | |||||
| NEW YORK -- Erick Barkley, St. John's leading scorer, has been suspended for an unannounced NCAA rule violation, and the school said Saturday it would protest the decision.
"While the university makes this declaration of its own volition, it does so under strong protest," St. John's said in a statement before beating Boston College 59-58, a game coach Mike Jarvis nearly skipped because of the suspension. "The university is seeking Erick Barkley's immediate reinstatement at this time.
The university and the NCAA have sharply different interpretations of the rules that apply to this case."
The school would not go into detail at a postgame press conference but Jarvis said "There were no rules in our (St. John's) opinion that were violated." The nature of Barkley's infraction was not disclosed, and the NCAA was not immediately available for comment. "As regards specific issues pertaining to our student-athletes, in the interest of maintaining our student-athletes' rights to privacy, we maintain our long-standing policy of not discussing such matters," St. John's said. Ed Manetta Jr., the school's associate vice president and director of athletics, said St. John's "reluctantly" suspended Barkley. Manetta went on to say they have asked for a ruling by the NCAA this Monday and that the he expects to see Barkley play in his team's next game Tuesday against Providence.Manetta added that with the NCAA "You're guilty until proven innocent." Barkley was in Alumni Hall for the game, but did not sit on the team bench. He also attended a postgame news conference with Jarvis, Manetta and moderator of athletics, the Rev. James Maher, but was not permitted to answer questions. Jarvis, however, was very upset. "I was not going to coach today, but I felt the best way to support my team was to be here and I would have been giving in," he said. "He's done nothing wrong. I'm absolutely positive. The unfortunate thing about the whole incident is that a whole lot of people will think he's done something wrong. Positively, he has not." Manetta said he hoped a hearing could be held in time to allow Barkley to play Tuesday night. "It's their interpretation against our interpretation," he said. "They are accusing him of being guilty. We have to prove he's innocent, but at this time we've had to suspend him. "I am sending them options how this can be resolved quickly. Hopefully, it will be done by Monday. I'm also sending them our interpretation of the regulations. "My feeling is that there is no reason why he shouldn't be playing or why he was even prevented from playing today."Jarvis blasted the NCAA, saying their actions which forced the school to suspend Barkley and not the NCAA were "un-American." "I hope to see the day when we see no NCAA. ....It's time for a change," Jarvis then said. "Unfortunately for Erick, St. John's is a member of the NCAA. Jarvis added that the entire St. John's institution stands behind Barkley. Manetta said school officials spoke with the NCAA on Thursday but there is no official investigation by the NCAA. Saturday's New York Daily News reported that an NCAA investigator has been on the St. John's campus looking into possible improper relationships between three players and people outside the university who may be acting as representatives of sports agents. The News contacted a NCAA spokesperson who would neither confirm or deny the report. This season, Barkley, a sophomore guard who is considered an NBA prospect, is averaging 16.9 points, 4.1 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 17 games. Last season, he averaged 13.5 points, 4.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 37 games. | ALSO SEE Sources: Barkley suspended for car exchange Red Storm slips past BC without Barkley, 59-58 AUDIO/VIDEO   Mike Jarvis is hoping for a different NCAA.wav: 157 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6  | |||||