Limo Rides Costly for Miami

Two limousine rides made by a handful of football players in November 1995 continue to haunt the Miami Hurricanes.

Now starting quarterback Ryan Clement has been implicated in one of two limo rides at the center of an NCAA investigation. Clement is not the focus of the investigation and Miami Athletic Director Paul Dee said his eligibility is not in danger, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday.

Clement admitted this week he took a brief ride in the limousine with Jammi German, Yatil Green and running back Danyell Ferguson. Reportedly, the players skipped out on a $1,032 limo bill.

Meanwhile, the first limousine ride may take away the Hurricanes’ first bowl victory under Coach Butch Davis.

The state of Florida has charged that Miami booster Jim Ferraro and associates Wesley Carroll and Eugene Mato committed perjury regarding payment.

Green--now with the Miami Dolphins--has said he received “five or six hundred dollars” in December from Mato, the Palm Beach Post reported.

Green’s comments were made public Tuesday when the Dade County State Attorney’s Office released testimony surrounding the investigation into the first limo ride.

The Hurricanes defeated Virginia, 31-21, in the Carquest Bowl on Dec. 30. If Green accepted the money before the bowl game, the Hurricanes could be forced to forfeit the victory.

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After passing a final exam in Swahili on Wednesday, Damon Moore, Ohio State’s leading tackler last year, will be eligible to play for the ninth-ranked Buckeyes tonight against Wyoming. . . . Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden suspended junior safety Sean Key for the Seminoles’ Sept. 6 season opener at USC. . . . An ongoing NCAA investigation of Texas Tech athletics has forced the suspension of two starters--linebacker Eric Butler and cornerback Tony Darden, according to published reports--for Saturday’s game against No. 5 Tennessee, the school confirmed. Both players were linked to a series of unauthorized long-distance calls made from athletic department phones between October 1995 and March 1996, it was reported last April. . . . Alabama, which Tuesday lost leading receiver Michael Vaughn to a back injury, lost its second offensive star in as many days Wednesday when it suspended leading rusher Dennis Riddle for the opener against Houston. First-year Crimson Tide Coach Mike DuBose said the disciplinary action stemmed from an unspecified violation of team rules. . . . Odell James, a redshirt freshman touted as Baylor’s quarterback of the future, was declared ineligible for five games for violating unspecified team rules and NCAA regulations. Linebackers McKinley Bowie and Eric Clay, running back Daniel Wilturner and defensive tackle Ellis Cotton were declared ineligible for two games each. . . . Treyvone Towns, a defensive end who last played football at El Camino College two years ago, has joined the Oregon program.