LMM, AGENT ADDRESS OREGON CASE

In response to a claim by Oregon offensive lineman Fenuki Topou that an employee of the Lock Metz Malinovic firm bought him a $10 meal and gave him five $20 bills earlier this year, the firm has issued a statement that, while strongly worded, does not confirm or deny that the employee in question did what he allegedly did.The statement has been forwarded to CFT. It appears below."Our firm, LMM Management, privately owned by Ethan Lock, Eric Metz and Vance Malinovic was surprised and appalled by a recent allegation of inappropriate conduct by a new employee in the recruitment of a University of Oregon football player. We take this accusation of our employee very seriously and we are in the process of investigating this matter. We have been in the representation business for 25 years. We have built our company and pride ourselves on doing things the right way. Hundreds of talented, intelligent players have hired us for our integrity and competence. We do not engage in, nor do we condone any violation of NCAA rules."The employee in question is Tim Norling. Earlier in the day, Norling forwarded to us a separate statement, and we have confirmed via LMM that it is indeed his statement regarding the situation. Here it is."This past weekend, I was accused of buying a $10 meal for a University of Oregon football player and handing him five $20 bills at the conclusion of the meal. I strongly deny that this occurred and feel the need to respond because of the embarrassment that this accusation has caused me and my employer."I was recently hired by Lock Metz Malinovic Sports Management. When I was hired, I was instructed in no uncertain terms that their firm does things by the book, doesn’t violate NCAA rules, and that I was not to even buy a player a soft drink or an iced tea. According to the player, the dinner at which this incident occurred took July. Since I did not set foot in the state of Oregon in the month of July, and can substantiate this fact, I feel the need to present my version of what happened."On June 24, 2008 I was in Eugene, Oregon to meet the player. I waited for him to finish working out to instruct me when and where to meet him. He told me to meet him at what he said was his favorite restaurant. At that restaurant you pay for your food when you order. This player knew the people at the restaurant very well and he walked up to the place his order, then he left the cash register to go get his drink. I was next in line. I placed my order and paid my bill. I had no intention of paying for his meal and don’t know whether I was even charged for his meal. What I do know is this; I DID NOT GIVE HIM ANY MONEY. His statement that he tried to give ‘the $20 bills’ back to me on numerous occasions is ridiculous. It never happened. At the end of the meal the player got into a late model Escalade and drove away."That event occurred in June and not July as the player alleges. Subsequent to our meeting in June at that diner, we texted via phone each other dozens of times throughout the course of the summer discussing training and how football was progressing for him. And when the player moved into a new home this summer, he informed me by texting me his new address. On August 24th, apparently 3 days before he relayed this incident to the University of Oregon, he texted me numerous times. I am obviously upset that he walked into the Oregon compliance offices some 2 months after meeting me and ‘confessed’ to something that DID NOT HAPPEN!"We’re intrigued by the reference to the “late model Escalade,” since that strikes us as code for “this kid possibly has been getting paid long before we were ever on the scene."That said, it makes no sense to us that the kid would make it all up, unless he’s being paid extra money by a rival agent to get LMM in trouble.We’ll provide further updates as this one unfolds.