Gambling link costs Tulsa AD his job
Tulsa athletic director Ross Parmley was fired late Tuesday by the university because of his ties to gambling.
His ouster, announced by Tulsa president Steadman Upham, came one week after he was placed on administrative leave. Parmley was suspended when the FBI identified him as an admitted gambler in a case the organization was working on involving Oklahoma city gambling figure Teddy Mitchell, The Daily Oklahoman reported.
Parmley acknowledged being associated with Mitchell.
"In October of 2011, Ross shared with me that he was cooperating in an FBI investigation pertaining to a gambling case in Oklahoma City," Upham wrote. "At that time, Ross told me that his involvement was solely due to a family connection to the person being investigated.
"For obvious reasons, I specifically asked Ross if he had ever gambled on college or professional sports. He told me that friendly wagers during personal golf games constituted the extent of his betting activities. I took Ross at his word, as I had no reason to believe there had been any acts of impropriety or non-compliance."
Parmley, who has been employed by Tulsa since 2005, reportedly said he gambled for years before giving it up in 2010. NCAA rules prohibit athletic department employees from wagering on intercollegiate, amateur and professional sports in which it conducts championships.
