Found guilty of NCAA violations, Marcus Camby says he'll pay back the money. What he can't do is give the University of Massachusetts back its Final Four appearance.
The NCAA on Thursday stripped Massachusetts of its 1996 tournament record because Camby accepted gifts from a sports agent as an amateur player.The NCCA's executive committee, meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif., also ordered that Massachusetts return $151,000 in tournament money from 1996.
The 6-foot-11 Camby, now playing with the Toronto Raptors, led a team coached by John Calipari to a 35-2 record in 1995-96. It ended with a loss to Kentucky in the national semifinals.
The team's title as the school's best ever will be now shown in the record books with an asterisk.
Camby apologized to his former teammates, coach and school in a telephone interview with journalists Thursday from Los Angeles, where he was watching the NBA playoffs between the Lakers and the Jazz.
"I'm really sorry," he said. "I fully intend to pay back all the money - donate the money back to the school."
"People make mistakes, and I made mistakes," he added.
He also said he was "a good person" who committed no crime. He said the NCAA should consider providing some form of payment to college athletes to help stem the temptation to take gifts.