Report: NCAA visited friend of UK's Noel

Representatives of the NCAA and the University of Kentucky visited a friend of Nerlens Noel two weeks ago to discuss his relationship with UK's freshman center, according to a report Saturday night on the Web site of the Providence (R.I.) Journal.

The article comes three days after a Sports Illustrated report said that two investigators from the NCAA traveled to Noel's former high school in New Hampshire this month to meet with officials there about Noel's past. UK compliance director Sandy Bell was also present at that meeting, according to the report.

The Sports Illustrated report said the NCAA is looking into friends and associates of Noel and how the UK player paid for some of his unofficial visits to campuses.

The Providence Journal report discusses Ryan Sweeney, 21, who lives in Providence with his parents and was friends with high school stars Ricky Ledo and Noel among other athletes.

The officials met with Sweeney for nearly an hour, Sweeney's father, Providence attorney Michael Sweeney, told the Providence Journal. He would not comment when asked what was discussed.

"Nerlens has been at our house many times. He is Ryan's friend," Michael Sweeney said in the report. "I'm not sure why the NCAA wanted to speak with Ryan but we cooperated, and I got the sense that everything was fine when the meeting was over."

Asked if he's ever provided money to Noel, Sweeney told the Providence Web site: "Nerlens came to Florida with us once on vacation and he visited Ryan once at college (Florida Atlantic University) and we paid for his ticket. I will say we are not boosters of Kentucky."

Ryan Sweeney came to know Providence-area basketball players through Providence College's summer camp, which he regularly attended as a child, the article said.

Sweeney attended the same school as Ledo, who is awaiting word from the NCAA on his eligibility to suit up for Providence this season.

Ledo's issues reportedly involve academics. Noel's do not. He enrolled at UK last week.

UK spokesman DeWayne Peevy said Wednesday, in the wake of the Sports Illustrated article, that the school's normal procedure is not to comment on any NCAA matters.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/08/25/2...#storylink=cpy

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Ain't it the truth.

I wonder when these NCAA witch hunts are going to start causing recruits to question whether it's worth going through these investigations to come to Kentucky?

Might be time for a good old fashioned law suit to put an end to these good old fashioned witch hunts.