The Big Money

Big-time college basketball, the commercialized, Madison Square Garden variety, got another brutal kick in the teeth--the worst yet, in a game already punchy from its own scandals. Three stars of the City College of New York team, national champions last year, were arrested for throwing games for money. They were All-America Forward Ed Warner, Center Ed Roman, Guard Al Roth. Arrested with them as "go-betweens" were Connie Schaff, a member of this year's New York University team, and Ed Gard, of last year's Long Island University team. Rounding out the little group was a hard-faced gambler and ex-convict (armed robbery) named Salvatore Tarto Sollazzo, 45, and his sidekick, Robert Sabbatini, 60.

The story, as Manhattan District Attorney Frank Hogan put it together this week, had a grimly familiar sound. Gambler Sollazzo, said Hogan, struck up an acquaintance with L.I.U.'s Ed Gard at a Catskill resort hotel last summer, entertained him "extensively." Then he put up his proposition: How about lining up some basketball friends of his, picking up some big, easy money by making games come out right for Gambler Sollazzo? Ed Gard agreed. So, when it was put up to them in turn, did Roth, Roman and Warner of C.C.N.Y. Schaff of N.Y.U. was willing, but, said Hogan, got turned down when he approached another N.Y.U. player, and became "relatively inactive."

Not so Al Roth, Ed Roman and All-America Ed Warner, said Hogan. They did their best for Gambler Sollazzo in three games in the Garden during December and January. C.C.N.Y., the heavy pre-game favorite each time, lost to Missouri (54-37), Arizona (41-38) and Boston College (63-59). Roth collected $4,650, Roman $3,250 and Warner (who was out with injuries for one game) $2,500. Ed Gard got commissions.

In police court for booking, the players seemed shamed and remorseful. That part of the story was grimly familiar, too. Said Prosecutor Hogan, whose men had been working on the case for seven weeks: "I fervently wish that any person who might be so tempted could have seen these stupid and dishonest young men as they admitted their guilt. Tears, remorse, self-reproach and scalding thoughts of the perpetual heartache and disgrace ... all of this was too late."

There were more self-reproaches and tears to come. Two days later Hogan arrested three stars of this year's L.I.U. team, Sherman White, Leroy Smith and Adolph Bigos, on similar charges.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.