CLEMSON - The owner of a popular Web site that covers Clemson sports is a former booster of the Tigers' athletic department, the school has discovered.
Clemson sports information director Tim Bourret confirmed late Tuesday afternoon that Cris Ard, who owns and operates TigerIllustrated.com, was a member of IPTAY from 1995-99. Clemson found documentation of Ard's involvement in the booster club during an investigation that lasted "six or seven weeks," Bourret said.
According to an e-mail sent to Clemson's compliance department from the university's general counsel, the investigation was provoked by "allegations of inappropriate conduct by Cris Ard." In that same e-mail, a copy of which was provided to The Post and Courier, lawyer Clayton Steadman said there was "insufficient evidence to support a finding of any wrongdoing on (Ard's) part."
Although Clemson has ruled out inappropriate conduct by Ard, Bourret said Clemson is still asking the NCAA to evaluate the propriety of Ard's status as a former booster. NCAA rules prohibit boosters from contacting recruits, and Ard regularly contacts high school prospects for stories on his Web site.
The NCAA has said that boosters retain their status indefinitely regardless of whether they cease to contribute to booster clubs or athletic departments. Reached Tuesday evening, Ard confirmed that he was a member of IPTAY before he became credentialed to cover the Tigers.
Ard's Web site, which is not officially affiliated with Clemson, is a member of the Rivals network, a prominent company that employs a reported network of more than 300 reporters who cover college sports, high school sports and recruiting.
Ard calls his Web site "the No. 1 authority on Clemson football and recruiting, and the virtual Mecca for coverage."
An NCAA spokesperson could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.
In some previous cases involving boosters who have contacted recruits, schools have "disassociated" themselves from the boosters. Bourret said no NCAA violations are expected to result from the revelation that Ard is a former booster.
The NCAA could recommend barring Ard from any further contact with recruits, or even current Clemson staff members, coaches or players.
The 33-year-old Ard said he has been under contract with Rivals.com since 2001. He said he published a newsletter covering Clemson football and recruiting from 1995-99 before offering his service online in 1999.
Independent Web sites that cover college athletics and recruiting have presented difficult issues for universities because of the possibility that the operators of these sites are nothing more than fans of the teams they are covering.
Ard said he is not a fan of Clemson. He would neither confirm nor deny that the investigation began with allegations that he encouraged recruits to sign with the Tigers.
The NCAA and its member schools have traditionally viewed fan Web sites differently from other media such as newspapers, radio and television, but the online outlets that are affiliated with national names have been increasingly granted status as credentialed media in recent years.
Bobby Burton, chief operating officer for Rivals.com, said Tuesday that everyone who reports for his organization must sign a code of ethics that states no member who contacts recruits can be a member of a booster organization.
"I think we definitely make a distinction between current and former," Burton said. "I think Cris was a booster before he decided to be a journalist."
TigerIllustrated is one of three main Web sites that independently cover Clemson athletics. The others are CUTigers.com, a member of the FoxSports-owned Scout network, and TheTigernet.com.
