A week after he was placed on administrative leave, Ross Parmley has been fired as Tulsa’s athletic director. TU President Steadman Upham announced the news in a letter that was sent to university faculty and students Tuesday evening.
“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.”
You can read the entire letter HERE.
The Oklahoman reported that Parmley was suspended after he was identified by the FBI for being “an admitted gambler.” Parmley was cooperating with investigators in a case invovling Oklahoma City gambling figure Teddy Mitchell. Parmley admitted to having a betting relationship with Mitchell.
Parmley has worked at Tulsa since 2005 and reportedly confessed to gambling for years before quitting in 2010. The NCAA prohibits student-athletes and athletic department employees from “wagering on intercollegiate, amateur and professional sports in which the Association conducts championships.”
It’s possible the NCAA could investigate the TU program for the allegations. The Tulsa World reports that the NCAA would consider gambling by an athletic department administrator as a “serious infraction.”