DePaulia
The
2017 Pacemaker Award Winner
Volume #103 | Issue #6 | Oct. 15, 2018 | depauliaonline.com
Basketball court Lenti Ponsetto, Leitao, DePaul file order of protection against former assistant coach who challenges claims By Benjamin Conboy & Shane Rene Editor-in-Chief & Managing Editor
DePaul University, Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto and men’s basketball coach Dave Leitao filed for an emergency order of protection from former assistant head coach Rick Carter after he allegedly made threatening comments towards them. Leitao requested the protection order on Sept. 25, citing two separate run-ins with Carter. In June 2017 after Carter became upset over being fired from the men’s basketball coaching staff, Carter allegedly told Leitao he would “physically bury him,” according to documents obtained by The DePaulia. The university has previously said that Carter had resigned, but the court records are saying he was fired. Leitao also requested that the order of protection extend to his wife and high school-aged son. Carter was still “upset over firing and other violations” and continued to ask to meet with Leitao into September, when Carter’s threats ratcheted up, according to the documents. Carter allegedly told Leitao he would “knock on my [Leitao’s] door at home,” according to the court documents. In a Sept. 15 tweet, Carter posted the lyrics to the song “Monster” by Kanye West, which contained the phrases “I smell a massacre” and “seems like the only way to bag you bastards
up.” The phrases were included in the protection order and were perceived by Leitao as threats. Joseph Ponsetto, the husband of Jean Lenti Ponsetto and an attorney at the Law Offices of Peter M. DeLongis, LTD., originally filed the protection order for his wife and at an Oct. 12 court hearing, and he requested that Judge Jeanne Marie Wrenn allow him to represent Leitao instead. Joseph Ponsetto was a member of the DePaul athletic department himself from 1974-78, when he played forward for the men’s basketball
See CARTER, page 26
DePaul assistants Tim Anderson, Shane Heirman named in NCAA trial for paying player in high school By Shane Rene Managing Editor
As the trial surrounding the NCAA’s corruption scandal continues, Brian Bowen Sr., the father of former fivestar recruit Brian Bowen II, made new allegations about DePaul assistant men’s basketball coach Shane Heirman, and now a second DePaul assistant Tim Anderson. Brian Bowen Sr. testified Tuesday that Heirman paid him $8,000 “over a series of months,” to have his son play for La Lumiere High School. He said Heirman, who was the head coach at La Lumiere a t
the time, also paid him $1,400 per month for a condo on the lake. Bowen Sr. also testified that Anderson paid him $1,500 to have his son to play for the Mean Streets AAU program in Chicago, where Anderson was a coach at the time. Bowen Sr. testified last week that he was paid $5,000-$8,000 to have his son play for Mean Streets, but never mentioned Anderson, specifically. Anderson and Heirman were both hired while DePaul was actively pursuing Brian Bowen II and Tyger Campbell, who went to the same high school, but neither coach was employed by DePaul when the alleged payments took place. “DePaul University takes seriously the high standards of conduct expected in our athletics department,” a university spokesperson said in a statement after Bowen Sr.’s testimony. “To date, federal prosecutors have not contacted us about the investigation into college basketball recruiting or statements included in testimony this week in federal court in the Southern District of New York. We will fully cooperate if contacted in the future by federal law enforcement, the Department of Justice or the NCAA.” At Monday’s Chicago college basketball kickoff luncheon, DePaul head coach Dave Leitao briefly addressed last week’s testimony. “I’ve paid very little attention to it,” he said. “Mostly because we’ve been through this before and our recruitment of young men didn’t start last week,
See NCAA, page 27 VICTORIA WILLIAMSON | THE DEPAULIA
Conservative speakers denied visit, event forced off campus By Carina Smith & Emma Oxnevad
News Editor & Asst. News Editor
Two speakers from the conservative advocacy organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA) were scheduled to speak with the DePaul chapter of TPUSA on Oct. 16 as a part of the TPUSA Campus Clash Tour, but the event was prohibited from campus. Representatives from TPUSA and DePaul giving different accounts as to why the event was forced to relocate to the JW Marriott Hotel at 151 W. Adams St. According to an official adendum provided by DePaul TPUSA, DePaul was selected as a tour location in July 2018 for Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens, the group’s founder and director of communications, respectively. The Student Affairs Office and the Events Offices attempted to confirm dates for the event
throughout July and August. The event was cancelled following concerns regarding ticketing and marketing for the event and the potential use of hate speech, according to the decision letter the Office of Student Affairs sent to DePaul’s TPUSA chapter. DePaul TPUSA was made aware of the event’s cancellation in mid-September, and the organization said that they hold no ill will towards DePaul for the decision. “[DePaul’s administration] followed the standard protocol for each and every club, including ours,” said Ema Gavrilovic, vice president of DePaul TPUSA. “There was nothing unfair in the processing or the deadlines or the timelines. I just want to make that clear.” Gavrilovic cites issues regarding communication between TPUSA headquarters and DePaul as one of the primary reasons why the event was canceled.
ANNALISA BARANOWSKI | THE DEPAULIA
Charlie Kirk (left) and Candace Owen from Turning Point USA, a conservative advocacy group.
“The primary concern was Turning Point’s headquarters started issuing tickets and advertising for an event that was never originally even confirmed,” Gavrilovic said. “Headquarters was was issuing tickets and advertising the event before the logistics
were confirmed. DePaul later requested that the speech’s EventBrite page be taken down, which they did. However, advertisements for the event were still being distributed by the national
See SPEAKERS, page 5