Razorback Blogs

“Unfortunately, the person who sent these e-mails is very close to the program, as I noted in the letter. Enclosed in the packet I sent you is the tracking information for each e-mail (IP addresses and such) so you will have that as well. Due to the nature of the correspondence and those involved, I was very careful to trace the information prior to forwarding it to you to verify that the e-mails were in fact authentic.

I am extremely concerned about the fact that the e-mails were sent to Diana Nutt and she then forwarded to individuals in the community. By disseminating the e-mails, she is condoning this type of attitude and behavior . . .

Chancellor, I believe it is reasonable to expect this type of behavior from a few “deranged” individuals with nothing better to do with their time. It is completely unreasonable to expect this type of behavior from family and friends of the program. My son is expected to function and excel within this program. It is difficult to do under the best of circumstances, but impossible when this type of attitude and behavior is exhibited and tolerated from the coach’s family and friends. Again, I appreciate your efforts and my hope at this point is that those involved will be held accountable for their behavior.”

There was one last e-mail exchange between White and Campbell on January 5, 2007. In this final e-mail, Chancellor White replied:
“We are acting quickly and, hopefully, effectively to put this behind all involved. Much was done in December to heal wounds, mostly self-inflicted on the Razorback program. We are striving to deal with the matter so that nothing like it occurs in the future. I appreciate your bringing it to my attention.”

While White stated on January 5, 2007, his intention was to meet with legal counsel regarding this matter, he later disclosed that despite the supported allegations regarding the involvement of Houston Nutt’s wife and brother, he elected to immediately forward the matter to Houston Nutt and Athletic Director Frank Broyles for their review and so that they could determine the appropriate action which should be taken.

A letter of apology, dated January 8, 2007, was written by Teresa Prewett to Mustain. In addition, Houston Nutt wrote a letter of reprimand to Teresa Prewett on Friday,

In the February 15th ADG article, "Houston Nutt did say that Diana Nutt received and forwarded the Dec. 6 e-mail to the business in Springdale. "I did acknowledge, I just found out a couple weeks ago she did do that. Nutt said, "She admits it."

In the February Morning News interview and the DTS interview he stated that he had just read the email a “couple of weeks ago.”

However, in his letter to Teresa dated Friday, January 12. 2007 he wrote, “Last week (January 5th), I received a copy of a letter which you wrote and sent to Mitch Mustain. Your letter demonstrates a complete lack of perspective and is unacceptable, insulting and mean-spirited.”

Nutt commented in the February 15 ADG article:"Asked this week whether it had taken a call from White for him to get involved, Nutt said no. “I don’t know if there’s policies [in place], but I do want to shield them,” Nutt said. “This one got a lot of attention. We tried to handle it ourselves, but this one was taken all the way to the chancellor, all the way to the board. Even without the chancellor getting a call I was going to do something, like I would normally do when I get a couple of these things that go to my players.”

Nutt never explained why he did not address the issue with Mustain prior to being notified by White, one month after the email was initially sent.

Nutt has also never explained why he received the information on January 5th as stated by White and his own admission in his letter to Prewett but did not address the issue with Mustain or present his letter of reprimand or Prewett’s letter of apology until he requested his release on January 16th.

The standard defense of Mrs. Nutt forwarding the first email is that she "really didn't think it was that bad" or that she was "just defending her husband." She received the first email addressed to Wally and forwarded it to someone with the comment that the part about Gus and the Springdale players is "quiet funny." When she received the second email addressed to Mustain, certainly any reasonable coach's wife should then become alarmed that such a vial, disgusting email would be sent to one of her husband's players by a friend of the family who is a booster. If, as Nutt contends, she did not notify him that one of their friends and a booster were sending emails of this nature to players, a reasonable person would have to wonder why she did not.

Also, it has been asserted that during the abnornally high volumn of contact, Nutt may have been trying to talk Prewett out of sending the email. If that is the case, then he was not honest about when he first knew about the email. Further, the email was sent to his brother, wife, sister-in-law and several individuals closely associated with the program, including coaches wives. The media was aware of it within days. If he tried to talk her out of it, and then got wind that she sent it, then certainly he could have talked to Mustain and explained that he was aware of the situation and would handle it in an appropriate manner. He did not.

On Tuesday, January 16, 2007, Mustain met with Houston Nutt at 2:30 p.m. and requested that he be granted a release from scholarship. It was during this meeting, that Nutt first mentioned the email and finally presented Mustain with a copy of his letter of reprimand to Prewett dated January 12th and a COPY of a letter of apology, dated January 8th, addressed to Mustainl from Prewett.

Nutt has stated in several interview that he only granted the release because "his mother called and demanded it." However, Campbell reported in a recent interview that when she did call, Nutt refused her as well. It was only after she informed a close family friend of Nutt's refusal, who then called Jim Lindsey, that the release was granted. This may explain why Mustain requested his release at 2:30 p.m., but attended a team meeting at 4:00 p.m. He was not aware until after the meeting that Nutt would grant the release.

As of the morning of January 16, 2007 Campbell had received no response from Chancellor White regarding her January 5th request for an investigation. SheI sent an e-mail to Chancellor White the morning of January 16, 2007 at 7:44 a.m. asking that Chancellor White contact her that day and advise her of the status of this matter. She stated, in part,

“Chancellor, I am a University of Arkansas alumni, as was my grandfather and my great-grandmother. I have been a life-long resident of this state. What has transpired in our program over the past year literally breaks my heart and I have struggled with taking action regarding this and other matters. However, at some point, someone needs to realize that the University is responsible for educating and developing young people and they must be our priority. It may be too late to protect my own son, but I cannot sit back in all good consciousness and allow the future of other children compromised by our failure to hold this program accountable for their actions.”

After receiving and reviewing the letter of reprimand and the letter of apology (provided to Campbell by Mustain on the evening of January 16th), she sent another e-mail to Chancellor White at 11:31 p.m. on January 16, 2007.

She concluded that correspondence with this inquiry:
“I believe the communication and the failure of the program to take immediate corrective action may in and of itself present the appearance of a violation. Please let me know if you intend to take further action on this matter or if this is your resolution.”

On January 18th White responded to Campbell in an email. He wrote and advised that after he had received her initial inquiry “I immediately forwarded your correspondence to Coach Houston Nutt and AD Frank Broyles for their review and for appropriate action to be taken.”

White also wrote that Nutt and Broyles claimed to be unaware of Prewett’s Dec. 7th e-mail prior to White’s involvement in the matter However, Nutt stated in February that he intended to handle the matter even without getting a call from White.

ln this same letter Chancellor White also said that he was “dismayed” that Prewett wrote such an e-mail. He further stated: “I condemn Ms. Prewett’s e-mail and believe it was inappropriate and inexcusable” and "These types of attacks and threats will not be tolerated.”

Despite Chancellor White’s assertions that the attack on Mustain would not be tolerated; that he had requested a meeting with legal counsel to develop a game plan for dealing with it; and his expressed intention to investigation the situation; Chancellor White obviously did not conduct any type of real investigation into the incident.

This is evidenced by the fact that in his January 18th correspondence Campbell, Chancellor White also wrote:
“Based upon my review of this matter, I do not believe that Coach Houston Nutt has a close personal relationship with Ms. Prewett as you suggest.”

If Chancellor White had conducted any review or investigation of substance, he would have discovered that there were “apparently” numerous communications between Prewett, Danny Nutt and Houston Nutt on the dates these e-mails were sent.

In direct contradiction of Chancellor White’s belief that Teresa Prewett and Houston Nutt do not have a close personal relationship; Prewett herself wrote, in the December 6th e-mail to Wally Hall, that she was “completely loyal to the Nutt family” and that they “are my extended family.”
The fact that Prewett was close to the Nutt family has long been a known fact. In a September 28, 2006, Arkansas-Democrat Gazette article, Wally Hall mentioned as much, noting that Teresa “has become very close to the Nutt Family.”

Instead of investigating the attacks and threats which Chancellor White claimed would not be tolerated, the University of Arkansas proceeded to make it publicly known that Houston Nutt would receive an extension of his contract and a raise in pay (totaling approximately $160,000 per year). This was announced by the University on Monday, January 18, 2007, Athletic Director Frank Broyles stated:
“We’re going to take good care of Houston . . . We’re proud to have Houston as our coach and proud that he’s accepted the contract extension.”

It was and is Chancellor White’s duty to investigate this particular incident involving the harassment of a student-athlete; and to ascertain whether any “existing” policies were violated. It was Chancellor White’s obligation to investigate and determine whether people involved with the University conducted themselves in a proper manner as it related to the harassment directed toward Mustain.

For reasons unknown Chancellor White has acted with deliberate indifference in refusing to conduct a probe into this specific incident, which occurred between a close friend of the Nutt family and Mustain. The attacks and threats which Chancellor White described as “filth” and which he claimed would not be “tolerated” have not even been investigated.

Subsequently, on Thursday, February 22, 2007, and without conducting a full and complete inquiry into the e-mail incident involving Prewett, Chancellor White issued a statement proclaiming his support for Houston Nutt, stating in part:

“I want it to be abundantly clear - the University of Arkansas is committed to Head Football Coach Houston Nutt’s leadership of the Razorback football program . . . I am confident in his leadership of the young men who carry the future of the Razorback football program on their shoulders.”

The content of the emails were certainly malicious and vile and showed a complete lack of respect and civility by a booster and friend of the coach's family. The most disturbing aspect of this correspondence is the fact that is was received by and forwarded by a member of Coach Nutt’s family. It was also distributed to individuals closely associated with the program who may or may not have brought it to the attention of the head coach or the administration.

And to make matters worse no one in the program took any measures to remove Prewett’s access to the team or program after she sent the emails. She traveled to the Capital One Bowl Game and had direct access to the team and the families of the coaching staff.

It should also be noted that Ms. Prewett states in her “letter of apology” that her “email was in response to the comments you (Mustain) made in the book, The Year of the Dog, as quoted in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.” However, on or prior to December 6th, no mention of those quotes had been reported in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

She states, “I must tell you that as a Razorback Foundation donor and a season ticket holder in three sports, as well as a former college athlete and daughter of a football coach, I would hope that no athlete would ever be unappreciative of the efforts put forth by a college coaching staff in the recruitment process. Your comments were perceived by me as unappreciative…”

She does not however justify her statements regarding Assistant Coach Gus Malzahn, Damian Williams and the “Springdale players” or Peyton Hillis.

Also Houston Nutt admitted Diana Nutt’s participation in the dissemination of the emails, and there was no denial the receipt of the emails by family members of the staff and other boosters.

However, that issue was never address by Nutt or the administration.

In White’s letter and in Nutt’s letter to Prewett, both admitted that Prewett had received sideline passes to the football games.

However, in the April 17, 2003 NCAA Infraction Report related to a NCAA investigation, one of the corrective actions stipulated by the university and the NCAA as a result of the investigation states:

"The university will prohibit representatives of its athletics interests from accessing the locker room and the sidelines at football and men's basketball games. The institution has reviewed and is revising its policies regarding the accessibility of its sidelines and locker rooms not only for representatives of its athletics interests but also for former student-athletes and friends and relatives of athletics department staff members and will implement changes.”

This directive and corrective action was in direct response to the violations that had occurred due to the close, personal relationship with the Broyles and an Arkansas booster, and the access the booster had received to the team and players as a result of that relationship.

Due to the close personal relationship between Teresa Prewett and the Nutt family and because Nutt failed to take immediate appropriate action, he violated the very principal of ethical conduct in the NCAA principles and basically created a hostile environment for the student-athlete within the program. Or at the very least, he tolerated it.

The sentiment and hostility expressed in the vile emails confirm what Malzahn and Mustain had experienced from both the staff and his head coach during the entire season.