The University granted disability leave to Alonzo Newby, an academic counselor for the men’s basketball program who allegedly played a role in helping players cheat on tests, term papers and other assignments.
For seven years, Newby worked closely with coach Clem Haskins on the team’s academic matters. Pursuant to a doctor’s recommendation, he temporarily left his position because of stress related problems, said Ron Rosenbaum, Newby’s attorney, in a report published Sunday.
Newby could not be reached for comment Sunday, but his office voice mail declared that he will be out of the office “for at least two weeks.”
Neither Newby nor Rosenbaum have spoken publicly regarding allegations of Newby’s involvement in the alleged cheating.
The University’s investigation into allegations of academic fraud, being conducted by a team of private attorneys, focused heavily on Newby’s involvement Thursday.
Jan Gangelhoff, the former men’s athletic department office manager whose claims that she wrote papers for players sparked the investigation, said she considered Newby a close friend, but told The Minnesota Daily in an interview two weeks ago that Haskins controlled him.
“He’s the kingpin in the story, you know,” Gangelhoff said of Newby. “He’s the fall guy. He had no decision-making power over how the structure was going to be established.
“I think Coach Haskins went and presented the structure and everybody accepted it, and that was how it happened,” Gangelhoff said. “If Alonzo wanted a structure like that and nobody else did, it never would have happened.”
She also spoke of a contumelious relationship between Haskins and Newby.
“Clem takes him high one day like, ‘You’re so great and you did great with this kid,'” and the next day he would take him down, Gangelhoff said.
Jeanne Payer, Gangelhoff’s sister, later said that last summer Newby delivered to her an unmarked envelope containing $3,000 in cash. The money was allegedly payment for Gangelhoff’s tutoring of basketball player Antoine Broxsie, even though University Associate General Counsel Bill Donohue ordered Newby not to hire her.
In late March, University graduate student Alexandra Goulding said that on her first day of tutoring basketball players in 1995, Newby witnessed her writing a one-page paper for former player Courtney James. After telling Haskins she would not do so again, Goulding said she was contacted by Newby, who told her she would not get a contract as an athletic department tutor.

— Compiled from staff and wire reports