SPENT SENDING ATHLETIC
DEPARTMENT BIG SHOTS ON
AN ALL EXPENSE PAID GOLF
VACATION TO SCOTLAND.
BUT IT DOESN )T END
THERE.
NOW LARRY HAS UNCOVERED
NEW INFORMATION ABOUT
THAT TRIP THE ATHLETIC
DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN
HIDING... AND IT )S
EXPLOSIVE.
Abdallah: "Q. Is there
any question in your
mind as to whether this
was wrong? A. No
absolutely not. There )s
no question in my mind
it was wrong."
UNM ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
PAUL KREBS HAS BEEN
KEEPING A SECRET
UNDER WRAPS FOR TWO
YEARS. AND IT INVOLVES
THAT ILL FATED GOLF TRIP
TO SCOTLAND.
Krebs: "I think looking
back on it two years
later I understand why
people might question
it." ORGANIZED BY AN
INDIANA TRAVEL AGENCY IT
WAS A DREAM VACATION
WITH A HEFTY $8000 PER
PERSON PRICE TAG: THE
PITCH? TOUR WITH LOBO
CELEBRITIES PAUL KREBS
AND CRAIG NEAL FOR A
WEEK LONG GOLFING
HOLIDAY IN SCOTLAND.
STAY AT THE FINEST
HOTELS AND PLAY GOLF ON
SOME OF THE MOST FAMOUS
GOLF COURSES IN THE
WORLD. TWENTY THREE
PARTICIPANTS SIGNED UP
FOR THE JUNE 2015
SCOTLAND HOLIDAY. BUT
NOT EVERYONE HERE PAID
THEIR OWN WAY. FOR SOME
IT WAS A FREE VACATION
AT PUBLIC EXPENSE.
Barker: "Our
investigation found the
University )s athletic
department footed the
bill for UNM officals to
go on a week long
golfing holiday in
Scotland. The athletic
department shelled out
tens of thousands of
dollars for air fare,
travel agency fees,
luxury hotels and daily
rounds of championship
golf at world class golf
courses."
UNM PAID $8000 FOR CRAIG
NEAL )S GOLF TRIP. PAUL
KREBS ) HOLIDAY COST THE
UNIVERSITY MORE THAN
$9000 AND LOBO CLUB EXEC
KOLE MCKAMEY
CHARGED HIS $8000 GOLF
OUTING TO A UNIVERSITY
CREDIT CARD.
UNM ACTING PRESIDENT
CHAOUKI ABDALLAH TOLD US
EARLIER THIS MONTH
IT WAS THE SCOTLAND TRIP
WAS AN INAPPROPRIATE USE
OF PUBLIC
MONEY.
Abdallah: "This is not
where the university
not be using university
funds for such
activities." PAUL KREBS
JUSTIFIED THE
EXPENDITURE AS A WORKING
BUSINESS TRIP. HE SAID
UNM EXECS TAGGED ALONG
WITH POTENTIAL DONORS
TO DRUM UP FINANCIAL
SUPPORT FOR ATHLETIC
PROGRAMS. Krebs: "With
all due respect here,
why should the public
pay for your golf trip
to Scotland? A. The trip
intensive experience and
I
understand why people
may question it."
THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
DISGUISED THE TRIP BY
RECORDING IT AS
A BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
IN IRELAND. KREBS ADMITS
THE
SCOTLAND GOLF TRIP COST
UNM SOME $39,000.
Barker: "But now it
turns out that wasn )t
exactly the truth. You
see Paul Krebs has been
keeping some things
about that 2015 golf
junket under wraps."
Abdallah: "V-P Krebs
came to me and told me
that he wanted to tell
your reaction? A. I was
not happy."
Barker: "Paul Krebs says
it wasn )t just athletic
department big wigs who
got a free vacation to
Scotland. Krebs now
admits, UNM quietly
picked up the tab for a
select group of local
businessmen to go
on the trip. He admits
using $24,000 in
university funds to give
private individuals a
free golfing holIday.
The
Athletic Director says
UNM paid for their trip
because they were
potential donors to the
athletic program. Add
it all up and the public
shelled out some $64,000
for a golfing holiday to
Scotland." IT )S A
BOMBSHELL KREBS FAILED
TO DISCLOSE UNTIL LAST
WEEK.
Abdallah: "Q. This is a
pretty serious omission
would you agree? A. Yeah
it is. I mean that )s why
we )re talking about it."
SO NOT ONLY DID WE PAY
FOR KREBS, NEAL AND
MCKAMEY TO LIVE IT UP IN
SCOTLAND, BUT
BUSINESSMEN DARIN DAVIS,
RALEIGH GARDENHIRE AND
PAUL GIBSON ALSO GOT A
FREE VACATION COURTESY
OF UNM )S
CREDIT CARD. NEVER MIND
THAT THE EXPENDITURES
ARE IN DIRECT VIOLATION
OF THE STATE
CONSTITUTION )S
ANTI-DONATION CLAUSE.
Abdallah: "He told me
about it in no uncertain
terms. He didn )t try to
happened. I )m going to
try to fix it."
UNM FUNDRAISING
ACTIVITIES ARE HANDLED
EXCLUSIVELY BY THE
UNM FOUNDATION WHICH IS
A PRIVATE NON PROFIT
ORGANIZATION SEPARATE
FROM THE UNIVERSITY.
Abdallah: "Q. Why didn )t
the UNM Foundation pay
for this whole Scotland
golf trip? A. It would
have been
the appropriate thing to
do. The foundation is
the entity that )s
charged to try to raise
money. This was a
check and reimburse
the university for all
the funds that went
towards the Scotland
trip? A. No." THE UNM
FOUNDATION DID NOT
RESPOND TO OUR REQUEST
FOR
COMMENT.
Abdallah: "I )ve worked
with with V-P Krebs for
a while and I think he
honorable man here. And
as it relates to this
incident the athletic
department misspent tens
of thousands of dollars
of university funds.
That )s not an
honorable act. A. Well
even honorable men
sometimes make a mistake
individuals was paid
back late last week from
an anonymous donor."
Abdallah: "We do have
checks and balances. We
do internal audits
sometimes we find we
find
mistakes and sometimes
we miss it. Q. As
mistakes go this one was
a whopper? Yes? A. It )s
a big one. ... Q. Is
this our last interview
on golf trips to
Scotland? A. I sure hope
so." LARRY BARKER KRQE
NEWS 13.
IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT
TODAY, PAUL KREBS SAID,
"...THE PUBLIC AND
OUR FANS PUT THEIR TRUST
IN US, AND THE ONLY WAY
TO KEEP THAT TRUST IS
TO ADMIT WHEN AN ERROR
IS MADE, TO RECTIFY IT
AND TO MAKE SURE THAT IT
DOESN )T HAPPEN AGAIN."
ADLIB TOSS TO WEATHER