Football scandal may hurt Clements in race DALLAS TIMES HERALD By TIM GRAHAM Staff Writer SEP 2 8 ITS • The Southwest Conference football cheat- ing scandal threatens to become an issue in. the 1986 governor's raq_, and a potential 1i-, ability for former Gov. William P. Clements, , tiolitical strategists said Wednesday. The scandal spread to the political arena Tuesday night when the University .of Houston head football coach appeared on television blasting Clements, chairman of Southern Methodist University's board of governors and one of three Republican °on- tenders for governor. . , /1!; word of the broadcast spread. stine ob- servers began thinking that Clements might indeed suffer politically now that SMU -- whose football program was hahded the toughest sanctions in collegiate history last month is helping the National' Collegiate Athletic- Association investigate .allegations of cheating at other conference schools. "In Texas, the politics of football are prof iahly more important than the polities of polities." said one leading Republican, speak- ing oil. the iondition that he not Ile named "l'ecipli• get very test about football here. If people rx.rtrive that Clements is out point- ing fingers at other schools just because he's upset about what happened to SMU. he could he in for a lot of trouble." Said another Republican, also speaking privately, "I'm an Aggie, and let me tell you, people are very ticked off tat Clements).- Texas newspapers during the past week have been It with reports of SMU's rob- iii the NCAA's investigation, which has ,j)iead hi Texas ANrM University and Texas Christian University 'Ihe Houston Post last Friday, under the headline "Mustangs strike back at the SWC.- quoted Highland Park businessman 11.It. "Bum" Bright as saying Clements had predicted that several more Southwest Con- ference members would soon be dragged into the scandal Bright, commenting on a conversation he had with Clements last week, was quoted as saying. "Gov. Clements says the next one is 'ICU, then Texas Tech, then the University of Houston and finally, the University of Texas." The conversation took place at Bright's home during a week v. hen NCAA investigators were at SMU interviewing players and coaches about possible violations at other schools. The night before, it was first reported that Texas A&M quarterback Kevin Murray had allegedly received payments from an alumnus. The next night. TCU suspended six players for allegedly receiving payments from a group of alumni. The former governor. prediction that "the next one" would be TCU had been accurate. On Tuesday, Houston football coach Bill Yeoman was asked about reports that SMU was aid- ing NCAA. "'l'hat was Mr. Clements," Yeo- man told KII0U-TV interviewer Matt MUSil. "That must be why he's not governor anymore." Clements said Wednesday that he has had no role in the NCAA's investigation, and he denied hav- ing predicted where the ax might fall next. "That's an absolute fabrication ing to a lecture. It was through. • We got up, were milling around; everybody was having some drinks. Bill walked over to me, and he says, 'Well, y'all are in the same kind of fix we were in (at SMU). and I want to tell you this, of someone's imagination, and I resent jt," Clements said. "I'm ter- ribly upset about this whole SWC situation. I think the SWC is go- ing to be under a microscope for a long time. All I have is sympathy for everybody, especially schools like TCU." However, Bright, a Texas A&M alumnus and former chairman of the university's hoard of trustees, told the Times Herald that Cle- ments last week predicted the cheating scandal would spread eventually to all nine members of the SWC. "Bill Clements was over at my house," said Bright, who sk as finance chairman in Clements' un- suc-ccful 1982 gubernatorial re- election campaign. "There were 25 people there. We'd been listen- you're'going to hate it, and it's goe ing to be unpleasant. It's bad news, damn rotten. They're going to get after everybody in the " George Strake, chairman of the Texas Republican party, said it is too early to tell what effect the cheating scandal might have on the 1986 primary, in which Cie- meths faces Rep. Tom Loeffler of San Antonio and former Rep. Kent !lance of Lubbock "It could work two ways," Stroke said. "Ile could he praised for his integrity, for working to clean up college football. Or he could be criticized for adding to the mess." Hance and Loeffler declined comment.