Sampson

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — As Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan pondered a resolution to the Kelvin Sampson mess, he kept thinking about the implications for senior forward D.J. White.

Back in 2006, White lost his friend and former neighbor, Mike Davis, when Davis resigned as Hoosiers coach.

Sampson joined that list Friday by accepting a $750,000 buyout, waiving his right to sue the university for further damages, and agreeing to turn the program over to interim coach Dan Dakich. Getting rid of Sampson, which came in response to the NCAA's report alleging five major NCAA rules violations, still may not solve all of Indiana's problems.

White is among a group of players who threatened to sit out Saturday's game at Northwestern. Greenspan hopes the Hoosiers and White, ranked No. 15 and in contention for their first outright Big Ten title since 1993, feel differently before the team plane leaves Saturday morning.

"I'm troubled by the impact this has emotionally on a man like D.J. White," Greenspan said. "He's a good man and a good player, and he just went through something like this two years ago. It's not right."

Unfair as it may seem now, Greenspan was left with few choices.

Indiana fans expect a clean program and were embarrassed by the slate of allegations levied against Sampson. The program, which may still be punished by the NCAA, would likely have faced more significant penalties had Greenspan kept him.

Mending the players' hearts will be difficult.

White, guards Armon Bassett, Jordan Crawford and Jamarcus Ellis, and forwards DeAndre Thomas and Brandon McGee skipped Dakich's first practice Friday afternoon. By Friday night's scheduled walkthrough, Greenspan said most if not all of the missing players were back and he expects them to play in Evanston, Ill., Saturday.

While Greenspan understands the players' loyalty to Sampson, he believes they will be motivated by their competitive nature to continue winning.

"I think our young men are respectful and respectful of Indiana University," Greenspan said. "They have a chance to have a special season, and my hope is that as we heal emotionally and get accustomed to the staff, they'll continue to play for that special season."

Sampson also offered players his support in a statement released by the university minutes before the official announcement was made.

"While I'm saddened that I will not have the opportunity to coach these student-athletes, I feel that this is in the best interest of the program for me to step away at this time," Sampson said. "I wish my players nothing but the best for the remainder of the season."

Sampson's two-year tenure at Indiana ended the same way it began, with an NCAA hearing scheduled for alleged rules infractions.

He took the Indiana job in March 2006 and two months later was penalized by the NCAA for making 577 impermissible phone calls between 2000 and 2004 when he was coaching Oklahoma.

Given the pending charges, many Indiana fans and some trustees thought it was a mistake to hire Sampson. When the phone calls and accusations continued, it only created more angst among the fan base.

"In retrospect, I think there should have been greater considerations," trustee Philip Eskew Jr. said. "But you talk to the man and he says, 'I'm not going to do that,' and I believe in giving guys second chances. But when he goes back on his word, that's something else."