By Kyeland Jackson —
The Atlantic Coast Conference will investigate leaked football play information obtained by the University of Louisville from Wake Forest.
“Protecting competitive integrity is fundamental to the Atlantic Coast Conference. The conference office is in the process of obtaining the internal findings from Wake Forest University. Based on the information provided, and any other information obtained, the league office will perform its due diligence, and as necessary, additional discussion and actions will occur,” the ACC said in a statement.
Offensive coordinator Lonnie Galloway reportedly obtained the information from Demon Deacon’s radio announcer Tommy Elrod before the Wake Forest game this season. Elrod was fired and banned from Wake Forest after confirmation of the leaked information.
Athletic Director Tom Jurich confirmed the findings and said none of the leaked plays were used in the Nov. 12 game.
“Our offensive coordinator Lonnie Galloway and Tommy Elrod have known each other since 2007. Lonnie received a call from Elrod during the week of the Wake Forest game, and some information was shared with him that week. Among the communication were a few plays that were sent and then shared with our defensive staff. None of the special plays were run during the course of the game,” Jurich’s statement said.
“Our defense regularly prepares for similar formations every week in their normal game plan. Any other information that may have been discussed was nothing that our staff had not already seen while studying Wake Forest in their preparations for the game and the material was not given any further attention.”
Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson told ESPN his team changed the game plan before facing Louisville, realizing U of L had the plays.
“We knew we had been compromised, and as a result, a lot of those things that we had prepared we couldn’t run because we knew they had it,” Clawson said on ESPN’s Mike & Mike show Friday.
The announcement comes after a NCAA investigation earlier this year, probing the Louisville men’s basketball team, found four violations related to the paid sex scandal. U of L avoided severe penalties with those violations, partially due to a self-imposed post-season ban on the team.
File photo / The Louisville Cardinal.
