The University of Idaho Argonaut

Three players on the University of Idaho football team were cut after selling stolen books during the most recent buyback.
During finals week, the athletes were taking textbooks from the shelves and trading them in for cash at UI’s main bookstore and its branch in the Idaho Commons, said bookstore manager Peg Godwin.

A bookstore employee spotted some suspicious activity and reported it to Godwin. After reviewing security camera footage and an internal investigation, the bookstore confirmed the thefts and notified the athletic department and the student judicary board.
Charges were not filed because Godwin didn’t think involving the police was neccessary. All the stolen books were recovered and she felt the punishment from the school was sufficient enough.

“If we go to the police, it’s very expensive to prosecute,” Godwin said. “If I’m talking about finding a $50 book, then the student judiciary board is effective enough.”

Because of their actions and the subsequent release from the team, the three athletes caught stealing books have lost their full scholarships through the athletic department, said Maureen Taylor Regan, assistant athletics director for academic services and financial aid.

Rob Spear, UI’s athletics director, said the decision to cut the players came internally but wouldn’t release their names for the sake of privacy.
Student athletes are not allowed to participate in regular buyback if their scholarships include a book stipend.
Spears said at the beginning of every semester, the athletes are loaned books through the department, sign documents making them responsible for the texts and return them when classes end for the semester.

This system was set up because athletes returning the department’s texts through the Bookstore would be an “accounting nightmare,” Regan said.
If books are not returned by the due date, students’ accounts are charged for the price of the book. However, the books then become the athelete’s personal property.
The athletic department sells returned texts to the UI bookstore or to an online outlet. If they can’t find a buyer, the texts are donated to the UI library or the Books for Africa program.