Coach Nick Saban confirmed today that Alabama's defensive lineman Marcell Dareus is under investigation by the university for attending an agent's party in Miami earlier this summer. According to ESPN reporters Ivan Maisel and Mark Schlabach, multiple sources reported the infractions to ESPN last week and Saban said the university's compliance department was looking into it.
According to ESPN reporter Joe Schad, NCAA investigators had not requested to speak to Dareus as of Monday afternoon.
The party is believed to be the same one held on Memorial Day in South Beach attended by UNC defensive lineman Marvin Austin that has that player under investigation by the NCAA. According to The State in Columbia, S.C., investigators were looking into whether agents paid for the airfare and hotel rooms for recent trips including the one to Miami taken by several North Carolina players including Austin.
According to the ESPN story, Saban called for a ban of NFL teams from college campuses as a means of getting the league to take action against agents who break NCAA regulations.
"Right now, agents are screwing it up," Saban said. "They are taking the eligibility of players. It's not right that those players do the wrong thing. We have a great education process here. We have a full-time worker who meets with players and their families and does everything else."