Feb. 27, 2013—The following is a letter written by Nathan Dorton’s father, Wes Dorton, in June of 2013 addressed to President Rosalind Reichard regarding possible charges the Emory & Henry Athletic Program could be the subject of the ongoing investigation. The Whitetopper received this letter from Nathan Dorton. The views expressed in the following letter are not those of The Whitetopper.
June 5, 2013
Dr. Reichard,
Thank you for assisting us in the resolution of this matter with Emory and Henry and my son, Nathan. For all parties involved, we are ready to come to an agreement and move on. Based on our conversation, and your request made to me via email dated 5/30/13, below are the complete facts around the mistreatment of Nathan by the football program at Emory.
During the spring of 2012, Nathan decided that due to financial restraints and increasing tuition costs at Appalachian State, he would have no choice but to seek to continue his football career elsewhere. Realizing the NCAA transfer rules, Nathan was well aware that if he transferred up to a FBS program, or another FCS program, he would be required to sit out a year, losing precious eligibility time, as he had already spent 3 years, including a red-shirt season. Based on two determining factors, Nathan focused his search on Division II programs and NAIA schools within a certain geographic location. These efforts were driven by scholarship opportunities, and Division III schools were not even considered due to the lack of Athletic Scholarships awarded. During the search process, Nathan knew of a friend who had connections at Emory, and so he inquired as to the remote chance of playing there. Nathan had no real desire to play Division III football, however, Emory and Henry was within the specified location and so he sent his highlight videos to the coaching staff.
The first contact Nate had was with offensive coordinator Stan Hodgin, and Stan immediately began recruiting him with all guns blazing. Stan called Nathan before every competitive visit to Carson Newman, Mars Hill, and during his visit at North Greenville, Stan and Don Montgomery both called him and said they “really hope he hates North Greenville”. During this time period, Stan gave Nathan access to Hudl so he could learn the offense, and also invited Nate to workouts with current quarterbacks and receivers, even before the semester had ended at App State.
Nate was promised on so many occasions, “you will have 60-80 catches this season” “you can return punts and kick-offs”, “you will be our ‘go-to’ guy”, “you can pick your number”, etc. He was obviously being told anything just to get him there. Still, the tuition matter and non-athletic scholarships remained a major factor, but he was assured that they “would make it work”.
On the weekend of the overnight visit, all the new recruits were assembled in the auditorium for an alumni panel to “sell” Emory and Henry. While there were several speakers, the ones that stick out in my memory so well are B.I. Salyer, Rick Hughes, Mr. Lacky, Stan Hodgin, and Head Coach Don Montgomery. Earlier in the evening, I was conveniently “cornered” by B.I. Salyer, because we were both from Wise, VA. Stan was leveraging that relationship to make me comfortable in sending Nate to E&H, and B.I. basically told me I was stupid “not to send my kid here”.
After all the alumni had spoken, the players, including Nathan, were dismissed and sent on to the dorms, but Stan asked me to stay a few minutes and “meet a few people”. He introduced me to Rick Hughes, and Mr. Lacky, and with Don Montgomery there, only the five of us were in the auditorium. Rick began the conversation by stating he had the opportunity to talk in depth with Nate earlier in the day, and “he is the type of player we need at Emory and Henry”. He proceeded to ask me, “how close are we to making him a wasp?” My response was “we still have a lot of ground to cover, but we like what we hear. We are getting close”, to which Rick responded, “HOW CLOSE?” I had the cost breakdown in his financial aid packet, and we still had about $13,000 to cover. I was being pressured to make a commitment on the spot. I have been in the business world for 25 years and even I was feeling pressured and uncomfortable by the “hard close” tactics of the Alumni, all under the watchful, yet permitting eyes of Don and Stan. However, as uncomfortable as that was, what happened next is where the wheels really fell off….
I was promised by Stan Hodgin that Nate would be an RA, and that would take care of his room and board. He also said he could do a work study, by working with him in the football office, since he was studying to become a coach anyway. Don Montgomery piped in and said he would also get a refund, because every student gets around $1,200. Rick Hughes interjected again by suggesting he apply for the Methodist grant, even though we are members of a Baptist Church in Columbia, SC. Mr. Lacky stated that since he was going to be a coach, he would be awarded a coaching scholarship, in addition to any other aid. “He will have to apply for it, but I am sure he will get it”. A few days later, Mr. Lacky called me and inquired as to how the scholarship was going, and I had to tell him that my efforts produced nothing because the people I was speaking to had no record of such a scholarship, and it was not credited to his account. Mr Lacky responded, “I’ll take care of it”. Within the couple of days I received a call from someone at Emory (I don’t remember her name) that said congratulations, the scholarship has been awarded and credited to his account. The lady also said she had never seen anything like this before. WE NEVER APPLIED, because when I inquired no one knew what I was talking about! However, since it was credited to his account, I certainly didn’t follow up on it, because in my mind, it was a done deal.
As we were leaving for the night, Stan Hodgin walked me to my car continuing the “hard close”. “How close is Nate to becoming a Wasp?” My response was, “it’s ultimately up to Nate, but if you can do everything you have promised, I’d say he’s coming.”
The next morning as we were getting ready to leave, Stan called his WIFE over to meet Nate, and after watching Nate’s film from App State, said , “Stan, you don’t have ANYBODY that can do that!” referring to Nate’s ability on the field, to which Stan readily agreed.
Another issue revolved around Nate’s room. Since Nate was almost 22 years old, he was not interested in sharing a room with a first-time, 18 year old freshman. Stan promised him a specific, single room in a dorm at a normal charge so he could be by himself.
From an academic standpoint, Emory’s entrance counselor stated so much of what would transfer from App State, yet because of all the general education requirements for Emory, Nate found out too late that he was set back almost 2 years AFTER he was admitted and already on the field. As soon as we realized this was a problem, I called Emory and inquired about withdrawing Nate immediately. I was informed that even if he withdrew, he would be responsible for the entire semester and financial aid would be returned, leaving him the entire balance due.
From an on-field standpoint, NOTHING that was promised came to fruition. Not only would Nate not get the ball 60-80 times, he may have barely played 60-80 PLAYS the entire season! A Division I receiver from 3 time NATIONAL CHAMPION APPALCHIAN STATE, who was recruited SO hard by coaches and alumni, runs in rotation with the 2’s and 3’s? I personally spoke with Don about this and he simply told me “trust me, I know what I’m doing. You and Nate need to believe in what we are trying to accomplish.” Not only was this entire season a major disappointment, Division III is at the bottom of the NCAA ladder, and now ANY move Nate would make extinguishes any remaining eligibility to play.
In Nate’s exit interview with Don Montgomery, he was told that “I really want the best for you, whatever you decide”. When Nate said he was leaving, Don turned on him and told him his career was over and that he would have NO CHANCE at ever playing in the NFL, Canada, or Arena.
I realize that LIES and BROKEN promises are not NCAA violations, but they certainly are MORAL violations! I also realize that Stan Hodgin is no longer on staff there, but the damage has been done, and continues to create problems for my son. What are you teaching these players? Say anything you need in order to get the result you want, whether you can fulfill it or not? I grew up in Wise, and know of the fine reputation of Emory and Henry. I even have a cousin on your Board. However, I now have to say that EVERYTHING Emory and Henry stands for was negated by the falsehoods of a few people.
As you and I spoke on the phone, we just want Nate’s transcripts sent to the University of South Carolina so he can register and complete his degree. If these transcripts are not released immediately, he will not be able to register for fall classes. If he is not enrolled this fall, his student loans will become due because he has withdrawn from classes. This snowball effect is not only affecting us all emotionally, but academically, and financially.
I respectfully ask that Emory and Henry finally step up and do the right thing by Nathan and release his transcripts. Once they have been received by South Carolina, we will bury this issue and you will never hear from us again.
Thank you for an immediate response.
Coach Wes Dorton
President, Founder Athlete Advantage
*The above is letter from Nathan Dorton’s father, Wes Dorton, sent to President Rosalind Reichard in June of 2013. This does not express any viewpoints of The Whitetopper.
EHC Whitetopper 