Gary Parrish

Derrick Rose issued a written statement in response to a picture circulating that shows him flashing a gang sign, but he still hasn't said anything about the NCAA's allegation that he didn't take his own SAT. In other words, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year doesn't seem to care if you think he committed academic fraud, but he will not have the world under the impression that he associates with gangs.

"Recently, a photo has been circulating on the Internet which appears to depict me flashing a gang sign," Rose said in the statement. "This photo of me was taken at a party I attended in Memphis while I was in school there, and was meant as a joke ... a bad one, I now admit."

A bad one, I now admit?

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Trust me, there is NO WAY Derrick Rose wrote that sentence.

So we now know he neither takes his own standardized tests nor authors his own statements.

"I want to emphatically state, now and forever, that Derrick Rose is anti-gang, anti-drug, and anti-violence," the statement continued. "I am not, nor have I ever been, affiliated with any gang and I can't speak loudly enough against gang violence, and the things that gangs represent. In posing for this picture, I am guilty of being young, naive and of using extremely poor judgment. I sincerely apologize to all my fans for my mistake. I pride myself on being a good citizen, and role model, that young people can look up to and I want to urge all my young fans to stay away from gangs and gang-related activities."

That's the statement in its entirety.

It is 161 words.

And though I personally like Derrick Rose and have always found him to be pleasant, if he could really construct sentences like that there would've been no reason for him to have somebody else take his SAT. Far as I'm concerned, that statement about the gang sign is an admission of guilt on the SAT allegation ... an obvious one, I must admit.

Memphis' appearance before the NCAA Committee on Infractions lasted less than four hours Saturday.

The school has released a statement from President Dr. Shirley Raines.

The following is the text of that statement:

"Today, the University of Memphis responded to the NCAA allegations concerning our men’s basketball and women’s golf teams.  Although we cannot comment on the specifics of what occurred during the hearing, I can say that, as President, I reiterated the University’s commitment to NCAA rules compliance.  As a member institution with several of our staff participating in NCAA leadership positions, I expect the University to live up to its commitment.  We believe we were able to fully answer the Committee’s questions and present the actions that we have already taken based upon our internal investigations.  Throughout this process, we have had a cooperative relationship with the NCAA Enforcement Staff, and we want to thank the NCAA for that. We are hopeful that we will receive a favorable decision on behalf of the University in this matter.  We appreciate your interest and we look forward to having more to say after the committee has released its decision."

The Committee of Infractions is expected to rule in about six weeks.

There have been lots of funny lines over the past week about the NCAA troubles that are plaguing Memphis.

But I'm not sure I've seen anything better than the unintentional comedy on the Memphis website.

Click this link and check out the status of the school's "Athletic Compliance" page.

Seriously, what's better than that?

On the same day that the University of Memphis released its response to NCAA allegations that Derrick Rose had someone take his SAT for him, sources told CBSSports.com that Rose's former teammate, Robert Dozier, only played for the Tigers because the University of Georgia declined to enroll the in-state product over concerns that he might've similarly had someone take his SAT.

According to a source, Dozier took the SAT once before trying to enroll at Georgia, but that score was flagged after the school received a tip that the score might be "fishy." At the time, Georgia was still dealing with charges of academic fraud under Jim Harrick and determined to be extra careful with everything. So the school asked Dozier to take the SAT again, and a source with knowledge of the situation told CBSSports.com that the second score was "not enough to resolve the issue." Put another way, Georgia officials were not properly convinced the first test and second test were taken by the same person, which led to the end of Dozier's time as a Georgia recruit in August 2004.

Dozier subsequently enrolled at Laurinburg Prep along with four other future Tigers (namely Antonio Anderson, Shawne Williams, Kareem Cooper and Roburt Sallie). About a month later, he committed to Memphis for a second time -- Dozier was actually committed to Memphis before he ever signed with Georgia -- and eventually helped the Tigers make the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 NCAA tournaments under John Calipari while becoming the winningest Division I men's basketball player in history (along with Anderson and Chance McGrady).

The University of Memphis will release its response to the NCAA's notice of allegations on Tuesday, a source has told CBSSports.com.

According to the source, the response is 63 pages long with another approximately 480 pages of exhibits. It is designed, in part, to refute the NCAA's claim that former Tiger Derrick Rose "failed to deport himself in accordance with the generally recognized high standards of honesty and sportsmanship normally associated with the conduct and administration of intercollegiate athletics" by allowing someone else to take his SAT. The other serious charge facing Memphis is that Rose's older brother, Reggie Rose, flew on team charters for road trips and stayed at the team hotel without paying.

Memphis will appear before the NCAA committee on infractions in Indianapolis on Saturday.

The University of Memphis is having a rough week.

If Shawn Taggart's Facebook status is any indication, it looks to be getting worse.

"Willie,p,spoon,dmack,r.dot,white chocolate,and angle......... love yal (expletive) no (expletive) but...... its ova wit...... yal hold it down."

Now I am no expert translator, but that kind of sounds like a goodbye to current Tigers Willie Kemp (willie), Pierre Niles (p), Wesley Witherspoon (spoon), Roburt Sallie (r.dot?), Preston Laird (white chocolate), and Angel Garcia (angle).

Am I reading that correctly?

Taggart entered the NBA Draft last month (but did not hire an agent) ... even though there's no indication he'll be selected. On the other hand, he's already graduated from Memphis. So leaving actually makes some sense if the goal is to simply earn a check somewhere, ASAP.

Jon Roser -- a radio producer in Memphis who cannot sing -- got a karaoke machine and a back-up singer (Mark McCleskey) and recorded a song inspired by the allegations of NCAA rules violations at Memphis. Naturally, it's called "Johnny Calipari." Everybody except Kentucky fans will probably get a chuckle out of it. But remember, this dude is a terrible singer (even if he is quite funny).

Click this link to check it out.

It's best described as an alternative version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California."

Memphis basketball coach Josh Pastner confirmed to CBSSports.com on Thursday that he was never told the school had been charged with major NCAA rules violations when he accepted the job last month.

"I was unaware," Pastner said by phone from his office. "That's the truth."

Memphis received a letter alleging violations in January.

Pastner was hired nearly three months later.

So no, it does not appear athletic director R.C. Johnson was forthcoming with some crucial information when he offered Pastner the opportunity to replace John Calipari. But the good news for the first-year coach is that it seems highly unlikely that he'll be affected in any tangible way by the possible violations that happened while he was still an assistant at Arizona.

In other words, this is about the Tigers' past, not the Tigers' future.

So while it's possible Memphis might have its 2008 Final Four appearance banished from the NCAA record books, there is no indication whatsoever that a postseason ban, TV ban or any scholarship losses are on the way. That's a key point Pastner must stress going forward, if only because opposing schools will undoubtedly use the threat of harsh penalties in an attempt to scare prospects away from Memphis.

"I've been told by our athletic director and other people in the administration that none of this will affect the current team or any future team," Pastner said. "This is all about [the 2007-08 season]."

A person with access to Derrick Rose's academic records at Simeon High in Chicago changed a D to a C on his transcript just before the future Memphis Tiger was applying to college, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday.

According to the paper, the Chicago Public Schools has been unable to determine who falsified the transcripts. But a report by the CPS inspector general claims Rose was one of four Simeon High athletes whose grades were changed after their 2007 graduation, which is notable now that the NCAA has alleged that an unnamed player who competed for Memphis in the 2008 Final Four knowingly had his SAT taken for him in advance of his enrollment.

Sources have told CBSSports.com that the player in question is Rose.

Attempts by CBSSports.com to reach Rose and his older brother Reggie have been unsuccessful.

The Chicago Sun-Times ' Michael O'Brien is reporting that the NCAA believes former Simeon High basketball player Kevin Johnson is the person who allegedly took the SAT for Derrick Rose.

The paper's source on the story: Luther Topps.

He helped coach one of Rose's old summer teams.

He's receiving a lot of attention this morning because of the following quote:

"[Simeon coach Robert Smith and I] didn’t know anything about his test,’’ Topps told the Sun-Times . "(Derrick's older brother) Reggie (Rose) moved me and him out of the way long before that, as soon as the money got involved."

Money involved?

CBSSports.com reached Topps by phone early Thursday, asked for a clarification on that quote, asked what he meant by "as soon as the money got involved," asked whether he was accusing Reggie Rose of being on the take. In a brief conversation, Topps denied he was suggesting improprieties and insisted that when he said he was moved out "as soon as the money got involved" that what he really meant was that he was moved out when it became obvious that Rose's future clearly included millions of dollars as a professional basketball player.

"What (I meant) by 'money involved,' is that (I was moved out) when they started smelling the money as far as (Derrick) getting rich," Topps said. "That's what (I) mean. ... (I) was talking about (money as in) when the kid turned pro."

Multiple attempts by CBSSports.com to reach Reggie Rose have been unsuccesful.

Kentucky officials released a statement late Wednesday in response to allegations of NCAA rules violations at Memphis under John Calipari.

According to the school, Calipari "was forthcoming with the University of Kentucky during the hiring process about any issues under investigation at the University of Memphis." The statement also explained that Calipari has received a letter from the NCAA stating that he is not at risk of being charged with any violations in this case, and it closed by pointing out that this is a "University of Memphis issue and the University of Kentucky will not comment further."

"Even though I'm not at risk, I will fully cooperate with the NCAA hearing," Calipari said via the statement. "Beyond that, I concur with the statement from the University of Kentucky and will have no further comment."

The NCAA has accused the Memphis basketball program of major violations during the 2007-08 Final Four season under John Calipari.

In a letter first obtained by The Commercial Appeal and dated Jan. 16, 2009, the NCAA alleges "knowing fraudulence or misconduct" on an SAT exam by a player on the 2008 Final Four team. The player is not named in the report. But the letter states that the student-athlete "competed for the men's basketball team through the 2007-08 season, which included his participation in the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship."

The lone Memphis player who only competed in the 2008 NCAA tournament -- as opposed to multiple NCAA tournaments -- is Derrick Rose, a one-and-done prospect who was the top pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and subsequent NBA Rookie of the Year for the Chicago Bulls. If the allegation is proven true, Memphis could be forced to forfeit its Final Four appearance, meaning both of Calipari's Final Fours -- 1996 at UMass and 2008 at Memphis -- would then be removed from the offical NCAA record book.

Memphis is also accused of providing $2,260 in free travel for an associate of a player.

Calipari is not named or directly implicated in the report.

He now coaches at Kentucky.

CBSSports.com's initial attempt to reach Calipari by cell phone Wednesday was unsuccessful.