 One of the boosters, former Kansas player Mike Marshall, admitted to "Sports Illustrated", but not to NCAA investigators, that he had provided small loans to several Kansas players, including Danny Manning, the centerpiece of the 1988 championship team.When issuing its findings, the NCAA indicated that it had nearly given Kansas a death penalty; the Jayhawks basketball program was eligible for the penalty because Kansas football had been found guilty of major violations in 1983.At the time, David Berst, then NCAA enforcement director, said when asked whether the Jayhawks were eligible for the death penalty, "Kansas was on the bubble, so to speak."