Former San Diego State football players allege in sworn statements that the program tolerated drinking and misbehavior.

The affidavits are part of a lawsuit brought by strength and conditioning coach Dave Ohton, who claims he was retaliated against for assisting a California State University auditor's investigation of the athletic department last year.

The documents allege coaches drank to the point of being drunk the night before road games; that players drank on plane trips and were drunk at practice; that head coach Tom Craft struck a player during a team meeting in 2002; and that Craft knew three spring workouts in 2002 were illegal beforehand.

Former players also allege that numerous players, including some under the legal drinking age of 21, drank free alcohol to the point of drunkenness at the team's off-campus postseason banquet in December.

Craft and Athletic Director Mike Bohn declined comment on any allegations contained in the suit. Bohn confirmed yesterday that there had been an issue at the banquet that was addressed the next day.

"The institution has already taken action on it, which will preclude a repeat of alcohol being served to student-athletes at an event honoring student-athletes," said Bohn, who did not attend the banquet.

Through a spokesman, university President Stephen Weber and Human Resources Director Sue Blair also declined comment. All cited the university's policy not to speak about ongoing litigation.

"I haven't seen it yet," Craft said when a list of allegations was repeated for him by phone. "I can't comment on any of that. That's all alleged stuff. That's totally unfair. Is it going to be like the 105-page report – where a lot of it is untrue?"

Craft referred to Ohton's lengthy memo that was central to the state auditor's investigation. Ohton alleges that he was removed from working with the football team in August in retaliation for that memo, which included negative remarks about Craft and his staff.

Most of the players who provided affidavits are known to be close to Ohton. Offensive lineman Anthony Foli and starting defensive lineman Brook Miller, who were seniors on the team this past year, acknowledged they like Ohton and believe he was dealt with unfairly.

"It's not just about Dave Ohton," Miller said yesterday. "It's about us. Things need to be addressed. The truth needs to be told." Miller, 22, said he was one of the players who drank at the banquet, that he drank on some plane trips home from road games.

Former player Jerome Haywood said in his affidavit that he attended three lunches with "six to 10" Aztecs players in November and that "many of them would drink until they were very drunk" and then went to practice.

Asked yesterday if it were possible coaches would not know players were drunk at practices, Miller said, "It could have gone either way. Some people were pretty drunk. If you were a few feet away you would obviously know."

Mike Kracalik, a second-team All-Mountain West Conference offensive tackle and the only current player who gave an affidavit, said yesterday: "Some of the guys were so wasted at practice, I don't know how they wouldn't know."

Also, Foli said in his affidavit that before one of the team's illegal spring workouts in 2002, for which the program was put on NCAA probation, Craft acknowledged the practices were illegal but told the team he was trying to "just get around the rules." Foli's affidavit quoted Craft as saying, "This only stays here. Nobody else needs to know our business outside."

When the school announced its self-imposed penalties in August 2002, Craft said NCAA rules were "hard to interpret" regarding pre-spring workouts and that the Aztecs' workouts that spring weren't "a planned, sinister, premeditated practice."

Craft also is accused of hitting Kracalik in 2002, when the player was a freshman. Four former players and Kracalik stated in affidavits the incident occurred in a team meeting in which Craft was upset about players being drawn into fights. The players said Craft struck Kracalik and left a mark on his face.

Kracalik, who is 6-foot-9 and 325 pounds, said yesterday he did not previously come forward because he was embarrassed, but that he decided to support the other former players.

"I didn't want it to seem like they were lying," Kracalik said.

Affidavits from Foli and former player Johnathan Ingram, now with the Kansas City Chiefs, allege that Craft appeared to have been drinking heavily the night before two road games in 2002.

Another affidavit, from booster Don Sutton, said he was with the team during another trip to New Mexico in 2002. "Coach Craft was stumbling and I easily recognized that he was very drunk ... " Sutton's affidavit states. "I saw Coach Craft using the wall to hold himself up."

Foli and Miller said other players would like to speak out, but they are afraid because they are still on the team.

"I didn't talk because I knew it would affect my playing time," Foli said. "I'm not playing anymore. I wanted to come forward and say things before. It's hard to tell the truth. I think now is the perfect time."

Alcohol was a topic in a 37-page report released last spring by a California State University senior auditor following an 11-month investigation of the athletic department. The report outlined mismanagement within the equipment room and an overall lack of institutional control within the athletic department.

According to the report, "alcoholic beverages were found to be stored in four different locations within facilities controlled by the (equipment-room) manager. All but one of these locations was accessible by students." The auditor's background material, accessed by the Union-Tribune last summer through a California Public Records Act request, included numerous photographs of beer and liquor in equipment storage areas.

The auditor's findings led to the resignation of Athletic Director Rick Bay, who initially was given a vote of confidence by Weber after the report was released. Bay said Weber summoned him a few days later and showed him photos of alcohol in the equipment room along with a Polaroid of student equipment managers posing with a topless dancer at a strip club. Bay said Weber then asked for his resignation.

Asked about the photo from the strip club last July, Weber told the Union-Tribune: "It's deeply and completely inappropriate, and it shows a total lack of judgment by virtually everyone in the picture. That picture is part of a pattern that is troubling to me."