College Wrestlers Pinned for Gay Porn Pics

Nebraska athletes, paid for poses, kicked off team; NCAA eligibility questioned.

ByABC News
August 13, 2008, 12:53 PM

Aug. 13, 2008— -- Two college athletes gifted with chiseled physiques befitting the cut-weight culture of their sport were kicked off Nebraska's elite wrestling team after nude photos of them appeared on a gay porn Web site.

Paul Donahoe, the 2007 national champion in the 125-pound wrestling class, and Kenny Jordan, who wrestled for the Cornhuskers at 133 pounds, received undisclosed compensations from the site www.fratmentv.com for pictures that showed each of the athletes naked and in various states of sexual arousal.

"Paul Donahoe and Kenny Jordan have been permanently dismissed from our wrestling program," Nebraska wrestling coach Mark Manning said in a statement released Tuesday. "The history of behavior of these men, including the current matter, does not reflect the standard of excellence we aspire to on and off the mat."

Manning, who did not return a phone call from ABCNews.com seeking additional comment, apologized in his statement for "any embarrassment" that might have been caused for the university's athletic department. He also didn't elaborate on the part of his statement that referred to the "history of behavior of these men."

Voice mail messages left by ABCNews.com for Donahoe and Jordan were not returned.

According to the Nebraska student-athlete handbook, Cornhusker athletes are required to "Always present a positive image; don't do anything to embarrass yourself, the team, your family or the University."

For now, it remains unclear whether Donahoe and Jordan would be eligible to wrestle under NCAA policies. The organizing body for college athletics would not comment on the specifics of the case but sent ABCNews.com an NCAA bylaw that could apply. Student-athletes can lose eligibility if they receive payment for the use of their photograph to "advertise, recommend or promote directly the sale or use of a commercial product or service."

Fratmentv.com owner John Marsh told ABCNews.com that the images of Donahoe and Jordan have been pulled from his Web site. The Scarlet Project, a blog devoted to reporting scandals at the University of Nebraska, apparently brought the issue to the university's attention after posting an item, complete with a sampling of the photos, on its Web site Aug. 9. The photos of the wrestlers have been pulled from that site as well, but have since been posted on other pornography and gay-themed Web sites.