Wake finds radio announcer, ex-player leaked game plans

ByANDREA ADELSON
December 13, 2016, 6:11 PM

— -- Wake Forest has concluded that former player, assistant coach and team radio announcer Tommy Elrod provided or attempted to provide confidential game preparations to opponents several times starting in 2014, the school said in a statement Tuesday.

The school began a program-wide investigation last month after an equipment manager discovered Wake Forest plays inside Papa John's Cardinal Stadium the day before Wake and Louisville were set to play.

Elrod has been fired from IMG and will no longer broadcast Wake Forest football games. In addition, he has been banned from Wake Forest athletics and its facilities.

Elrod played for Wake Forest from 1993-1997 and was later hired as a graduate assistant under Jim Grobe  for 11 seasons. He was not retained by current head coach Dave Clawson.

 He joined the Wake Forest IMG Radio Network in 2014 as a football analyst  after Clawson took over.

""It's incomprehensible that a former Wake Forest student-athlete, graduate-assistant, full-time football coach, and current radio analyst for the school would betray his alma mater," Clawson said Tuesday.

Athletic director Ron Wellman said he has known Elrod since his days as a player on Wake's football team.

"I'm deeply disappointed that he would act against Wake Forest, our football team and our fans in such a harmful manner," Wellman said in a statement, "by compromising confidential game preparation information."

  After the Wake Forest play sheet was brought to Clawson's attention, the coach turned the documents over to Wellman and the investigation began.  Wake Forest alerted Louisville and the ACC that it was investigating a potential internal breach of confidentiality.

In announcing the results of the investigation Tuesday, the school cited emails, text messages and phone records in concluding that Elrod had tried to give out the confidential information. 

Wake Forest says it has taken steps to enhance security of game preparation activities moving forward.

"I am extremely disappointed that our confidential and proprietary game preparation was compromised," Clawson said.

"We allowed [Elrod] to have full access to our players, team functions, film room, and practices. He violated our trust which negatively impacted our entire program. I am glad we have taken steps to ensure it will not happen in the future."

Reached Tuesday by ESPN, Louisville had no comment.