“Why did they cover that up?”

Would it surprise you to learn that the NCAA hasn’t been totally forthcoming in its whitewash self-investigation of its behavior in the Miami/Nevin Shapiro matter?  Yeah, well, me neither.

The NCAA investigator who took over the University of Miami case last May attempted, as her fired predecessor did, to use Nevin Shapiro’s attorney to help build a case against Miami – a detail curiously omitted from the NCAA-commissioned report detailing the NCAA’s improper handling of the case, according to an email exchange between the parties that was relayed to me by two people.

Meanwhile, UM also will allege that NCAA investigators lied to interview subjects by claiming that other people interviewed made comments they never made, in order to trick the subjects into revealing incriminating information they otherwise might not have, according to multiple officials familiar with the NCAA’s case against UM and former coaches. UM believes such behavior is unethical, and it clearly is.

Somehow, shockingly, the second investigator’s behavior never made it into the report that the NCAA’s hired legal guns prepared.  Should it have?  I think you have your answer to that question with this:

Ken Wainstein, from the Cadwalader law firm, e-mailed on Wednesday that he was busy on a personal matter and could not immediately explain why Hannah’s behavior was omitted from his report.

This evening, Wainstein e-mailed again after our story hit the wire. He did not offer a specific reason for not including it in his report but said that “after Mr. Najjar left the NCAA, Ms. Hannah became responsible for the U. Miami investigation.  As we explained in evaluating Ms. Hannah’s conduct, Ms. Hannah had not been involved in the initial arrangements with Ms. Perez and believed that there was nothing amiss and that it had been blessed prior to her involvement.

“We understand that she provided questions and areas of interest for Ms. Perez to use in preparing to interview Mr. Sanchez in July 2012, similar to how Mr. Najjar had provided questions in advance of Mr. Allen’s deposition.  Mr. Sanchez was never deposed, however, for a variety of reasons including logistics regarding service of a subpoena.”

The NCAA declined to comment.

For the record, that would be no answer, non-answer and no answer.  But don’t blame the man at the top for a little sloppiness.  Evidently, that’s below his pay grade.

In an ESPN interview this week, NCAA President Mark Emmert insisted that once the NCAA found part of the UM case had been mishandled, “I’m confident we did exactly the right thing. We did it the right way…

“For those saying, ‘Fire Emmert!’it’s like saying if the assistant coach did something wrong, fire the [university] president.”

Helluva show you’re putting on there, Mr. Emmert.