Sports Illustrated Releases Details On OSU Investigation Series

News surfaced on Saturday that Sports Illustrated has been working on a series of investigative articles detailing alleged improprieties within the Oklahoma State football program.

University officials have already come forward with statements regarding this issue, most recently coach Mike Gundy and athletic director Mike Holder on Monday at OSU's weekly press conference. It has since been learned that Sports Illustrated will publish a five-part report titled "The Dirty Game," taking an in-depth look at OSU's transformation into a national power starting with the Les Miles' era in Stillwater. 

The first part of the series was released at 8 a.m. (CST) Tuesday on SI.com.

Read the first article here.

The series was the result of a 10-month investigation into the Cowboys' football program and includes on-the-record and independent interviews from more than 60 former Oklahoma State student athletes who played from 2001-2010. It also includes testimonials from current and former staff members.

Part 1 is titled "Money" and will be published online on Tuesday and will also appear in this week's SI Magazine.

Here is an official breakdown of the five-part series as it is set to appear:

Part 1: Money (On SI.com Tuesday, 9/10 and in the 9/16/13 SI issue): SI finds that OSU used a bonus system orchestrated by an assistant coach whereby players were paid for their performance on the field, with some stars collecting $500 or more per game. In addition, the report finds that OSU boosters and at least two assistant coaches funneled money to players via direct payments and a system of no-show and sham jobs. Some players say they collected more than $10,000 annually in under-the-table payouts.

Part 2: Academics (On SI.com Wednesday, 9/11): Widespread academic misconduct, which included tutors and other OSU personnel completing coursework for players, and professors giving passing grades for little or no work, all in the interest of keeping top players eligible.

Part 3: Drugs (On SI.com Thursday, 9/12): OSU tolerated and at times enabled recreational drug use, primarily through a specious counseling program that allowed some players to continue to use drugs while avoiding penalties. The school's drug policy was selectively enforced, with some stars going unpunished despite repeated positive tests.

Part 4: Sex (On SI.com Friday, 9/13): OSU's hostess program, Orange Pride, figured so prominently in the recruitment of prospects that the group more than tripled in size under Miles. Both Miles and Gundy took the unusual step of personally interviewing candidates. Multiple former players and Orange Pride members say that a small subset of the group had sex with recruits, a violation of NCAA rules.

Part 5: The Fallout (On SI.com Tuesday, 9/17, and in the 9/23/13 SI issue): SI finds that many players who were no longer useful to the football program were cast aside, returning to worlds they had hoped to escape. Some have been incarcerated, others live on the streets, many have battled drug abuse and a few have attempted suicide.