Players involved

The current UM players named in Friday’s report as receiving benefits or being recruited by Allen: star sophomore defensive end Anthony Chickillo, cornerback Thomas Finnie, freshman receiver Herb Waters and freshman running back Randy “Duke” Johnson.

Others mentioned in the story were Class of 2012 recruit Amari Cooper, who allegedly was called by Allen but committed to Alabama; Class of 2012 recruit James Burgess, the son of a former Hurricane, who was originally committed to Miami but chose Louisville instead; Class of 2011 recruit Eli Rogers, who also went to Louisville; former Miami Northwestern High quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, now at Lousiville; and Florida State running back Devonta Freeman, who, according to Yahoo!, had multiple phone calls placed from Allen’s phone.

The Associated Press reported that it obtained an e-mail in which UM president Donna Shalala told trustees Thursday that “someone who had a low level position at one time” would likely accuse Barrow of recruiting violations. Shalala, according to the AP, said it has already been investigated.

The AP said earlier Friday that, according to two sources, the NCAA visited UM this month as part of its ongoing investigation. A Miami Herald source familiar with the situation would not confirm the visit, but said Friday that a resolution in the case was not expected “anytime soon.”

The unnamed former staffer, according to Friday’s Yahoo! story, alleged that on Jan. 22, 2011, Allen arranged for now former UM defensive end Olivier Vernon (a new Miami Dolphin) and then-“visiting recruit Anthony Chickillo to gain entrance to BT’s Gentlemen’s Club in Coral Gables.”

The report cited the source saying Allen “paid for Chickillo’s drinks and entertainment at the strip club, and that Allen’s phone records indicate “he traded 12 phone calls with Vernon and two with now former UM defensive tackle Marcus Forston” between 6:49 p.m. and 11:10 p.m. that night. Yahoo! said Vernon and Forston, both of whom received suspensions last season in connection to the NCAA case, were the hosts for Chickillo’s official visit.

The report also cited a phone call by Allen being made to Finnie “the day before the change in his commitment” from South Carolina to Miami.

“The only persuasion my son received to go to the University of Miami came from me and my wife,” Finnie’s father, Thomas Finnie Sr., told The Miami Herald on Friday night. “We don’t even know who that guy is.”

Phone calls made

The report detailed seven phone calls from Allen to Waters on June 11, 2011; and a call from Miami Norland High’s Johnson — one of the best high school running backs in the nation — to Allen on June 15, 2011.

Calls made by The Miami Herald on Friday to Johnson’s mother and Chickillo’s parents were not returned.

But Johnson’s high school coach, Daryle Heidelburg, told the Miami Herald that Johnson called Allen “to find out if he could borrow something with UM on it for his trip to the Nike Combine up in Oregon.” The coach said Johnson “never ended up getting anything from him.”

Ray-Ray Armstrong, a high-profile senior safety for UM, was dismissed from the team by Golden on Wednesday.

Armstrong was suspended by the NCAA for the first four games of the 2011 season for accepting impermissible benefits from Shapiro. UM has not given a reason for Armstrong’s dismissal.

UM, which finished 6-6 last season and self-imposed a bowl ban, begins training camp Aug. 3. The Hurricanes’ first game is Sept. 1 at Boston College.

Miami Herald sports writer Manny Navarro contributed to this report.