about what had happened," Holmoe said. "We felt like from the very beginning we had to be compliant with the NCAA. We self-reported. We'll learn from it, pay the penalties and move forward. We'll move ahead to a bright future and not have to look back."

Part of that bright future is hosting the 2009 Men's Volleyball Final Four for the first time, something that has been kept on the down low as the NCAA completed its probe.

Holmoe said he hasn't told Patchell to stop recruiting foreign athletes.

"The volleyball program made mistakes with those foreign athetes," he said, "but BYU has had hundreds of foreign athletes we've not made mistakes with. We learned some important things and we've already begun to correct them -- like not having prospective athletes living in Provo before they enroll."

Then there's former BYU head coach Tom Peterson, who resigned under pressure 18 months ago. He says he was the scapegoat for problems the NCAA blamed on both the BYU administration and himself -- the "lack of program control" issue. Peterson freely admits making mistakes, but calls them "technical" in nature, not ethical.

Peterson's side was spelled out in a seven-page release through his lawyer. Holmoe read the release and said he sees the issue "totally differently." Peterson says he doesn't understand the reasons why he was asked to resign. Holmoe said the two men talked about a number of troubling things the administration knew about the program that came out even before the NCAA investigation began.

"He (Peterson) knows exactly why he was let go," Holmoe said. "If he needs to be reminded, he can come see me any time."

So the BYU men's volleyball team will play on, seeking a national championship. The BYU athletic department will try to put the NCAA probe behind them. Peterson is hoping his explanation of what happened will allow him to coach again.

Who's to blame?

Everybody. There's plenty of blame to go around.

• Daily Herald Sports Editor Darnell Dickson can reached at 344-2555 or by e-mail at ddickson@heraldextra.com