Forumsregeln » Aug. 31. Vanney wasted little time calling De Rosario, w

NASHVILLE -- With a year-long federal fraud investigation looming over it, the huge truck-stop chain owned by the family of the Cleveland Browns owner and Tennessees governor is doing some housecleaning at its highest levels. Several top executives at Pilot Flying J, including the president, abruptly left this week, more than a year after FBI agents raided the Knoxville, Tennessee, headquarters of the nations largest diesel retailer. Ten former employees have previously pleaded guilty to helping cheat trucking companies out of promised rebates and discounts. Those cases and this weeks departures, observers note, could indicate that prosecutors are entering the final phase of a methodical probe that has included records suggesting Pilot CEO and Browns owner Jimmy Haslam knew of the scheme, something he denies. One expert said Haslam might be cutting ties with his senior staff in a bid to persuade prosecutors not to charge the company his father founded decades ago, one in which his brother, Gov. Bill Haslam, still holds an undisclosed stake. Pilot President Mark Hazelwood and Scott "Scooter" Wombold, vice-president of national accounts, left the company Monday, with Haslam sending a company-wide email thanking Hazelwood for his service but saying nothing about why or how he was leaving. Tuesday saw the departure of five more members of the sales team. Dennis B. Francis, a Knoxville attorney who has worked in federal criminal defence for 40 years, said the only way this weeks departures make sense to him is if some of the people leaving are co-operating with prosecutors. For a defendant to get a lighter sentence than federal guidelines mandate, prosecutors have to file court papers saying that person provided substantial assistance to the government. Once prosecutors have the evidence they need to convict, they no longer offer any promises of special consideration. "They call it getting on the bus," said Francis, who is not involved in the Pilot case. "And theres only so much room on the bus." Wombolds attorney, John E. Kelly, said in an email that his client had been "helping the company repair many customer relationships during the past 14 months. Mr. Wombolds departure from the company is not connected to past guilty pleas entered into by former employees, and any inference that there is a connection is not accurate." Hazelwoods attorney declined to comment. Company representatives said they couldnt comment on specific personnel moves, which took place while Jimmy Haslam was meeting with fellow NFL owners in Atlanta. "Nothing more should be read into the events of this week than things playing themselves out," spokesman Tom Ingram said Wednesday. "Otherwise, the company continues to go full steam ahead and business as usual, and is doing very well." Jimmy Haslam has denied any previous knowledge of the fraud or any personal wrongdoing. The governor has said he is not involved with operating Pilot Flying J. Pilot agreed in November to pay out nearly $85 million to settle claims in a class-action lawsuit with 5,500 trucking companies. Several companies have filed separate lawsuits against Pilot that are ongoing. Nashville criminal defence attorney and former prosecutor David Raybin said that, based on his observations and experience, the departure of so many managers at once indicates that criminal charges could soon be filed. And he suggested that prosecutors are aiming high. "You dont make a bunch of people plead guilty at the lower levels and then let the top people off with a fine," said Raybin, who does not represent anyone in the case. "Theyre potentially jailing five to 10 people. You dont do that unless you are targeting the highest levels of the company." An affidavit filed last year to obtain a search warrant for Pilot headquarters states that a confidential informant told the FBI that both Hazelwood and Jimmy Haslam knew about the fraud at the company because it was discussed openly at sales meetings where both were present. Randall Eliason, a former federal prosecutor who teaches at George Washington University Law School, said that while the sudden departures are unusual, they could mean any number of things. For example, Pilot might be fearful that the company could be charged criminally, or the companys board of directors may have decided that the people who have left recently were partly responsible for what happened. "One reason the company might fire them is to say, Look, were cleaning house. Were getting rid of the bad people, so dont indict the corporation," Eliason said. 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Catch the game on TSN starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. You can also listen to all the action live on TSN 1050 at 7pm et. The Knicks are two games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference race.TORONTO -- Toronto FC fans werent the only ones wondering why Dwayne De Rosario had been left out in the cold for much of this MLS season. The 36-year-old attacking midfielder was also wondering what he had done wrong. Asked whether he had ever got an explanation from former manager Ryan Nelsen on why he wasnt playing, De Rosario replied: "No, not really." "When I did speak to the coach, it was all (Youre) doing well, long season," De Rosario said Monday after training with the national team. "Thats what made me more frustrated because as a player, as a senior player, you just like things straightforward. I wasnt getting any response in that direction." DeRo started three of Torontos first five league games. The former MLS MVP did not get his next start until Saturday, Torontos 26th game of the season. That latest start was at the behest of Greg Vanney, who replaced Nelsen as manager on Aug. 31. Vanney wasted little time calling De Rosario, who was in camp with the Canadian team, after the coaching change. "That was huge from a coaching standpoint," De Rosario said. And when De Rosario left the Canadian camp early Friday to play for Toronto against the Philadelphia Union the next day, he sat down with Vanney and heard how the new coach saw him fitting him into his plan. "That was another positive," De Rosario said. "Hopefully we can keep those lines (of communication) open because whether Im a starter or coming off the bench, I still think I have a lot to offer in terms of innformation about other teams playing in the league so long .dddddddddddd . . I know what it takes to win in this league. "Right not were lacking a little bit of the mentality part of it. You can see with the goals that we let in. And its very important that we battle in Chicago the next game coming up and grind out a result and build off of that confidence and steam forward." De Rosario is a 14-year MLS veteran with 336 appearances in the league with five different teams. When asked about De Rosario, Nelsen always cited him as a model pro who was helping younger teammates at practice and in the locker-room. But he said it was hard getting game time with Nigerian international Bright Dike and former English Premier League forward Luke Moore vying with De Rosario to get playing time behind Jermain Defoe and Brazils Gilberto. That has led to speculation that De Rosarios re-signing with the team was GM Tim Bezbatchenkos idea and not Nelsens. De Rosario said his sole focus, after Canadas friendly Tuesday against Jamaica, is to get TFC into the playoffs. Toronto (9-11-6) slipped from fourth to seventh in the Eastern Conference standings on the weekend after losing 2-0 to Philadelphia and seeing rivals post wins. Toronto has lost three straight, all by shutout, and only won three of its last 15 games (3-7-5), dropping 31 of 45 possible points during that run. Vanneys team has eight games remaining in its bid for a first every trip to the playoffs. 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