Sam Keller's Infamous Hanging Committee Meeting Details Revealed

The No. 1 quarterback decision did not sit well with Carpenter. According to a person close to the situation, Koetter had met with Carpenter and Carpenter's father the morning after picking Keller. They had expressed Carpenter's intention to transfer.

The same morning, Keller attended a routine meeting with players and coaches. Afterward, they dispersed by position to dissect Friday night's scrimmage.

Coach Koetter ordered about a dozen players into a room where quarterbacks typically met, contrary to previous reports that have said players called the meeting.

It was a cross section of team leaders, old and young. Neither quarterback was present.

A player who attended the meeting, who spoke on the condition he not be identified, said the coach explained his dilemma to the group of players. Koetter didn't want to take away Keller's starting spot, especially after Keller lost it because of an injury. But he didn't want to lose Carpenter, who had three years of eligibility to Keller's one.

And there was another factor: He had learned of rumors of Keller's off-field behavior that, if true, raised questions about his dedication to the game.

Players started talking, sharing opinions. Two seniors raised concerns about Keller. They said they'd heard of him socializing late at night. They implied, said the player at the meeting, that Keller spent too much time partying to lead the Sun Devils. They offered few specifics. The accusations started an argument. The volume rose.

"It was hard to deal with," said the player. "You had guys in there who had Sam's back, and you had guys who wanted to throw Sam under the bus because they wanted Rudy to be quarterback. The entire time, the coach didn't want our team to be torn apart."

Earlier in Keller's college career, he was a night owl like a lot of underclassmen, said the player at the meeting.

"He'd come out on two or three hours sleep and torch everyone in practice," he said. "Everybody wondered, 'Sam, how do you do it?'"

Even so, Keller said he was 100 percent devoted to football. "No question about it. I lived for (football), loved it," Keller said. "But there were elements of that atmosphere that were just irresistible, just going out and having a good time. Most of the time, all the time, it was with my teammates anyway."

Friends attribute the perception of Keller as a party magnet to his celebrity status at one of the country's top party schools.

"He's just got that presence about him," said MacDonald. "That's just Sam Keller. . . . He's a big, physical guy. He's going to stand out anywhere he goes. Not only that, but his attitude, he has an ability to talk to anybody."

The players meeting lasted about an hour. Some players defended Keller. Some backed Carpenter. But, according to the player at the meeting, they agreed on one point: A quarterback distracted by extracurricular activity was a ticket to trouble.

That seed of doubt about Keller was enough to sway the group. Players - not Koetter - decided to go with Carpenter. Those in the room took a vow of secrecy, agreeing not to talk about what had happened.

A couple of hours later, Coach Koetter called another meeting, this time with the quarterback he'd recruited. Keller broke down and cried.

He called his parents, who were traveling back home. Come back, he said. They returned and met with the coach late that afternoon. Keller's father demanded that Sam be able to face his accusers. Koetter said no.

They gave Koetter one day to change his mind. He didn't. Sunday, the Kellers asked for a scholarship release. Sunday night, the coach made his announcement: "It's simple. I made a mistake on the quarterback situation and I'm changing my mind."