Why the Miami thing is different

Two words: Subpoena power. 

The biggest hindrance to an NCAA investigation is they can't compel someone to talk.  Ask Danny Sheridan, Terrell Prior, Cam Newton, or Bruce Pearl.  True, there are tough penalties for lying, but if you get your house locked down, they can't come in. 

That is unless they can get the information some other way.  Such as through a bankruptcy proceeding.  Which you usually have when a Ponzi scheme falls in.  All 72 Miami Hurricanes that allegedly received benefits are going to be subpoened.  Some of them allegedly got plenty of benefits and have plenty of money with which to pay it back. 

It'd be easier sneaking the USS Ronald Reagan into Moscow than keeping all 72 quiet, especially considering they are all on the hook for perjury if they lie and contempt if they ignore the subpoena.  It is only a matter of time before the NCAA has more than Yahoo! and a convicted felon's word to go on.

TD

Bruce Pearl to Receive a Show Cause?

Andy Katz at ESPN is reporting it.  His former assistants will each get one year, with Pearl getting a multiple year show cause.

In all likelihood, this is the end of Pearl's collegiate coaching career.  His assistants might get another shot, but it'll be a while.  They'll be like the plague for a number of years, but guys that can recruit as well as Jones won't be out of the game forever, even if it means working the Ohio Valley Conference.

NCAA is sending the message.  Don't lie to us. 

Yahoo! Sports just nuked Miami

Hurricane basketball coach Frank Haith, Nevin Shapiro, UM President Donna Shalala (Image: Yahoo! Sports)

It is never a good thing to see a picture of a convicted Ponzi scheme artist, one that admitted to giving potentially millions in improper gifts to the school's athletes, with the head basketball ball coach and president.  For reference, that is a check the president is holding.

Also, at least four coaches who are now at other institutions are implicated, two at 'Bama, one at Florida, one at Louisville.  It is a fascinating read.  Almost like "Blue Chips," but deeper, for a longer time.  And at a real place, one that hasn't had the most pristine history.  Strangely, Miami might have done Randy Shannon a favor by firing him.

I wonder if Al Golden has a clause that covers him if the 'Canes are given the death penalty.  It is a long way from talking to Charles Robinson to Julie Roe Lach, but damn.

TD

UPDATE: It just got real.  Orson Charles is implicated (h/t Sic'em Dawgs).  Shapiro allegedly gave Orson a tour of his house during a recruiting visit during his junior year in high school. Relatively minor, in the scheme of things. Not sure what, if anything, this does for Orson, but a quick thought is Georgia will probably declare him ineligible, investigate, sick Mike Glazier on the NCAA to petition for his immediate re-instatement.

Tech and the NCAA

What does it say about the status of Tech's football program that the AJC spent three days on Brent Benedict transferring to Virginia Tech, but never picked up on an NCAA investigation (apparently a big one) at the North Avenue Trade School?

Or does that say more about the AJC?

Looks like Tech might get to vacate the Orange Bowl debacle against Iowa, though.

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More response:
-Bud Peterson: "We didn't mean to do anything wrong and we aren't sorry we did," AJC
-Dan, you ignorant slut, Bradley
-It was UGA's fault!, Stingtalk
-We thought Georgia Southern was already on probation, ESPN

Inside the Hot Dog Factory

Putting aside this former Texas Longhorn player's breathless hating on the SEC, he provides a decent glimpse into the way a strong compliance office monitors student-athletes. How, you ask?

To use some blunt military language, the Texas compliance office does not (screw) around.

How much do they not screw around?

"If you have a car, the compliance office will have the make, model, and plate number. You have to show how you are making payments or who is making payments. They let you know that if you drive something other than the car you tell them about, it better belong to a family member and if you park it on campus you have to bring it to the attention of the compliance office. God forbid that the UT Parking Nazi’s give you a parking ticket and it go unpaid before sunset. Got an unpaid ticket? MadDog had a way to remind you to park in your correct spot and that’s AFTER the ticket was paid. If you live off campus, you have to provide your lease at the beginning of each semester and show where the money to pay the rent is coming from"

Seems simple enough. Before you get your drawers in a wad over Fulmer Cups and such, keep in mind the Longhorns have had plenty of their own issues with John Q. Law during Mack Brown's days in Austin.

The money shot comes in at the end, when the author makes the point I saw someone else make the other day about Coach Richt (I can't find the post, but it was in a Dawg blog discussing the number of secondary violations that get reported out of Athens):

Reporting those issues when they happen are proof that your program is controlling and providing oversight.

Two things to remember. First, absent precog droidnannys that go Minority Report on the players, abject stupidity will occur at times. That is very much a cost of doing business with 18-24 year old males. Second, the compliance office is only as strong as the people in that office...and the AD/Coaches that set the direction for that office.

TD

About the NCAA Investigation

Image by Jim Hipple
Let's start with the basics here. I have it on decent authority beyond simply AJ Green's statement at SEC Media Days that he was in fact in South Carolina when the problematic party was happening in Miami. So that's good. That comes from someone in our network who personally saw him.

But let's get to the bigger issues at play here. This year the NCAA expanded its enforcement staff for men's basketball and football. Of particular interest are agents, runners and third parties that are funneling kids to different universities or funneling benefits to specific players prior to going pro. For a look at the special group of investigators going after basketball handlers pre-enrollment, you can view this NCAA presentation talking about what they are looking for.

Anyway, the NCAA is trying to reign in the spending pre and post enrollment on kids. If you actually read the Reggie Bush / OJ Mayo NCAA findings, it reads as a cautionary tale to other athletic departments. It's basically a warning shot to the rest of big-time basketball and football that the NCAA cops are coming.

The Marvin Austin / Miami Agent Party is simply the first high-profile opportunity to put that enforcement staff into action.

But why now? Why go after the cheating more now? One could argue that it's because there's more cheating going on. But I also wonder if the timing is also reflective of the upcoming NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The NCAA wants to put pressure on the NFLPA and the NFL Owners (via bad PR related to agents/runners) to ban agents who tamper with players. Could the NCAA be trying to put that kind of language and conversation on the table as part of the negotiations?

Also, I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure that not every state has Agent Tampering (wrong verbiage) laws like Florida does. After the Tank Black saga at UF in the 90s, the State of Florida legislature attached criminal penalties to agents who provide certain incentives to college athletes.

The current Miami Party investigation is sort of a perfect storm for the NCAA. A chance to flex it's expanded enforcement muscle pre-NFL negotiations in a state where there are harsher penalties for the alleged activities during a time where the college football writers are ramping their attention to the sport back up (pre-Media Days).

I think we walk away clean on this particular issue. But the NCAA is definitely looking for more opportunities to make examples of schools.

PWD

NCAA Passes on Adams

Next time you are in Boston, be sure to give Bob Ryan a kick in the balls. Don't get us wrong. It's been slow in the schadenfreude department, so Ryan's and the Boston Globe's withering takedowns of Adams were each a pleasure. But is the enemy of my enemy my friend? Not when it means Adams is staying in Athens.

The NCAA skipped over Mike Adams and named University of Washington president Mark Emmert as its next president. Who knows what the carried the day with the search committee, but I'm sure the bad publicity from the Boston Globe didn't help, particularly taking Adams to task over graduation rates. Or maybe the search committee met him personally.

[Photo: AP/John Amis] Not so fast, my friend. Il Duce needs a new exit strategy.