FedEx Doesn't Deliver in Memphis

Jeff Goodman of FOX Sports, a shooting-fish-in-a-barrel enthusiast, dug up some dirt on the University of Memphis's courtship of elite point guard prospect Abdul Gaddy. The short version: Gaddy's mom works in a FedEx call center. FedEx CEO David Bronczek, a huge Memphis booster, called Ms. Gaddy to talk about her son, the elite point guard prospect, and to lie say nice things about Memphis coach John Calipari.

This is an NCAA violation, of course. It falls in the same class as paying for a prospect's mountain bike and eating a peanut butter sandwich after 2 p.m. on Tuesdays. Thus, as Goodman notes, Gaddy could be barred from receiving an athletic scholarship from Memphis.

A big deal has been made of all this, as Calipari has a shady reputation and Memphis seems to get mixed up in recruiting trouble frequently. Bronczek screwed up tremendously this time ... but I just can't get too worked up. In the grand rodeo of NCAA recruiting violations, is a situation where apparently no money or favors are offered really that bad? Maybe there's a slippery slope, where something like this could lead to "send your kid to Memphis or you're fired," but I'm not seeing it.

Of course, it's a minor victory for the NCAA to track down a recruiting violation before the kid has left for the NBA. (See: O.J. Mayo, Darrell Arthur etc.)

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.