SB Nation User Blog: UniversityofSecondChoice

NCAA shows its teeth - against New Mexico's football program

UniversityofSecondChoice — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:44:53 -0000

The NCAA put New Mexico's football program on three years of probation Wednesday and cut five scholarships as punishment for academic violations involving two former assistant coaches.

The sanctions imposed by the NCAA's infractions committee went beyond the university's self-imposed penalties, which included two years of probation and fewer scholarship reductions.

New Mexico's head coach Rocky Long was not accused of any wrongdoing in the case.

The NCAA concluded that the former Lobos assistants in 2004 improperly helped three recruits to obtain fraudulent academic credits through correspondence courses they never completed at Fresno Pacific University, a fully accredited, four-year college in California that also offers online degrees.

In its report, the infractions committee said course registration materials at Fresno Pacific showed the home addresses for the three UNM recruits as the home address in California of a brother of one former assistant. Coaches' office or cell phone numbers were listed as the recruits' phone numbers. The recruits admitted to NCAA investigators that they "received no course materials and did no work" but received course credit.

The recruits took courses from a Fresno Pacific instructor who was an acquaintance of one of the former UNM assistants.

New Mexico should have hired their own Senora Rosa and they would have been just fine.

The Humanitarian's compassion for a convict over victim

UniversityofSecondChoice — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:51:26 -0000

In news that will surprise no one, another Trojan is going to jail:

A Compton jury on Wednesday found USC linebacker recruit Maurice Simmons guilty of two felonies and a misdemeanor in connection with a street robbery in March.

Simmons' codefendant, Lamont Lee Hall, was also found guilty.

Simmons, a Compton Dominguez High graduate, had been charged with felony robbery, assault with a firearm and a misdemeanor charge of allowing someone to bring a gun into his car. He will be sentenced Aug. 28.

Instead of feeling sorry for the victim of the crime who was robbed and assaulted with a gun, Peetie is feeling sorry for his recruit:

USC Coach Pete Carroll called it "the most unfortunate news we could get for Maurice and for his family. We feel sorry for everything they have to go through."

In Peetie and SuC’s world the victims of TrOJan’s perpetrated crimes don’t matter. It is all about showing concern about the tragedy of not having an athlete available for the next game.

No one should celebrate a kid going to jail. It is sad for everyone involved. Still the way these jerks across town continue to show a total lack of perspective is disturbing but not shocking.

NCAA investigating Memphis Trojans er ... Tigers

UniversityofSecondChoice — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:33:53 -0000

This will not probably surprise a lot of people considering who is coaching the Memphis Tigers.

Huge article out on FoxSports.com on Memphis Tigers. NCAA is investigating Calipari's program because of a phone call a Memphis booster (Fed Ex Ceo) made to Oseye, Gaddy a mother of a high profile recruit (who happened to be an employee of Fed Ex):

The call from Bronczek came earlier this month and lasted approximately 10 minutes. Oseye Gaddy also told FOXSports.com that she received the call just a few days after the family was contacted by Tigers coach John Calipari, who is actively recruiting Abdul Gaddy. Calipari was at a basketball camp Thursday and repeated attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.

Bronczek belongs to the exclusive 32-member Ambassador's Athletic Foundation, in which each member has donated at least $500,000 to the Memphis program and many have given in excess of $1 million.

He is a "representative of an institution's athletic interests" or a "booster" due to his involvement as a member of the Ambassador's Athletic Foundation — an agency that promotes an athletic program. Bronczek is also on the Tiger Athletic Advisory Board of Directors, which assists the athletic department in all aspects of fund raising.

"He's absolutely a booster, there's no question about it," Johnson said of Bronczek.

NCAA rules state that "a representative of athletic interests" is someone who has participated in or is a member of an agency or organization promoting the institution's athletics program or who has made financial contributions to the athletics department or to an athletics booster organization of that institution.

Rule 13.1.3.5.1 in the NCAA Division I Manual also states that "Representatives of an institution's athletics interests are prohibited from making telephonic communications with a prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete's relatives or legal guardians."

"I wasn't aware of it and of course I'm concerned," Johnson said. "We try very hard because our basketball program is so high profile. The higher you go, the less wiggle room you have."

"Certainly I don't condone it," Johnson added. "But Dave's one of the real good ones. Oh yes, we'll absolutely look into it."

FedEx director of communications Maury Lane said of Bronczek: "Certainly he regrets the fact he put himself, the company and the university in a bad light. But he had the right intentions. His conversation was congratulatory."

Lane said that Bronczek was unaware of the rules, adding that Bronczek also indicated that Calipari had not urged him to make the call.

Sure Calipari had no idea.

Just like he had no idea when his star player - Marcus Camby - was getting set up with hookers at UMass.

Stay classy TrOJans: Rey Maualuga, Thong Side Linebacker

UniversityofSecondChoice — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:17:27 -0000

Stay classy TrOJans: Rey Maualuga, Thong Side Linebacker

NCAA's "Enforcement" Chief Worrying About Looking "Impotent" re. Bush/OJ2

UniversityofSecondChoice — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:55:06 -0000

The Trojan Times published an article today with pictures of Reggie and OJ2, the two faces of Fig Tech. The Times reporter interviewed David Price, who is the NCAA "head of enforcement."

There were three parts of the article that I found telling.

The part about Brian Watkins (Lloyd Lake’s lawyer) saying NCAA is sitting on more information than him:

"The wealth of information they had, prior to even meeting with us, kind of shocked me," attorney Brian Watkins said. "They knew stuff we didn't even know."

So the NCAA has been sitting on more information than Bush’s adversary but it hasn’t done anything? Why?

The part about David Price talking about "institutional control" gives us a little peak into the mental make up of the NCAA bureaucrat:

Even if no one at USC provided extra benefits, the school could face penalties if investigators find a "lack of institutional control." The definition of institutional control is not as cut-and-dried as it is with other violations. Price talks about needing to "weigh the circumstances."

"The schools have to pay attention," he said. "They know what their kids are driving. They know where their kids are living."

But he cites a 1995-96 case in which former USC tailback Shawn Walters served a 12-game suspension for receiving extra benefits from a roommate who acted as a runner. The program was not punished.

"How in the world was the coach supposed to know that?" Price said. "You don't expect a coach to know everything a kid's doing 24 hours a day."

Can you feel David’s agony for Peetie?

Poor Peetie. All he wants to do is follow the rules. How in the world a coach like Peetie is supposed to know about this tawdry list when our Humanitarian is out curing AIDS and fighting hunger in Africa and fighting for human rights in Tibet?

David ends with this note of worry:

As the months stretch on, he says, "You shouldn't have the impression that the enforcement staff is impotent."

I will leave all the long time BNers to come up with the punch line to respond to that.

Um 'kay - this is supposed to be some kind of "recruiting chant" in South Central - where Peetie...

UniversityofSecondChoice — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:10:29 -0000

Um 'kay - this is supposed to be some kind of "recruiting chant" in South Central - where Peetie and all his boys jump around and clap half naked.

Floyd's Star Recruit Converts to Mormonism To "Improve" Academics

UniversityofSecondChoice — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 21:42:47 -0000

Floyd's Star Recruit Converts to Mormonism To "Improve" Academics

Shocker out of South Central. Their best recruit who was in serious academic trouble suddenly qualifies for SuC by taking "correspondence courses" at BYU. No report on what those (online?) courses he took through BYU. Virtues of polygamy?

SuC Recruit Magically Improves "Academic Standing"

USC To Claim They Weren't Even Aware of Basketball Program LOS ANGELES, California - According to...

UniversityofSecondChoice — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:16:53 -0000

USC To Claim They Weren't Even Aware of Basketball Program

LOS ANGELES, California -

According to multiple sources close to both the NCAA and USC's Athletic Administration, USC is preparing a unique defense against accusations that OJ Mayo accepted over $30,000 in illegal benefits while enrolled. This defense will include the assertion that USC was unaware that they even had a basketball program.

When reached for initial comment, Mike Garrett responded, "Wait, we play basketball? Really? I thought that was just Pete Carroll playing a big practical joke on me. I mean, honestly....have we ever been good at basketball?" When a reporter conveniently pointed out to Garrett that USC made the Sweet 16 last year, Garrett asked, "Is that like the Orange Bowl?"

Full post at What's Bruin, Dawg (Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N)

Start watching it around 1:44. There are no words ...

UniversityofSecondChoice — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:45:13 -0000

Start watching it around 1:44. There are no words ...

SuC's Defense Re. OJ2 Funnier Than OJ's Infront Of Judge Ito

UniversityofSecondChoice — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:27:58 -0000

COMEDY:

USC is planning on telling the NCAA it did not know of any improper activity between O.J. Mayo and an event promoter alleged to have given the basketball player $30,000 in cash and gifts, according to a Los Angeles Daily News report.

School officials said the NCAA might speak with the school this week, according to the report, and USC is preparing its initial defense, including telling the NCAA that it previously had banned the promoter, Rodney Guillory, from receiving tickets to Trojans games.

"Right now, we're just trying to weather the storm," a USC official said in the Daily News report.

***

The Daily News also reported that USC will emphasize to the NCAA that it had banned Guillory from receiving tickets to USC games in order to avoid any accusations of impropriety involving Mayo.

From the same ESPN article:

According to the Daily News, however, Guillory was seen often at the USC basketball offices, around the locker room, and at pickup games at the Galen Center, where Mayo played last summer.

The most amazing aspect of SuC dealing with its scandals is to see its officials spout this kind of cocomeme excuses probably knowing full well that everyone else can see that they are spouting asinine and stupendous excuses. Yet the local media will lap all of this up and report it without any kind of scrutiny.

This is so insulting to the intelligence of any self respecting fans of college sports that it will further lower the diminished credibility of anyone who has been stupid enough to buy their excuses up to this point.