Sports Illustrated Investigative Report “The Dirty Game”

[Tugg Speedman]

Sports Illustrated Investigative Report “The Dirty Game” Set to Launch Tuesday, September 10, at 9 a.m. ET

http://insidesportsillustrated.com/2013/09/09/sports-illustrated-investigative-report-the-dirty-game-set-to-launch-tuesday-september-10-at-9-a-m-et/

The rapid ascent of the Oklahoma State University football program into a national powerhouse is examined in a five-part series to run across SI’s platforms

“The Dirty Game,” a SPORTS ILLUSTRATED special investigative report that looks into the transformation of a struggling college football program into a national powerhouse, is set to launch tomorrow morning on SI.com. The series is the result of a comprehensive 10-month investigation into the Oklahoma State University football program. It includes independent and on-the-record interviews with more than 60 former OSU football players who played from 1999 to 2011, as well as current and former OSU football staffers.

The findings will be presented in a five-part series across SI’s family of platforms, beginning with Part 1 (money), which launches on SI.com tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET and is this week’s magazine cover story, on newsstands and tablets Wednesday. Additional live coverage can be found on SI Now, SI.com’s live daily talk show (weekdays at 1 p.m. ET) and across SI’s social media outlets.

After 11 losing seasons in 12 years, OSU turned itself into one of the top programs in the nation. Since 2002, OSU has had 10 winnings seasons, earned its first Big 12 title and went to its first BCS Bowl. The report reveals that OSU went to extreme measures to build a winning program, with an increased willingness to cut corners and bend rules. The transgressions began under former coach Les Miles, who was the head coach in Stillwater from 2001 to ’04 and is now the head coach at LSU, and continued under current head coach Mike Gundy, who was promoted from offensive coordinator in 2005.

SI executive editor Jon Wertheim, SI assistant managing editor Hank Hersch and SI.com executive editor B.J. Schecter oversaw the investigative report, which was written and reported by senior writers George Dohrmann and Thayer Evans.

“We wanted to take a comprehensive look at a big-time program, particularly one that made a rapid ascent,” says Wertheim. “There’s obviously a steady drumbeat of scandal in college sports – improper benefits here; a recruiting violation there – and plenty of rumor and hearsay about the unseemly underbelly. For this piece, we were more about venturing inside the factory and seeing how the sausage is made.”

Parts 2 — 4 of the report continue on SI.com this week and the series culminates in next week’s SI issue and on SI.com. In addition, SI.com will feature videos of former Cowboys talking about their experiences in Stillwater. SI Now will have live coverage and reaction throughout the week. The series will run as follows:

•    Part 1: Money (On SI.com Tuesday, 9/10 and in the 9/16/13 SI issue): SI finds that OSU used a bonus system orchestrated by an assistant coach whereby players were paid for their performance on the field, with some stars collecting $500 or more per game. In addition, the report finds that OSU boosters and at least two assistant coaches funneled money to players via direct payments and a system of no-show and sham jobs. Some players say they collected more than $10,000 annually in under-the-table payouts.
•    Part 2: Academics (On SI.com Wednesday, 9/11): Widespread academic misconduct, which included tutors and other OSU personnel completing coursework for players, and professors giving passing grades for little or no work, all in the interest of keeping top players eligible.
•    Part 3: Drugs (On SI.com Thursday, 9/12): OSU tolerated and at times enabled recreational drug use, primarily through a specious counseling program that allowed some players to continue to use drugs while avoiding penalties. The school’s drug policy was selectively enforced, with some stars going unpunished despite repeated positive tests.
•    Part 4: Sex (On SI.com Friday, 9/13): OSU’s hostess program, Orange Pride, figured so prominently in the recruitment of prospects that the group more than tripled in size under Miles. Both Miles and Gundy took the unusual step of personally interviewing candidates. Multiple former players and Orange Pride members say that a small subset of the group had sex with recruits, a violation of NCAA rules.
•    Part 5: The Fallout (On SI.com Tuesday, 9/17, and in the 9/23/13 SI issue): SI finds that many players who were no longer useful to the football program were cast aside, returning to worlds they had hoped to escape. Some have been incarcerated, others live on the streets, many have battled drug abuse and a few have attempted suicide.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Not the only Orange Pride coed group involved in this.  UT as well.

[BrewCity83]

UT being Texas or Tennessee?  Or both?

[Eldon]

Any reason to think that SI is exaggerating the claims in an attempt to stay relevant?

[brandx]

Interesting that an outside group can find these things, but the group that is supposed to do the policing can't

[MerrittsMustache]

Interesting that an outside group can find these things, but the group that is supposed to do the policing can't

That "inside" group doesn't want to find these things.

[Hards Alumni]

Any reason to think that SI is exaggerating the claims in an attempt to stay relevant?

Sounds like you're repeating what ESPN is saying :-P

But honestly, I'm not sure how much credibility the entire story has.  I wouldn't be shocked either way.

[MarsupialMadness]

Sounds like you're repeating what ESPN is saying :-P

But honestly, I'm not sure how much credibility the entire story has.  I wouldn't be shocked either way.

I agree.  It's an interesting story if true.  But I wonder about the credibility of the sources -- former players who took performance payouts from boosters would also happily take monetary payment to exaggerate a story, I would think.

[tower912]

Very little of what is reported in this story is new.  Hostesses were common.   Payouts from boosters are still common.   This is the state of college football, and has been for decades.   

[ChicosBailBonds]

UT being Texas or Tennessee?  Or both?

Tennessee


http://www.wbir.com/news/article/286961/2/Ex-coach-Kiffins-Orange-Pride-scandal-outlined-in-new-book-

[ChicosBailBonds]

That "inside" group doesn't want to find these things.

The inside group is very small, understaffed, overworked.  I have a number of buds at the NCAA, and they just don't have the staff to do these things.  That's the reality.   They've also had their issues with the Miami investigation and others.  Morale pretty low right now.  They lost Baker to the University of Kentucky and 6 others have quit in the past 15 months.  Plus the firings of several for their involvement in the Shabazz and Miami investigations.  Duncan trying to turn it around, but he's got a big job.  Their staff size was in the low 40's in 2010....now in the high 50's, but when you are overlooking 1000 member schools and 440,000 student athletes, that's a small size.


The flip side of this is that 50 major penalties have been handed down in the last 3 years...the highest rate in NCAA history.  For whatever reason, that doesn't get well publicized or noted by fans. 

[mu03eng]

The inside group is very small, understaffed, overworked.  I have a number of buds at the NCAA, and they just don't have the staff to do these things.  That's the reality.   They've also had their issues with the Miami investigation and others.  Morale pretty low right now.  They lost Baker to the University of Kentucky and 6 others have quit in the past 15 months.  Plus the firings of several for their involvement in the Shabazz and Miami investigations.  Duncan trying to turn it around, but he's got a big job.  Their staff size was in the low 40's in 2010....now in the high 50's, but when you are overlooking 1000 member schools and 440,000 student athletes, that's a small size.


The flip side of this is that 50 major penalties have been handed down in the last 3 years...the highest rate in NCAA history.  For whatever reason, that doesn't get well publicized or noted by fans. 

Because those penalties are capricious and arbitrary.  I don't care how overworked they are to have an on-going S#$t show at North Carolina go unpunished, especially when the logic is it is an academic issue so not an NCAA problem is beyond insane.  They have no credibility so volume doesn't really matter

[brandx]

The inside group is very small, understaffed, overworked.  I have a number of buds at the NCAA, and they just don't have the staff to do these things.  That's the reality.   They've also had their issues with the Miami investigation and others.  Morale pretty low right now.  They lost Baker to the University of Kentucky and 6 others have quit in the past 15 months.  Plus the firings of several for their involvement in the Shabazz and Miami investigations.  Duncan trying to turn it around, but he's got a big job.  Their staff size was in the low 40's in 2010....now in the high 50's, but when you are overlooking 1000 member schools and 440,000 student athletes, that's a small size. 

I agree totally with what you say - but I think staff size is low because enforcement is not a priority.

[MarsupialMadness]

The inside group is very small, understaffed, overworked.  I have a number of buds at the NCAA, and they just don't have the staff to do these things.  That's the reality.   They've also had their issues with the Miami investigation and others.  Morale pretty low right now.  They lost Baker to the University of Kentucky and 6 others have quit in the past 15 months.  Plus the firings of several for their involvement in the Shabazz and Miami investigations.  Duncan trying to turn it around, but he's got a big job.  Their staff size was in the low 40's in 2010....now in the high 50's, but when you are overlooking 1000 member schools and 440,000 student athletes, that's a small size.


The flip side of this is that 50 major penalties have been handed down in the last 3 years...the highest rate in NCAA history.  For whatever reason, that doesn't get well publicized or noted by fans. 

Don't they have the money to hire more people?

[ChicosBailBonds]

I agree totally with what you say - but I think staff size is low because enforcement is not a priority.

A bit of chicken and egg....budget drives a ton of this.  It's also harder than ever.  I appreciate MUENG's comments above, but there are layers and layers of this stuff, much of it outside their jurisdiction.  This is a body without subpoena powers to boot.

They've leveled some major penalties against Ohio State, USC, Penn State and others, despite the criticism often that these big schools never go punished and rather Southwest Texas State gets the hammer.  I would argue in the last few years, plenty of major schools have been hit and hit very hard.  Fans want to say, "well USC got X why didn't Texas A&M", etc, etc.....of course cases are never identical, nor is the proof (which is key) and other factors.  It's not black and white.

Pat Forde wrote a pretty good article a few years ago on their challenges....and they are enormous and real.  

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=6526242


In terms of penalties, new regs went into place just last month.   http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2013/08/01/ncaa-new-enforcement-structure-takes-effect/2609185/

[Pakuni]

If only the NCAA had enough funding to afford more investigators ....

[ChicosBailBonds]

Don't they have the money to hire more people?

Look where the money goes...sure, they could hire more people at the expense of reducing money going to the schools, various programs, scholarships, etc.  Chicken or egg....are the schools on board with doing that?  They already increased that area from 39 people in 2009 to 59 people by 2013...so they have added in that area, but its still small when you consider all the student athletes, all the agents, all the boosters, all the schools and a rulebook that is thick as a telephone book.

4% of their budget goes to G&A while 63% goes to distributions to the members.  Another 17% goes to run the championships at DI, DII, and DIII.  13% goes to postgrad scholarships, injury insurance, drug testing, minority programs, etc....like govt and other associations, these programs keep getting added and added and added and rarely taken away.  The final 3% goes to the LLC.

In short, very little reserves, most of the money comes in and is immediately parsed back out (93% of it) to member schools, championships and various programs.  

[ChicosBailBonds]

If only the NCAA had enough funding to afford more investigators ....

Doing the work of their members....they (the schools) have the power to change it.  People can blame the NCAA, but that really means they are blaming the membership.

[Pakuni]

Doing the work of their members....they (the schools) have the power to change it.  People can blame the NCAA, but that really means they are blaming the membership.

Agreed, sorta.
I'm pretty sure Mark Emmert could make a public plea for additional funding to investigate infractions and bulk up his staff, and the presidents would fold like cheap suits to give it to him. Especially today.

[GGGG]

Agreed, sorta.
I'm pretty sure Mark Emmert could make a public plea for additional funding to investigate infractions and bulk up his staff, and the presidents would fold like cheap suits to give it to him. Especially today.

I doubt it.  The NCAA has little credibility.

[Pakuni]

I doubt it.  The NCAA has little credibility.

Which is relevant to this how?
Are you suggesting the college presidents - who in effect are the NCAA - are going to deny the organization additional funding for investigators by saying "the NCAA has no credibility"?

[GGGG]

Which is relevant to this how?
Are you suggesting the college presidents - who in effect are the NCAA - are going to deny the organization additional funding for investigators by saying "the NCAA has no credibility"?

No I mean that the presidents don't care enough to provide the funding, and the lack of credibility means that a "public plea" is going to fall on deaf ears.

[mu03eng]

No I mean that the presidents don't care enough to provide the funding, and the lack of credibility means that a "public plea" is going to fall on deaf ears.

Agreed, Emmert could go out with the most sincere, rational, eloquent speech about the need for more enforcement and funding....and the national media would treat it as if it were an Old Spice commercial.

Again, the volume of punishment doesn't matter, it's the complete lack of consistency.