Interesting Day Ahead...

[B. McBannerson]

One of those arrested previously served with the NCAA as assistant director of enforcement for basketball development.

Hard to think he is crooked now but was a straight arrow when working for NCAA enforcement.

Why, are crooked people born that way?  Aren't there first time offenders?  You have to start somewhere, maybe he started at NCAA or maybe the lure and pressure of performing at the school with the money on the line and the ability to keep his job led him to decisions he would not have made in previous jobs.

[B. McBannerson]

I expect to see Hennesy Auriental eventually implicated.... the same Auriental who was thrown out of an MU practice with Tim Maymon.  The same Auriental who is currently the legal guardian for the number one ranked recruit for 2019, a Nigerian big man. 

https://www.google.com/amp/www.mysanantonio.com/sports/high_school/high_school_basketball/amp/St-Anthony-coach-Hennssy-Auriantal-dismissed-11342319.php

[bilsu]

Why, are crooked people born that way?  Aren't there first time offenders?  You have to start somewhere, maybe he started at NCAA or maybe the lure and pressure of performing at the school with the money on the line and the ability to keep his job led him to decisions he would not have made in previous jobs.

People are not born crooked, but some are born with risky personalities. A person that is willing to take risks is more likely to get in trouble than a person who is risk adverse. I am not sure you can be a successful coach, if you do not have a risky personality.

[B. McBannerson]

People are not born crooked, but some are born with risky personalities. A person that is willing to take risks is more likely to get in trouble than a person who is risk adverse. I am not sure you can be a successful coach, if you do not have a risky personality.

For some people this is most certainly true.  It appeared the other person was implying that this assistant coach had to have also been involved in nefarious activities in his previous employment, which he nor anyone here as any inkling if that is true.  There are people in this world that are as by the book as possible, but they end up getting a shot at something life changing or act out of fear that do stupid things.  Sometimes, only once in their life, but they get caught. 

Think about it on a relationship side where someone is married for 25 years and decides to have a one night stand, the only time in their life.  It happens.  People make dumb choices.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Think about it on a relationship side
where someone is married for 25 years and decides to have a one night stand, the only time in their life.  It happens.  People make dumb choices.

Asking for a friend?

[naginiF]

Asking for a friend?

I'll take "oddly specific hypotheticals for $1000 Alex"

[B. McBannerson]

Asking for a friend?

Ha.  No, didn't experience this in my life that I know of (no affairs for me).

[Tugg Speedman]

Long-ish article about the man behind the FBI charges.  Interesting read.


The Man Who Exposed College Basketball
Marty Blazer cooperated with federal authorities for almost three years, trying to save himself; how $5,000 changed hands at an Alabama restaurant
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-man-who-started-college-basketballs-armageddon-1506902378

Mr. Blazer's central role is even more remarkable given that he didn't have a relationship with any of the four assistant coaches charged in the investigation, which is continuing, and he has never spoken to Mr. Pitino, according to the person familiar with the investigation.

Steve Pence, a lawyer for Mr. Pitino, said he didn't know if the coach ever met Mr. Blazer. "Coach Pitino is not the target of any criminal investigation," said Mr. Pence.

The investment adviser cooperated for almost three years, including a close partnership with undercover agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to court documents and a person familiar with the matter. They said Mr. Blazer, 47 years old, helped dole out hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in dozens of recorded meetings in Las Vegas, Miami, New York and elsewhere.

[mu03eng]

Long-ish article about the man behind the FBI charges.  Interesting read.


The Man Who Exposed College Basketball
Marty Blazer cooperated with federal authorities for almost three years, trying to save himself; how $5,000 changed hands at an Alabama restaurant
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-man-who-started-college-basketballs-armageddon-1506902378

Mr. Blazer's central role is even more remarkable given that he didn't have a relationship with any of the four assistant coaches charged in the investigation, which is continuing, and he has never spoken to Mr. Pitino, according to the person familiar with the investigation.

Steve Pence, a lawyer for Mr. Pitino, said he didn't know if the coach ever met Mr. Blazer. "Coach Pitino is not the target of any criminal investigation," said Mr. Pence.

The investment adviser cooperated for almost three years, including a close partnership with undercover agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to court documents and a person familiar with the matter. They said Mr. Blazer, 47 years old, helped dole out hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in dozens of recorded meetings in Las Vegas, Miami, New York and elsewhere.

Weird, Chuck Blazer was the dude who informed on FIFA in their corruption boondoggle. I think the moral of the story, is don't trust anyone with the last name Blazer....or even with the first name Chuck

[Dawson Rental]

One of those arrested previously served with the NCAA as assistant director of enforcement for basketball development.

Hard to think he is crooked now but was a straight arrow when working for NCAA enforcement.

Why?

When working for the NCAA his job was to enforce restrictions.  When working at Alabama his job was to get around them. 

[StillAWarrior]

Why?

When working for the NCAA his job was to enforce restrictions.  When working at Alabama his job was to get around them.

And he would hardly be the first (or, likely, the last) to spend part of a career enforcing rules and regulations and then spend the next part avoiding them.  It's actually extremely common. 

[mu03eng]

And he would hardly be the first (or, likely, the last) to spend part of a career enforcing rules and regulations and then spend the next part avoiding them.  It's actually extremely common.

Lawsky, Benjamin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Lawsky

[Logi4three]

Interesting article from Jim Mcilvaine on vehicles athletes drive and how some should draw inquiries from the media.
https://www.sportsblog.com/jimmcilvaine/wheels-of-fortune/

I loved the comment about MU requiring them to fill out papers on what kind of car they drive and how they acquired it. 

For some reason, I thought of comments I heard about the car David Rivers was driving when he got to ND.  I also thought of the Duke player that got into issues purchasing almost $100k in jewelry in NY.  Saw this article on the latter story, but not very insightful. 
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9228586/former-duke-player-lance-thomas-cleared-wrongdoing-jewelry-purchase 

Anyone have better articles to read on this or anything questioning how Rivers afforded the nice car he had while at ND?

P.S. Sorry if this was posted elsewhere.

[tower912]

I remember walking by and seeing Walter Downing wash his (very nice) car and thinking that I hoped that DePaul paid for it. 

[Tugg Speedman]

How the N.C.A.A. Cheats Student Athletes
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/03/opinion/how-the-ncaa-cheats-student-athletes.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion&action=click&contentCollection=opinion&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront

Lest you think I exaggerate, look up the case of the two athletes at the University of Iowa who started a T-shirt screening business and were threatened with ineligibility by the N.C.A.A. because their website mentioned that they met because they were both — brace yourself — swimmers. Or the more recent case of a cross-country runner at Texas A&M who was threatened with ineligibility for posting a YouTube video about a water bottle company he started.

The most repugnant aspect of this N.C.A.A. rule is that it runs directly counter to the optimal American college education. We want students to have multiple interests, multiple facets to their personal and academic lives, and to explore openly how those various identities play out. We want a student athlete to think — and talk — about what it means to be an athlete and an author, or an athlete and an entrepreneur, or an athlete and an artist. But a student who designs and sells greeting cards and mentions on her Facebook page that she is a softball player risks losing her athletic eligibility. That is shameful. Bylaw 12.5.1.3 has got to go.

Given all of the stereotypes about student athletes as prizing sports over academics, one would think that the N.C.A.A. would be enthusiastic about opportunities to shatter those. But given the choice between doing so and inadvertently allowing an athlete to profit from even the most tangential connection to his or her own athletic efforts, the N.C.A.A. has decided to force students to disguise who they are.

For those few students who star in Division I, it is an invitation to enter into a sad but unsurprising underground economy. For Division III athletes, the hypocrisy is a dispiriting act of silencing. For anyone who cares about fairness, it is a disgrace.

[Pakuni]

And he would hardly be the first (or, likely, the last) to spend part of a career enforcing rules and regulations and then spend the next part avoiding them.  It's actually extremely common.

Many of the best criminal defense attorneys I know started their careers as prosecutors.

[wadesworld]

Sorry if this has been discussed here.  I didn't follow from page 1 through now so I have missed some stuff.  But is this going to change the landscape of AAU basketball?  Are we going to see less brand-sponsored leagues/tournaments/teams?  Fewer kids living in Texas playing with a Washington DC AAU team?  Etc.?

[Benny B]

Sorry if this has been discussed here.  I didn't follow from page 1 through now so I have missed some stuff.  But is this going to change the landscape of AAU basketball?  Are we going to see less brand-sponsored leagues/tournaments/teams?  Fewer kids living in Texas playing with a Washington DC AAU team?  Etc.?

Possibly... what I think we're going to see is more of a dispersion of upper 4- and 5-star talent to the non-blue bloods and mid-majors.  The UNC's, Duke's, UK's, etc. are still all going to get theirs year after year, but guys like Kevon Looney - now that checks aren't being cut - might opt to stay closer to home or go to a mid-major where they can be the star who commands the highest pedestal. 

I think that for all that is different in college sports, there's one constant... kids want to play in front of their parents, and parents want to watch their kids perform on a national stage.  When you consider how much money the families spend to fly cross-country once or twice a week during the season, it makes a hell of a lot more sense how many of these families can afford to do so when the shoe companies are bankrolling a portion of it.  If that money dries up, I think there's going to be a lot more internal pressure for these kids to play closer to home... so you might not see as many kids from the Midwest or East Coast going to UCLA, as well as you might not see as many from Orange County going to Louisville.

Frankly, I think that's the biggest change that will happen.  AAU will see its paradigms shift a little, but as far as the whole thing blowing up and starting a new world order... that's a pretty tall order.

[Charlotte Warrior]

One week out, I'm amazed that we haven't seen more press on the Sean Millers, Bruce Pearls, Etc.   I mean, slick Rick is getting killed in the press, has already been fired and Zona and the rest are out of the lions eye.   I don't get it.  How are these guys keeping jobs.   Why haven't their recruits decommitted?   Why aren't they getting bad press.   Their response  " I'm Shocked" has been the same as Ricks.   I'm calling BS on all of them.   I'm confused??   

[StillAWarrior]

One week out, I'm amazed that we haven't seen more press on the Sean Millers, Bruce Pearls, Etc.   I mean, slick Rick is getting killed in the press, has already been fired and Zona and the rest are out of the lions eye.   I don't get it.  How are these guys keeping jobs.   Why haven't their recruits decommitted?   Why aren't they getting bad press.   Their response  " I'm Shocked" has been the same as Ricks.   I'm calling BS on all of them.   I'm confused??

The thing that killed Pitino is that this was the second time he played the "I'm shocked" card.  Often, you can only play that one once.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

The thing that killed Pitino is that this was the second time he played the "I'm shocked" card.  Often, you can only play that one once.

Yes the rest of these institutions likely want to keep their coaches...

[Spotcheck Billy]

Pitino's lawyer sounds like they will sue Louisville for breach of contract for the remaining $46 million on his contract. The university's best interests would then seem to paint Pitino as scum and disclose whatever details support that, could get interesting but my guess is a settlement to keep as much quiet as possible.

[StillAWarrior]

Pitino's lawyer sounds like they will sue Louisville for breach of contract for the remaining $46 million on his contract. The university's best interests would then seem to paint Pitino as scum and disclose whatever details support that, could get interesting but my guess is a settlement to keep as much quiet as possible.

As much as it pains me to say it, based on the facts that I have seen, I think that Pitino may have a reasonable case for breach of contract.  Not a slam dunk, by any means, but good enough to make things interesting -- and likely make Louisville flinch.  It's likely that lawsuits and counter-suits will fly, but ultimately they'll settle.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

One week out, I'm amazed that we haven't seen more press on the Sean Millers, Bruce Pearls, Etc.   I mean, slick Rick is getting killed in the press, has already been fired and Zona and the rest are out of the lions eye.   I don't get it.  How are these guys keeping jobs.   Why haven't their recruits decommitted?   Why aren't they getting bad press.   Their response  " I'm Shocked" has been the same as Ricks.   I'm calling BS on all of them.   I'm confused??

Auburn and Oklahoma State had a player decommit. A few recruits cancelled visits to Arizona and Miami I believe. A few other recruits updated their lists and removed the named schools. There has been some immediate fallout. But this is long from over. More shoes (no pun intended) are going to drop.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Slick Rick was set up to pocket Adidas $$? ....the UL situation sounds more and more like a criminal enterprise.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/20927320/report-says-rick-pitino-got-98-percent-cash-louisville-current-adidas-deal

https://deadspin.com/rick-pitino-and-tom-jurich-made-ungodly-amounts-of-mone-1819196199