I am like a lot of people in this business. When I read the Yahoo report by Charles Robinson on the mess in Miami, I was blown away. We all know that college football has a seedy side but this took it to a new level.
So many players — including a couple of Gators — are involved you wonder how long it will take the tortoise known as the NCAA to sift through the mess.
Miami is done. It will be a long time before the Hurricanes are relevant in football again. If ever. I don’t think Miami will get the death penalty. If you haven’t seen the 30 for 30 documentary on SMU you should go back and watch it before talking about the death penalty. SMU was a conspiracy to pay a lot of players over a long period of time and when the SMU boosters were caught they didn’t stop.
This is different. Really, really bad, but different.
One of the big questions to me is how the other schools will handle the players named in the report. Georgia’s Orson Charles, Purdue’s Robert Marve, UCF’s Jeff Godfrey and Gators Matt Patchan and Andre Debose are named as having been a guest of sleaze-and-scheme booster Nevin Shapiro.
You can declare them ineligible until things are resolved but there is no telling how long it will take. Or you can play them and hope for the best. Tough call.
The most embarrassed person in all of this has to be Paul Dee, who was the athletic director at Miami during the scandal (his second of his tenure there) and now works for the NCAA where he was the point man on the infractions committee that killed Southern Cal over Reggie Bush. Then, Dee implied USC should have known and allowed to much access to boosters. Yikes, takes one to know one.
It’s unfortunate that after all the scandals we have dealt with in the sport over the last 18 months or so, it only seems to be getting worse. We should be excited that college football is almost here. Instead, we’re neck-deep in another mess.
I think your mistakingly taking everything a convicted ponzi-schemer (aka professional liar) as gospel. While some of it is probably true one doesn’t have to look farther than the transcripts of his interviews to see him make accusations, back track on those same allegations and then make them again. Regardless of what happens with Miami this situation is another prime example of a systematic problem. If the NCAA does deal Miami “the death blow”, all that means is those same type of players looking to cut back room deals will go to other major programs and do the same thing. It’s foolish and naieve to think that “illegal” benefits don’t occur at every major division 1 school. While working on my degree I couldn’t tell you how many times I was told to let Tebow and his boys in for free or how many times I served eventual first round NBA and NFL players drinks on the house.
I don’t know why Debose and Patchan would be ineligible at UF since it wasn’t our booster who was showing them a good time.
SMU vs The U:
SMU: Repeat violator. Concerted efforts of many boosters paying cash & providing cars, housing, etc.
The U: Repeat Violator. One booster, a felon, paying cash, providing jewelry, yachts…but where it really differs from the SMU issue is that this booster also introduced illegal activities to the situation (not “NCAA illegal” but the more serious “laws of our land illegal”) such as prostitution and taking underage college students/high school students to clubs where they really should be 21 or older.
The “U” is done. Dee should be fired from the NCAA immediately or the NCAA loses all credibility. Florida’s “Big 3” is now the “Big 2” until USF or UCF steps up.
@npgator -It doesn’t matter. Gaining improper benefits is gaining improper benefits, regardless. It is what it is. I know guys like this Shapiro charactor are scum of the earth, but I just don’t have any sympothy for athletes whose actions of selfishness can burn down a university and ruin opportunities for others down the road. If you don’t like the rules then change them, but they are still the rules and if you can’t comply or follow them then don’t go to school.
@scooterp…as fans or even as players and coaches there is no opportunity to “change the rules” as you suggest. The NCAA is a private organization with rules they make up and then administer those rules with inconsistency. So then I ask, if a recruit receives a benefit to attend a school but then chooses a different school, what is the rule? Does anybody know? Does the NCAA even know?
I hope Debose & Patchan don’t get pulled into this mess. We don’t know the circumstances involving any recruit who was introduced to Nevin and chose to play elsewhere. They were in Miami on a school visit, they were taken to Nevin by a Miami coach (Aubrey Hill is named as one of those coaches who brought players to Nevin, but no player listed in the story was brought to Nevin by Hill, including Debose & Patchan. If Hill was involved, the story didn’t specify which kids or how many, as it did with other Miami coaches). The recruits saw the “perks” that would come if they signed with Miami and they still chose to sign elsewhere. That takes character and integrity that many 17 y/o kids don’t have. I hope everyone can see that.
You know who’s that happiest bunch of pigs in the pigsty, Ohio State and Auburn. The UM story is so bad it will overshadow any other scandal. It’s a little too late for OSU, but the NCAA is just getting started with Auburn and now they might have bigger fish to fry.
@scooterp
You’re talking about 18 year old kids. I highly doubt “actions of selfishness can burn down a university and ruin opportunities for others down the road” is the first thing crossing their mind, or even if they are capable of fully comprehending something like that.
My BIASED opinion is if we gave Matt and Andre scholarships and did not know about their alleged improprieties at Miami and if they have been clean citizens since they were GATORS, we should honor the scholarships. I would judge Aubrey with higher standards as he is an adult coach. Hopefully he handled himself properly, as he says, and until proven–not alleged–differently, he should be on staff. I do feel sorry for those Miami people not involved and their fans.
Patchan and DeBose’s problem may be that they didn’t have their father do their bidding (a la Cam Netwon). Unfortunately i think you have to sit both kids until they are cleared. I’d like to beleive both of them if they said that they weren’t involved or whatever, but . . . people don’t always tell the truth–i know, shocking. And it’s simply not fair to the rest of the kids etc. to have whatever wins we are able to manage this year put into jeopardy by playng two potentially ineligible kids.
Had any of the students in question attended the “U” then suspensions might be relevent. Let’s remember that these guys were in high school when Sleezpiro did his thing.
Following the logic of scoopterp, the NCAA should make the New Orleans Saints vacate their Superbowl title because of what happened while he was at USC.
What’s next, following a kid back to middle school to see if he spit on the sidewalk. Remember these are high school kids not lawyers.
Be careful Mr. Dooley (What’s that you say Tom Dooley, Tom Dooley) when you cast stones. If the NCAA comes looking at UF, you never know what they might uncover, given some of the shenanigans in recent history……….
Trust me on this: some of the SAME nonsense is going on here at the University of Florida. Not to the DEGREE it was, or is going on at Miami, but it happens here. I have seen several “high dollar” boosters for the University of Florida, giving “extras” to current players, and of course, recruits who could be future players. We may want to be the “more Holy than thou” when it comes to a football program, but I assure you we are not. Do our coaches know? From what I saw of a prominent UF player from 2006 to 2009, I ask, “HOW COULD THEY NOT KNOW.” But, maybe they never “saw anything.” Bottom line: If it cost Auburn a supposed $200,000 to sign Cam Newton, how much did it cost Florida, and Urban Meyer, to sign him originally? One more question: how is it that missionaries, serving in the Philippines, and in other parts of the world, living on “donations only” suddenly had enough money to fly to New York, for a Heisman Trophy ceremony? I’m not saying, I’m just asking. IT IS HAPPENING HERE.
Tommy Lowe your ignorant insinuations don’t even deserve my effort and energy to respond to them. Pi ti ful!
please enlighten us Tommy Lowe. Is Muschamp and Charlie taking kids out to the yacht to have table dance performed by the whores that Durkin and Robinson brought with them to entertain recruits????? Please stop with the nonsense that all schools cheat. Sure rules are broken all over the college landscape, but they are not encouraged by leaders within the institutions whether coaches or administrators – unless of course, your MIAMI.
You all are welcome to believe what you want. Live with your blinders on, and believe we (The Gators) are the Holy of Holy of all the football programs. That would be akin to the ostrich sticking it’s head in the sand. As I said, to the same DEGREE, no. But as to players getting special privileges, free rides, and extra benefits from boosters, you’re out of your feeble minds if you don’t think it’s going on here.
TLowe, I’m not suggesting that we are 100% clean nor any other school. I’m saying that Miami has a culture of outright arrogance toward the rules. This has gone on there for decades and they seem to just ignore the NCAA. 6 COACHES took underage recruits to a scumbag boosters house on a recruiting visit with food, liquer and prostitutes – if UF has this going on, then heads need to roll.,,,,,, And your suggesting the Tebow family is dirty?
you need help.
Lowe, you’re talking out of your a$$ and you know it. Any putz like you can act the bigshot and make claims on a chat board. You prove your ignorance by insinuating that we also paid Newton to originally come to Florida even though his own cheatin’ father is on the record saying, “We ain’t gonna do it for free this time.”
Move on. Your 15 seconds of fame are up…..and none too soon.
the tebow’s are by no means a poor family, they could easily afford to fly tim to new york, they were living off donations because they trusted in God to provide the money to do waht they believed was his will. Its not as if they have to live off donations, also when Cam Newton came to florida, he wasn’t the number one qb he was ranked ninth by espn, and I don’t believe that Florida has tons of illegal things going on behind scenes, I don’t believe half the stuff about anybody. Also, the Heisman group probably pays for the travel of the invitees.
Also why is there a sudden rash of whistle blowing boosters, seems to me its the same thing that happened to tiger woods, one person makes an accusation so everyone else has to.
Tommy Lowe….You are an Idiot……We are offended when people like yourself who have never attended the University of Florida nor attended a game in the Swamp take shots at us…
The Miami issue is one of who they think they are and what they stand for.!!
When a program ,the night of the Heisman trophy is aired and many Canes fans are hooting and happy because their University is shown in all of its sleeze and they think its cool, it defines them….We are a Gator Nation which is who we are and why we are in the SEC where the competition is as tough as it gets and all games are a war…
We do all we can to do it right and with ethics….
We just finished a run of 6 years in which we won 2 national championships and almost a third with a clean program….
We will continue to be ” The University of Florida” and will continue to not only win in football but in all sports with an all sports trophy win almost every year…
Ethics…..You cant buy it…You live it…..That is why a Tim Tebow came to play for Florida!!!!
Bottom line is Miami is a culture of hard working people surrounded by a controlling group of idiots that enjoy the glamor of winning more than the winning…
Miami is desperate for attention and that is why only a Miami would foster a program with all the L James preening and the me me me attitude that turned off a nation!
Miami, you wanted attention…..You got it!!!
Gator Bob in Jupiter
Alum, Season ticket holder and proud member of the Gator nation!
Miami broke the rules when Schnellenberger was coach, went on probation for a year, then won the national championship a year later proving that,yes, crime does pay. They’ve been doing it ever since: the Pell grant scandal, positive drug tests being suppressed, Luther Campbell and illicit benefits to star players, etc. Miami is the dirtiest program in the history of college football. Then the NCAA makes Miami AD Paul Dee the chairman of the committee handing down sanctions on USC. The NCAA is totally about “MONEY”, not about integrity. They need to step up and give UM the death penalty. I might add that SMU has not violated a single rule since reestablishing football after the death penalty. Punishment does work!
What is really unfortunate to me ios the collateral damage to the kids who just wanted to play college ball and have an opportunity to further their football careers if that was in the3ir destiny. So 10 – 20% break the rules all the other kids must suffer. I bet if college coaches who condone or took a blind eye when this was happenning knew that they would be banned from coaching for 10 years thia may make a lot of them think twice!
Gee is visiting a house and looking at some stuff and talking about the history of the program is a “special benefit”. If so this is foolish.
This is a disaster for all of us who love college football irrespective of our favorite and least favorite team. Any sanctions placed against the University will impact kids who were not involved for the most part. The new coaching staff has been extremely clean and playing by the rules. The NCAA, an organization of over paid greedy university presidents will not take the steps necessary on a national level to clean up what is a multi million dollar business for schools and coaches and leaves the players out.
The rules are ridiculous. I can drive up to UF and take my daughter a student out to dinner without effecting her Bright Futures Scholarship and other academic monies but I can not take her roommate out to dinner with us because she is a D1 athlete on scholarship because I support UF athletics? If we go to the theater in downtown Gainesville I am not permitted to invite my daughters friends to join us because they are D1 athletes. Its nuts.
The level of allegations by Shapiro and his attorney clearly deal with issues that are unethical and illegal ( hiring prostitutes) and immoral by mosts judgement. If he gave them gifts or money it is a blatant violation. That being said if he bought them the Grand Slam at Denny’s its an infraction and that is absurd
In regards to Patchen & Debose they at least showed the smarts to not buy what Shapiro was sellin and reppin….
The arrogance of former Canes including Irvin to Willis Magahee (sp) shows the long existing culture of denial and entitlement that is truly a (Cane Thang) and Thank God we do not understand…..
Tommy Lowe = Miami Scum fan. I remember the earyl eighties when UF was in the NCAA doghouse, and under Pell rightly so. I also remember Hole, & Scum fans rubbing it in. Karma is wonderful!
Tommy Lowe, your insinuations are 100 percent BS. You are implying that the Tebow family took graft? That UF paid Cam Newton? You’re either a rival fan trying to bait Gators or you’re just plain ignorant.
Actually, it’s my guess that you’re both.
Pat,
You were here in THE 80’S and IT didn’t seem as bad as it does for U.M.
To the SO-CALLED GATOR FAN THAT SAID ‘IT’ IS HAPPENING HERE-what do you really want? AN INTERVIEW FORM E.A.? Nobody LIKES A ‘RAT’ even if your words had an ounce of TRUTH!!!
I submit this: Make a SCHOLARSHIP-OFFER a legal binding contract (if it isn’t already)…And the STUDENT-Athelete HAS TO complete 3 years..IF THEY CHOOSE TO break rules and GET CAUGHT -(ineligible)- THEY SPEND THEIR REMAINING YEARS ON practice squad…that would eliminate the ‘GET CAUGHT AND leave’ -MENTALITY! and IT WOULD HELP THE team’s APR…RIGHT!?!
GO GATORS!
Hey Tommy Lowe, you said you saw some violations. If so, why not bring them to the attention of the University compliance folks or the NCAA? Instead of making allegations that the Gators are not clean, do what a good Gator would do, tell the truth. Fact is,I don’t believe you know what the hell you’re talking about and I don’t think you are a Gator at all.
I could read Yahoo and write this inane article. Does Dooley even have a purpose anymore?
@ joebob and Tommy Lowe – who let you two in here? Just because your ‘canes are in trouble, you are offering the WEAK defense of “UF and other schools do the same thing”. Sad.
fella’s, do not worry about Debose…… he’s not that good……