YAHOO SPORTS: REGGIE BUSH ROLLED IN IMPROPER BENEFITS

“He’s not even reliably bribeable.”

So much for his post-football career in Congress.

I’ll be waiting for Hugh Johnson’s take on this. Will the NCAA bring down the WHAMMY?

“We were standing around waiting for the family to show up,” DeMartino said, recalling the Dec. 9 meeting. “Mike says to me, (Expletive), it’s pay day.’ He looked in his wallet, said he was a little short and asked me if he could borrow some money till the next day so he could give the family their money.”

DeMartino said Ornstein explained to him that Bush’s stepfather received a weekly payment of $1,000. Bush’s mother received $500 and Bush’s younger brother also received money.

Ouch.

Nice touch on the “selfish dickface”. If you can’t trust a guy after you’ve lavishly bribed him, who can you trust?

I’m sure that whatever sanctions the NCAA hands out, they’ll be toothless and irrelevant. They don’t exactly have a strong track record when it comes to dishing out punishment to the name-brand programs. So USC has to forfeit some games? Great! Who gives a shit? It doesn’t mean anything, it won’t affect their standing among recruits, it won’t affect their ability to recruit and rake in money. Lovely.

The real question is, “how many other players were involved in such nonsense?” I have a feeling it’s just not Reggie Bush, selfish dickface.

What did I say about Trojan hubris a few days ago? How sweet it is eh Trojan fans?

I smell……sanctions.

Speaking of federal pound you in the ass prision, I am waiting for the IRS to go after the family. They will want their cut on the money transfers.

If McNair sat on this in the run up to the title game the NCAA has to address the institution itself. If they had won that game the NCAA would be in an extra fine mess.

I love the smell of schadenfreude in the morning.

While the Tank Black reference is a good one, an even better one is the Billy Joe Hobart situation in Washington whereby BJ secured a loan to buy a car using his earning potential as collateral. The Pac-10 threw the book at Washington over that one, led by the AD’s at USC, UCLA and Cal. I think that it is safe to assume that the Pac-10 will take a more lenient approach to USC what with their darling status with the media safely entrenched.

Chuck is a man ahead of his time.

Recapping, don’t f-ck with the fates(or the babysitter, for that matter)

Koros: having enough and satisfied with it

Hubris: violence, assault, grabbing for more

Ate: delusion – mad act, crossing boundary

Nemesis: destruction

That USC fan nailed it: “If a coach knew and did nothing about it is really no different than Mike Garrett or Pete Carroll knowing, if it happens on your watch then you are responsible plain and simple.”

The NCAA can’t strip shit. They didn’t award USC’s AP and Coaches Poll national titles, nor the Heisman. They don’t even have the authority to strip SC of its Pac-10 title.

You’re right canuck, shit runs uphill. In this case Pete is up to his eyeballs in shit.

Isn’t this similar to the Ed Martin thing at Michigan. Ostensibly, no one in the program knew about the cash. Although someone had to be actively working not to question why Webber, Jalen, etc. were all driving brand new SUVs, the NCAA never proved institutional knowledge or wrongdoing.

Despite that, UM retroactively forfeited all the games the Fab 5 played and, more importantly, got a two year tournament ban. Now, I know logical consistency isn’t the NCAA’s strongsuit, that the Martin thing involved more players, and that there’s no ideal equivalent to a tournament ban, but I could imagine something like a one-year USC bowl ban.

The retroactive forfeiting of titles and games is lame in any case. It’s not like the NCAA can erase memories, though they’re probably working on that.

If they rule Bush ineligible and find the instituion culpable it’s pretty hard to keep a PAC-10 title when you just forfeited the conference games. The external stuff is not up to NCAA but if the NCAA hands out ineligibity and forfeits games, the BCS will follow which leaves them a disputed title if the AP doesn’t.

I doubt however that the NCAA will touch 2004. It’s so much easier to whack 2005 if the institutional side is proven.

Forward facing sanctions and the return of the 2005 title game cash would be the most appropriate responses if this proves out.

USC has been caught with their hand in the till before. They were on probation just a few years ago, weren’t they?

USC should recieve a penalty tougher than just stripping last season’s record. With the money most schools spend on compliance enforcement it’s baffling to me that someone in the program didn’t know what was going down. I mean this wasn’t a few hunbred dollars slipped under the table every now and then. It was thousands of dollars worth of benefits that no one even tried to hide.

USC should be punished, if not for knowingly alkowing this, then for being incredibly incompetent in the department of compliance.

USC’s most recent major infraction for football was the subject of an August 23, 2001 NCAA infraction report that you can find on the NCAA’s website.

Collective: “D’oh!”

— Trojan Fans Across The Country

As a USC fan I’m with canuk. Man, I would be devestated if they stripped our titles from the time I was a student.

They could always do what UF did in 1990, when we couldn’t win the SEC, yet we have first in the SEC on the walls at the swamp.

I’m shocked—shocked!—to find out that there was impropriety involving USC or one of its players.

I mean, it’s not like we’ve heard any stories putting their program or players in a negative light, right?

The NCAA will investigate this, and find USC guilty and it will issue a decree.

Alabama will lose 10 scholarships!

Awaiting reference to NCAA Alababa conspiracy theory in …5…4…3…2…

USC will clearly take advantage of the East Coast bias. That’s right, it works both ways PAC-10ers. If this had happened at an SEC school or Notre Dame or Ohio State, the shit would really get crazy. Remeber the fuss over Tee Martin? Yeah, that was over a couple thousand in car repairs, not 100k. Anybody remember why Antonio Langham was ruled ineligible? I don’t feel like research today.

Andrew,

The Yahoo items indicate that 5 years after Massachusetts and Connecticut got whacked in 1996 the rules were changed from automatic sanctions to the NCAA factoring in institional control.

The Michigan sanctions were self imposed in 2002 after the new rules kicked in. The violations were before the rule change.

The NCAA can’t strip shit. They didn’t award USC’s AP and Coaches Poll national titles, nor the Heisman. They don’t even have the authority to strip SC of its Pac-10 title.

No disrespect, but I don’t know that this is necessarily true. You’ll recall that last year, Georgia Tech got hit with ineligible-player penalties for stuff that wasn’t nearly as flagrant and deliberate as what Bush was involved in, and Tech had to “vacate” all football games in which the ineligible players competed. Those vacated results were only restored following an appeal by GT in May; from what I read on ESPN at the time, that meant Tech wouldn’t even have been able to claim its 1998 ACC co-championship* had the appeal been unsuccessful.

Anyway, my point is, the NCAA can apparently strip teams of victories — or, to be more accurate, “vacate” those games and basically wipe them off the books like they never happened.

* Tech and FSU both went 7-1 in conference in the 1998 season. How you can claim a “co-championship” with a team that taxed your ass 34-7 is beyond me, but that’s apparently how they roll up there.

Antonio Langham signed an agent’s napkin after the 1993 Sugar Bowl. Bama forfeits all wins in the 1993 season.

Reggie Bush’s family received $100,000 (almost a whole Albert Means) in benefits from an agent. I’m guessing they must forfeit all the Snoop Dogg visits to practice during the 2004-2005 season.

Of all the possible losses for the Trojans, it seems the Heisman is most in danger. That is the only one that provides in its rules that a player must have been eligible according to the NCAA to receive the reward.

As an accountant, I am just responding to the IRS talk in the form of wanting their cut. Depending on the exact transactions, which we will never know. If it was a gift to the Bush family, the gifters will pay tax on anything given over $12g per person, and even then, it may be exluded due to the Unified Gift and Estate Credit, and no tax would be due.. If however, you argue that Bush was the receiving end as maybe self employed or something to that effect, he would owe 35% plus self emplyment tax, which he could easily afford with his $27 million guaranteed. Only on tax evasion, and even that would be unlikely, could he be in trouble. P.S. I hope they string’em up, USC has shown this off season that it is win at all costs. How does a coach not know about two players receiving free rent and two more on steriods?

#23—

This “Alababa” conspiracy you reference: was there a Muslim connection?

#23—
just kidding. I know you meant Alabama. Just crossed me as funny…

I’d forgotten that Michigan’s tounrament ban was self-imposed. The NCAA did then ban Michigan from the tournament the following year, but that ban was overturned on appeal. (That appeal being the last thing associated with the NCAA tournament that UM basketball). I think Ohio State did the same thing (the self-administered ban) in relation to the Jim O’Brien thing.

The conferences can do what they want, but the NCAA cannot. In Tech’s case, that was an ACC decision.

This will turn into very little. SC may get some non-sanction probation and some embarassment, but that’s it.

I just wonder if SI will have a Tainted Title cover over something that was 10 times worse than Foot Locker.

I think an Auburn like bowl sanction may be the ultimate prize for $C. I think the timing of Gameday being there this week is amazing.

At least Clarett had the decency to leave school after he was suspended and never played a down after his indiscretions. Troy Smith took $500 to pay a cell phone bill that Clarett saddled him with, sat out 2 games, and we still hear about it.

I’m just glad Yahoo! Sports scooped the supposed WWL.

I can’t wait for Shelley Smith’s sympathy story about how Reggie’s mom only had a $500 makeover before the Heisman.

Meds,

I was agreeing with Orson that the NCAA will be tempted to whack 2005. That’s pretty useless and easy to do if a coach was aware at that point.

If I had all the facts and it was my call I’d certainly remember that the intent of the 2001 change was to allow discretion to withhold automatic forfeitures and sanctions WHEN the institution was blameless.

Generally forward facing sanctions are more important . Backward facing stuff should be invoked more reluctantly.

Perhaps, the WWL did not/did not want to pursue the story. Possible? Hell yes it is.

Reggie already took away one national title with his lateral, now he’s gonna finish the job.

Andrew,

I would imagine that the NCAA’s favourite use of the 2001 discretionary power is do plea bargains and have programs self-impose.

So if they forfeit the 2005 season….USC still has a winning streak of..I dunno, 21 games or something. Wooo! Go Trojans! or something like that.

Is anyone else noticing the lack of USC fans posting? could it be, gasp!, that they’re going to shut their mouths for once?

before this whole yahoo story they were out in force talking about how they’re going to cream nebraska. now…silence.

even ESPN is backing off them. Cowherd said, “I wouldn’t touch USC”. guess this is the equivalent of a break up between ESPN and USC.

Quick question: If USC does have to forfeit the 2004-2005 title and Reggie his Heisman, what happens to that title and trophy? Do they just sort of hang in limbo, unawarded? Or do they get handed down to Oklahoma and Vince Young, respectively?

// I can’t wait for Shelley Smith’s sympathy story about how Reggie’s mom only had a $500 makeover before the Heisman. //

Or maybe we’ll be treated to a daily segment about whether USC is the Shadiest Program In History, facing off against mid-80’s Oklahoma, early 90’s Nebraska, early 80’s SMU, and Alabama from about 1925 to 2002. They can post interactive polls and use an empty bank vault as a backdrop.

Come on, people! We can make this happen! The World Wide Leader In Bloviation needs us!

Thanks for the link Orson.

This whole thing sickens me. I am amazed that the MSM (radio) has not brought up the RB coach possibly knowing.

I would agree with CFR that if they have info on that particular aspect of this mess that their source should come out. This has nothing to do about breaking a law.

Of course as with all scandals all the background info is from former disgruntled employees. What F—-ing mess.

Antonio Langham didn’t receive $100,000, he just signed an agreement on a napkin with an agent in a New Orleans bar in the wee hours of the morning after Alabama’s 1992 National Championship…the result Alabama had to forfeit all the games that Langham played in the next year, they lost 26 scholarships over 3yrs, they appealed and it was knocked down to -9 scholarships over 2 yrs…if the NCAA is consistent USC’s juggernaut days are coming to a close…however, the words consistent, NCAA, Myles Brand don’t belong in the same sentence

“They can post interactive polls and use an empty bank vault as a backdrop.”

No, no, NO! The bank vault has to be full — with Scrooge McDuck sitting atop the piles of cash wearing a USC hoodie.

If you’re going to be the WWL, you’ve got to think cross-promotionally!

SMU 1985 was the 95 Huskers of cheating. Even the damn governor was in on it. That’s power, baby.

To make myself fell better, I’m assuming Bush was paid before the 2003 season and that ass whoopin’ in Jordan-Hare never happened.
Any chance Reggie Ball has been paid the last four years?

Hawii’s vacated volleyball title:

http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-volley/stories/051204aab.html

AUAlum, if he has been paid, then someone’s getting screwed.

Ya gotta love posting this 12:44 posting at Shanoff’s blog:

Where missing the real point here.

How embarasing is it to get busted by Yahoo. Not CNN, or ESPN, or Sports Illistrated…but Yahoo?!?!? Seriously, with all the damn smilies and crap. Yahoo? That’s gotta really really suck.

USC should be “Staring Down the Barrel of a Gun” but somehow I think the NCAA’s media darlings will somehow get a mild slap on the wrist.

If you also notice in the story it mentions that the New Era Sports owners visited Bush in the USC lockeroom a couple of times. USC doesn’t just give out lockerroom passes to anyone….they knew, they kept it under wraps and they’re in panic mode right now trying to figure out how to cover it up.

Pete Carrol may actually jump off the roof this time.

If Bama had to forfeit a season plus 9 schollys for a drunken signature on a cocktail napkin and no cash, then USC should AT MINIMUM get that. Bush’s Heisman should also be revoked. You watch, they’ll get off.

Where’s Auburn screaming that they should be handed the NC?…since they ARE the “People’s” National Champion and Opelika News National Champions.

If they strip the Heisman and give it to Vince, he should drag it around in the parking behind his car a la George Castanza.

This is a really hard one to guess. The only nationally prominent CFB team west of the Rockies and in the biggest media market vs. any kind of credibilty the NCAA has. While I’d love Myles to show some small, itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny sense of consistency, I’m betting the NCAA declares Bush ineligible, let’s the Heisman get taken from him, and declares that, “Really, look at Poodle, uh, I mean, Coach Carroll. Do you really think this man would notice if his players were taking illegal benefits? Do you think he’d even notice if they were doing lines of coke off of his desk, or if he did that there was anything wrong with that? There’s nothing to see here. Move along.”

Love the glee among the haters. Sad lot you are.

jg:

Reggie already took away one national title with his lateral, now he’s gonna finish the job.

Thank you.

Mike, it was the Eufaula Tribune not the Opelika-Auburn News.

I think some of you should get off of your high horses, may those among you haven’t paid for Bush cast the first stone

So pitiful. So very pitiful.

http://www.rammerjammeryellowhammer.com/weblog/Peoples%20Nat%20Champs%20trophy.jpg

Could ESPN picked a worse weekend to go to USC and give the team a public tongue bath?

Oklahoma was the final number 2 in the BCS standings from the year Auburn was “stripped” of the title, so Oklahoma should get it.

Time for a new L.A. billboard? “Is Myles Brand a eunuch?” has a ring to it.

That trophy doesn’t speak for me. I voted for Kodos.

Reality is a bitch isn’t it, Matt?

“I love the smell of schadenfreude in the morning. "

you know what, F that.

After beating them head on, Matt Leinert & Reggie Bush are still whining about how USC’s the better team. (And screw Troy Smith and his "I still don’t believe it was a catch b.s. too).

Bush deserves everything coming his way.

I second Phil K’s coments. What you’re sorry you got caught? Accountability apparently isn’t in Carrol’s vocabulary.

That “People’s Championship” trophy should go in some kind of Dictionary of Colloquial Phrases next to the phrase " . . . That And A Buck-Fifty Will Get You A Cup Of Coffee."

What’s even more embarrassing is that down here in the B-hizzy, local sports columnist Kevin Scarbinsky still trots that thing out like it was a fuckin’ Congressional Medal of Honor.

Stewie Mandel claims in his article that New Era sports guys were knowingly allowed in the locker room AND on the sidelines during games.

If that’s proven true then the whole “lack of institutional control” crackdown should cost SC some serious schollies.

I’m heart broken.

Freedom isn’t free. That costs a buck-o-five.

“At one time (1995), if the NCAA ruled that a student-athlete knowingly accepted money or anything of value from a prospective agent, schools suffered sanctions.

The rules were amended five years later(2001), giving the NCAA Committee on Infractions the discretion to determine whether penalties against the school are warranted.

Morgan said the mandatory sanctions were considered too harsh in cases where schools were unaware of infractions and made an effort to educate student-athletes about eligibility issues related to sports agents." Wetzel

Looks like USC lucked out, when bama was punished it was a strict laibility rule- they got punished even though the school suspended Langham once they found out. Now, the NCAA will have to prove the USC staff had knowledge of impropriety.

This is worse than Langham at Alabama, worse than infractions Ole Miss was raped for, and these guys and their moppy-haired faggot of a coach won’t get touched

Worse than Albert Means, matt?

Thank you , SoHP. That song is now wailing through our head.

“Now, the NCAA will have to prove the USC staff had knowledge of impropriety”

Don’t think so. The 2001 change gives the NCCA discretion not to sanction if the program is blameless.

USC would need to show that they could not have known. 10 ton of paperwork in the compliance office won’t be enough if the Poodle can’t convince the NCAA he was on guard and it snuck past.

After reading the previous posts I am still unclear on how the NCAA can go after the program instead of the player, assuming they can not prove USC’s RB coach (or any coach) new what was going on. I will be very suprised if they can prove anybody at USC new about this. Then what? Stripping the Heisman is all I see happening.

Er… USC would need to show that they could not have found out AND that they took all reasonable steps. 10 ton of paperwork in the compliance office won’t be enough if the Poodle can’t convince the NCAA he was on guard and it snuck past. It may come down to his failure to close the barn door.

no, not worse than means…I’m surprised you’re not thumbing your way into knoxville on a Fri afternoon

tzubear, The standard is knew or should have known or should have suspected their own actions opened the way. Before 2001 programs were dragged in automatically. Now they have the opportunity to show that they were in good faith across the board.

I see.

go on, I got a ride

As one of the vocal USC fans here, I’m not in hiding, I just had to work this morning.

As far as the issue of the “coaches should have known”. This is not the case of a player showing up with a new Escalade all of a sudden. The issue here deals with the parents of a player who live in another city. No university has the resources or the right to do financial investigations of every players family. There are still some privacy rights left in this country.

In spite of all the jealous hating going on, USC runs a program as clean as any. I think there is a lot of confusion going on about the access given to agents here. Practices are open to the public and the public can wander around Heritage hall. Some of the writing has implied that agents were in the locker room, but I know PC and the staff hate the agents being around and try to keep them out. After all there is NOTHING an agent can do to help the university, but they can obviously cause big problems.

USC runs a program as clean as any.

You heard it here first, folks.

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/usc/galleries/usc_snoop111704/snoop1-lg.jpg

Orson,

Somehow I just feel like some Juco in So Cal is gonna get the dirth of the punishment. A “Time Out with no X-box” for USC and a loss of 27 scolarships for the Southern California school of welding, cosmetology, and road construction flagmanship. Isn’t that where Schaeffer played?

but I know PC and the staff hate the agents being around and try to keep them out. After all there is NOTHING an agent can do to help the university, but they can obviously cause big problems.

And yet agents are approved by the compliance office to employ athletes over the summer. How quaint.

oc phil,

The allegations go way past the parent’s digs. If the program was a vigilant as you describe they’ll be fine. Otherwise if the allegations prove out shit will flow uphill.

Oh. And IF the coach that allegedly knew before the Texas game pleads the 5th and isn’t available to the NCAA…

Wow. Imagine if ND comes rolling into Compton at 11-0 to face an 11-0 SC squad for the right to play tOSU for the title at the same time as major damning facts come out regarding this case. would that not make for an insanely interesting night of football watching? Sure we at ND have had a few problems, but damn if we haven’t sorted out our affairs, however minor in a full glare of the spotlight. That USC has had so much shit go down over there without anybody raising an eyebrow amazes me. Well, at least until this point. The hammer is going to drop, whether it be the WWL dropping USC’s sack or something equally similar

JG @ 37: Reggie already took away one national title with his lateral, now he’s gonna finish the job.

See, now that’s comedy. About the only thing in this whole mess that’s given me a chuckle.

Chuck @ 40 Is anyone else noticing the lack of USC fans posting? could it be, gasp!,that they’re going to shut their mouths for once?

The return of the Cornhusker Classicist!

Alas, Chuck, rather than being crippled by shame over something I didn’t do, I’ve been stuck in meetings all day, so I haven’t been able to post until just now…

It seems to me that the truly pertinent aspect of this is whether or no McNair knew. If McNair didn’t know, then USC can claim that the Bush case was an aberration and hope for the best. There may be a nasty smell about the place, but proving that Caroll ate the chili dogs is challenging.

However, if it can be proven that McNair did in fact know, then USC doesn’t have a leg to stand on.

As to the question of punishment, I suppose that the teams who lost to SC last season in a close game where Bush was the difference would certainly be pissed about it, but retroactively vacating the games doesn’t do much other than put an asterisk on the record.

I’d say that if it’s proven that McNair knew, the punishment should be on something pending, not re-writing the past — whether that’s a bowl game ban or taking away some scholarships from Alabama, I don’t know.

But it has to be something that materially affects not so much the players but the program — if it’s a failure of management, so to speak, it should be management that takes the hit in reduced revenues, publicity, and recruiting opportunities.

It gives me no pleasure to write this, but there you go. (In)action has consequences.

The Yahoo story never reported, and that idiot Nestor completely glosses over the fact that Ornstein also employed UCLA TE Marcedes Lewis.

The manner in which the NCAA chooses to enforce rules and the sanctions for infractions of those rules is entirely arbitrary leaving completely aside their mickey mouse investigative process and lack of a system for weighing guilt.

People forget what arbitrary means even while they are saying it.

The question is this: Will we get the party line from the WWL (USC denials, he said, she said. another investigation, let the investigative process run its course?

Herbstreit, we’re watching you.

Look, say whatever you want, but this is NOT a case of a player getting extra benefits from anyone associated with the university — fans, boosters, or alumni. There was no intent to reward Reggie for playing for USC. This is an important distinction.

Reggie and his family allegedly took money from people who wanted to profit on him at the NEXT LEVEL. So, while it’s bad—real bad—and USC may have to forfeit games, it is not an indictment on the football program.

You can say it is. You can also say that Charlie Weis is svelt and ruggedly handsome.

But that doesn’t make it so.

Anyway, sorry to interrupt the hate-fest. Carry on…

Monroe…that’s really imaterial,in the langham case no one from the Alabama gave langham anything, he simply had contact with an agent, and they tried to take away 26 scholarships over 3 years and there certainly weren’t the same level of inducements, etc being allegeged in this case

VolBrian,

Actually, the NCAA charged Alabama with neither lack of institutional control nor failure to monitor because there was no proof that anyone in the Alabama athletic department knew about the arrangement (not to mention the vigorous self-policing in which the program’s compliance department engaged). That’s to say that, if the Yahoo allegations are true that the RB coach knew of the arrangement, then it could most certainly be argued that it is worse than the Albert Means scandal. There’s a difference between a “rogue booster” breaking NCAA rules and institutional cheating.

Then again, if anyone here is looking for consistency/accountability from the NCAA Committee on Infractions, then they’re going to be sorely disappointed.

Where the $’s come from are irrelevant.

The programs used to held responsible for viloations by team members. Now they get to show they were looking out for the team members and something got past all that good faith and hard work.

Then again the change was from MANDATORY to ARBITRARY, so who really has a clue what the NCAA will actually do if the allegation are true.

They better get at least the same punishment Auburn got for paying a player $300 and giving him a bunch of steaks, after he claimed he couldn’t feed his kids.

It makes a HUGE difference where the money comes from. If booster’s pay for players that affects the competitive balance and it is outright cheating. If a player accepts money from an agent, it is still against the rules, but it is basically the player taking a loan against his future earnings in the NFL.

$100 K is certainly a lot of money to most college students, but it is chump change to Bush now. I can see the temptation for a family with a low income to try to cash in early. It is still wrong, but it isn’t really cheating and it really is pretty irrelevant to the program or university.

I know when I was there they took NCAA compliance very seriouisly and I happen to work with a new hire who was a tutor for the athletic department when she was in grad school. According to her they are still scrupulous about compliance. Any school would be crazy not to be these days.

If enough muck-raking goes on eventually someone can turn up something in any athletic department (or in the families of players) that looks bad or is a violation. It is funny how much the UCLA crowd loves the Yahoo hatchet job now, but they were crying and bitching about them when Dan Wetzel was writing about John Wooden and corrupt UCLA booster Sam Gilbert.

SC should try and clear this as quickly a possible because the longer these allegations persist, the worse they look. They will most certainly feel the sting of negative recruitment with prospects fearing a TV, bowl, or scholly ban over the horizon. Also, expect EsPN and others to run with this as far as they can. You see, they don’t really love USC, they love to talk about USC because it polarizes their audience and makes for good ratings. This negative stuff is way sexier than the positive, so look out.

Next time stop at the bit about it still being against the rules.

Any USC backer had better hope that loans weren’t OK with anyone on the coaching staff or that they were indifferent about steering students away from agents with loans.

Corso and Herbstreit just said Bush should be stripped of the Heisman if these allegations are true. Corso didn’t really want to wait for the allegations to be proven, but Kirk calmed him down.

I keep thinking of that tearful “Bush’s family is so great” tribute piece they did last year. And how USC fans always bragged on how “grounded” and “classy” Reggie was, I guess financial security will do that.

HAHAHAHAHAAHA…I can think of NOTHING funnier then USC getting their title jacked. So all they’d have to show (Does Auburn get the title or do we have to retcon the Auburn-OU rosters to 2004 and play in a field somewhere? Is Jason White completely bald now and decomposing or can he play?)) for their “greatest team of all-time” run is a half-national championship and a Heisman, sorta like the 97 Michigan team.

A Heisman trophy winner and half a national championship….

Are we still talking about Auburn?

It should be obvioius that the NCAA can’t take away MNC’s since they don’t award them.

The AP is a company that can do whatever it wants. The BCS has no mechanism for retroactively stripping a title and it would be a major hassle to try and implement one ad hoc. The same for the Heisman.

If they open up the pandora’s box on this then what is next? FSU’s title the year they were busted about agents after the fact? Woodson’s Heisman should be just as gone if Bush’s is taken since it came out that he got money from an agent (and you can bet some tOSU fans will take up that crusade). How many other investigations would/could be opened up? I don’t think anybody in a responsible position really wants to go down that road.

oc phil,

One small problem with your suggestion that money paid to a college player by an agent is “pretty irrelevant to the program”: it renders said player ineligible.

Ask Alabama if putting an ineligible player on the field (hell, one that didn’t even receive any money/benefits) is “pretty irrelevant.”

Considering the timing, this is going to feel like an unread addendum to the Congressional Record; slipped in at the last moment.

I was in transit yesterday and was unable to post. Many thanks to Mike Ornstein and his associates for picking up the airfare.

Chuch and Jarvis 12 (masters of the hanging curveball), as a good faith gesture, PC’s gonna strip the scholarships of the first and second stringers and only beat your Huskers by a touchdown. At least Bush didn’t drag his girlfriend up the stairs. And don’t retort with OJ, as his Samurai skills didn’t surface just before the ’68 Rose Bowl.

As far as the money goes, what’s 100k in SoCal? If you factor in cost of living and inflation, that’s maybe $400 dollars in SEC or Big 12 money. It’s like comparing the US Dollar with the Thai Bhat or Baht (I got the pronunciation correct).

Additionally, if you were to, you know, take off a zero here or there, we’re talking ten dollars, a c-note max. That’s negligible.

Admittedly, my sophistry skills are a little rusty right now as it’s been several years and many more beers since I’ve left the academy. I think we all know what I meant, though.

In the immortal words of Rodney King “Can’t we all get along?”