YAHOO Sports reported yesterday that two Alabama players, D.J. Fluker (offensive tackle, 2011 and 2012 Championship) and Luther Davis (defensive end, 2009 Championship) were caught up in a payout scheme. Of course, Saban is upset...that reporters want to talk about this story instead of the upcoming game with Texas A&M. These players need to take a cue from Cam Newton and let Dad do the negotiating while you're out of the house instead of doing it via traceable e-mail and financial statements. Needles to say, the mood here in Tuscaloosa is not the happiest. It's not one of disappointment that the payouts occurred, but rather that they were caught.
The timing couldn't be better though. The SI stuff coming out about Oklahoma State is the big story this week. The SEC stuff is background noise.
Having had to live in Bama the last three years and listen to all of that Bama jargon, I knew there was no way that program didn't/doesn't have any bologna going on. I told many people that Bama just hadn't been caught yet, and of course no Bama fan would ever want to hear anything negative about their mighty Crimson Tide. Sorry Bear Bryant, things have changed. RIP! Les Miles now as well. I imagine nearly every large campus does have something they just haven't been caught for YET!!
Is Saban not buddies with the NCAA czar? They must have had a falling out. Round the Bowl, Down the hole RTR
Have you been reading the SI stuff? Les Miles has some 'splaining to do. This would be a great time for his current players at LSU to stay out of the paper.
Typical Big Ten Complainer here. Still doesn't change the fact that the SEC is a pro football league that couldn't compete with the NFL, if they tried, so they stay in the NCAA. They get to rake in the College Football sports money while claiming to be amateur athletics.
The only reason Bama was in the title game was because Ohio State was ineligible! Should have been OSU vs ND. Bama got their ass kicked by T A&M. OSU got suspended for NCAA violations by players, same to Bama! That's right, Big 10 fan here too!
Did the SEC really lose two games to lowly ACC football teams this year? I thought I read that somewhere.
Notre Dame has the highest graduation rate of any division 1 school....97% There are a few SEC teams in the top 25, but the percentage is much lower.
In other news, today is the one year anniversary of Lennay Kekua's passing, bless her imaginary soul. In her memory, here's the last photo she took at a beach: Proof that having the highest graduation rate does not mean you have the smartest athletes.
That's the weakest argument I've heard from a Big 10 complainer yet. They're not trying to compete with the NFL. And the rest of what you said just described 3/4s of FBS schools. FWIW, Tennessee was named in there too.. A former player (Tyler Bray) and a current player (Mo Couch) both (allegedly) received payments from the agent as well. Couch has been "excused" from practice and will not play in the game this weekend. I don't think he's even travelling with the team. Here's the thing - there is absolutely no way the institution has any control over a player accepting money/gifts from an agent. To make things worse, the NCAA has no jurisdiction over the agent. There's not much that can be done to stop it. That said, all the institution can do is cooperate with the NCAA, take steps to investigate and deal with it, if it is a current player, and do what it can to manage/educate the other players on the rules. I don't think you can ask for more than that. The only way Alabama or UT gets suspension is if there was an institutional coverup, which might be hard to prove. Alabama may have to vacate a national championship or two because of DJ Fluker's role in it. Saban will find him and eat his soul with some fava beans and a nice chianti if that happens.
Mississippi State is also involved, Fletcher Cox (defensive tackle) and Chad Bumphis (wide receiver) being named. I didn't include Tennessee or Mississippi State because A) I don't live there and B) neither one of them has any Championship trophies on the line should the NCAA decide to act like an organization that has any legitimate authority in the matter.
