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First, in before Charlie...


Second, I am biased. I will not try to hide that. I've hated the Hurricanes for decades.

For background, these two ESPN 30 for 30 documentaries are highly recommended: The U, about the rise of the Miami football program, and Pony Excess, about the fall of the SMU football program.

Tuesday morning, this story broke over on Yahoo! Sports. A Miami booster, now in prison for a Madoff-style ponzi scheme, is claiming to have paid millions in illegal benefits to Miami football and basketball players, with the full knowledge of coaches and school officials. He claims to have documentation, just in case anyone tries to call him out as 'just a convicted felon.'

If true, this could be the end of the Miami football program as we know it. Mark May has said if even a third of the allegations are true, the death penalty is more than warranted. The current head of infractions for the NCAA, Paul Dee, was Miami AD during the time most of this was going on. When talking about the recent USC violations, he claimed a high-profile school, with high-profile athletes, warrants high-profile enforcement. But today, when it's his ass on the line, can only counter with a weak "we can't watch everyone." He's got to either recuse himself or flat out resign. Can't have it both ways, Paul.

Like Mike and Mike said on ESPN this morning, this was a guy trying to buy the friendship of 20 year old inner city black kids. Is anyone surprised they ran the other way when the Feds came after the guy?

The guy admits to wanting to be the next Luther Campbell, the rapper and Miami booster who got the program in trouble in the late 80s when he started throwing money around. Shapiro revels in his nickname of "Lil' Luke".

For a program that hasn't really tried to hide it's thug image, they deserve everything that happens to them from here on out.

DarkAudit said:

if even a third of the allegations are true, the death penalty is more than warranted.

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What felonies did he commit that make him eligible for the death penalty?

I understand using the death penalty for murder and some other particularly egregious crimes, but I haven't looked into it much - are states such as florida using the death penalty as a punishment/deterrent from financial/bribery crimes?

He's talking the death penalty for the program, not the guy.

When these impoverished players show up to practice in Corvettes and Ferraris the NCAA should have taken notice back in the 1980's. It is the main reason I hate the SEC. Just about every school there are among the most crooked in the nation.

Miami is in the ACC...

blotsfan said:

Miami is in the ACC...

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I don't know why I always thought FSU and Miami were SEC schools... So it is the ACC that is chock full of violators too.

sixpackshaker said:

I don't know why I always thought FSU and Miami were SEC schools... So it is the ACC that is chock full of violators too.

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I would argue that almost all major programs - including my beloved Iowa Hawkeyes - do stuff like this.

Infractions took an upswing several years back when the NCAA admitted that the use of the death penalty was a mistake (even for SMU.)

I don't know what's racist about hating Miami or the OP.

But the solution to this stuff is pay the players and stop treating them like slave labor (BOOM THERE IT IS)

While we pay the athletes to play in college, why not make them sign contracts stipulating they must graduate before being eligible for the NFL? It'd solve other problems as well. Too many go to the pros and get hurt or wash out and then have nothing to fall back on. It'd also make the kids going to college solely to play football think twice.

A few things:

1. Lowlife scum is lowlife, regardless of location (Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Columbus, Charlestown, wherever).
2. Division I-BCS football is broken, and the NCAA knows it. Either they start reigning these things in or forget any pretense about "amateurism" and let it all go.
3. IMNSHO, the stuff this guy is saying would and should be "death penalty" worthy. And Donna Shalala would probably love nothing more than to nuke the football program to save the school (and her job as President of the University).

stienman said:

What felonies did he commit that make him eligible for the death penalty?

I understand using the death penalty for murder and some other particularly egregious crimes, but I haven't looked into it much - are states such as florida using the death penalty as a punishment/deterrent from financial/bribery crimes?

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Going back to the Schnellenberger days, the only white guys you'll see in Liberty City are cops and Miami football coaches.

U of M is considered to be one of those "historically black colleges" that decided to go Division I-A instead of stick around and play the Gramblings and Georgia States of the world.

jwhouk said:

U of M is considered to be one of those "historically black colleges" that decided to go Division I-A instead of stick around and play the Gramblings and Georgia States of the world.

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Neat trick, seeing how they didn't allow black students until 1961.

They're more like Georgetown, a private school where these kids on the football or basketball teams couldn't even dream of going to those schools. Muffy and Brent just wouldn't think of rubbing their well-heeled shoulders with such riffraff.

Meanwhile Carolina is happy no one is paying attention to them.

College football has always been about the money. The only difference between the NFL and NCAAF is the players actually get paid, and it's ok.

Covar said:

Meanwhile Carolina is happy no one is paying attention to them.

College football has always been about the money. The only difference between the NFL and NCAAF is the players actually get paid, and it's ok.

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Ding ding ding. We have a winner.

This is the reason colleges still stick to the 'good old boy' BCS. The NCAAF makes a killing on all these damn games without having to pay a dime to the athletes. Should they get paid? No. They're students. If the players were to get paid, I'd argue to dissociate the NCAAF from colleges and make it it's own entity. Players would not get degrees or scholarships for playing football.

On the other side of the rock, in a way the players do get "paid" via scholarships and fringe benefits that other students do not get. I honestly don't know where to stand on the issue. College football is a huge, huge profit for any university. As with any money maker, people are going to do underhanded things to ensure the cash keeps flowing. Changing the NCAAF is akin to trying to change out congressional politics.

Yeah, I honestly don't know what would be the best solution to the problem. But it is a problem.

Re-allow the allowance and/or laundry money. Unlike scholars with scholarships, grants, and etc... a student athlete can not work outside of class. Even the kids that are getting the free ride that comes from middle class families have a hard time coming up with spending cash. So they will do the stupid things, like take fake jobs, sell drugs, and take handouts from potential agents.

Put the coach's, AD's and University President's asses on the line if there are talent scouts, agents and boosters trying to hang out with his athletes.

When the simple things that one could just consider being a good neighbor or a good friend, like giving a kid a ride to class or picking up the dinner tab are considered a "violation", things need to change.

When "boosters" are allowed to buy hookers, jewelery, and booze for players with the full knowledge of coaches and administrators, fuck 'em. There's no fix I can imagine that would allow the Miami situation to pass.

Don't forget abortions.

Anyone ever read Player Piano by Vonnegut? Nice little college football mini-story in there about paying college athletes, and how f-ed up that can get.

As one of the resident (former) professors, let me tell you, we were told from on high to baby the athletes through the courses. And my employer was one of the scant few on that Death Penalty list, too.
Added at: 02:38
In grad school at Texas A&M, it was even worse. They had a section of geology 101 labs (taught by the grad students) nominally called "remedial geology", but the only people allowed to enroll were football players.