NCAA Football '11-'12

[Ed Anger]

Not type it out loud.

Sigh, you people are getting on my nerves this evening.

I'm only one person.

There is Beeb, good guy lawyer

and Beeb, Winnipeg Jets prick

Don't you dare say ill about the Winnipeg Jets.

Yet again - I'd think you guys would cut someone some slack when THEIR FAVOURITE SPORTS TEAM IN THE WORLD comes back from the dead...

...and has an awesome new logo to boot.

I did give you some slack. Then you drove it into the ground.

But I forgive you. THIS TIME.

[CountDeMoney]

Not type it out loud.

Sigh, you people are getting on my nerves this evening.

You've got a lot of nerve, you filthy OSU sweater vest-wearing Tresselnigger.  And, on top of that, you root for the Bengals and that overrated IHL team in Columbus.  You're a hat trick of sportsfail.
The only winning team in your life is your sperm.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Still holding out hope for the destruction of the Big 12, since the statement from the SEC wasn't exactly "strongly worded" or anything:

The SEC Presidents and Chancellors met today and reaffirmed our satisfaction with the present 12 institutional alignment. We recognize, however, that future conditions may make it advantageous to expand the number of institutions in the league. We discussed criteria and process associated with expansion. No action was taken with respect to any institution including Texas A&M.

Quit stalling and take them!

[Eddie Teach]

NOOOOOO

[Valmy]

Texas should have gone to the PAC-whatever, then the MWC would still have several more good teams...

I blame Texas for that.

Blame the TV networks.  Texas was leaving because they couldn't imagine anybody would put up more money for a conference lacking Nebraska than one that had Nebraska.  Then the TV networks showed up with dump trucks full of cash and proved them wrong.

[PDH]

Blame the TV networks.  Texas was leaving because they couldn't imagine anybody would put up more money for a conference lacking Nebraska than one that had Nebraska.  Then the TV networks showed up with dump trucks full of cash and proved them wrong.

In that case Wyoming has to be the Big Number replacement team in the place of tamu.

[Valmy]

In that case Wyoming has to be the Big Number replacement team in the place of tamu.

I do have this fantasy about expanding West.  The Mountain states are growing rapidly I think the future for college athletics is bright out there.  I mean look at Boise State for godsake.

But more likely the Not-so-Big number will just stay with 10 or 9 or whatever because that is the sort of inspirational leadership the conference usually provides.

[Valmy]

The Big Ten Conference will pay each of its members a record $22.6 million this year. The increase is due in part to increased revenue from the Big Ten Network.

These payouts do not include Nebraska, which did not join the league until July 1. Nebraska will not receive a full share until 2017, according to an NU official.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the conference's TV network paid its schools $7.9 million each. According to information from the University of Illinois, that's up 21 percent from last year's $6.5 million.

The Big Ten distributes money to its members equally based on a revenue sharing system.

That is how you divide the money. Although it galls me to see Indiana get that much. Fucking Hoosiers.

To be fair not even the Big 10 did that until 2009.  The way the Big 12 does it used to be the norm.  I hope they will adjust with the times.

The old contract was 57% was split evenly and the rest spread out based on TV appearances.  The new deal is 76% split evenly and the rest spread out based on TV appearances.  With the Aggies leaving I can hope they will just go 100% split evenly going forward.

[grumbler]

To be fair not even the Big 10 did that until 2009. 

The Big Ten has traditionally always distributed bowl and TV revenue (less bowl costs for the teams involved) evenly.  If they didn't in 2008, for some reason, I'd like to read about it.  Got a link?

[jimmy olsen]

Lol, Miami should get the death penalty for this.

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/16/report-coaches-millions-of-dollars-part-of-miami-allegations/related/

Report: Coaches, 'millions of dollars' part of Miami allegations
Posted by John Taylor on August 16, 2011, 7:42 PM EDT

Forget the Ohio State mess, the North Carolina debacle, or the USC imbroglio; that's penny-ante stuff compared to what's being alleged occurred between 2001 and 2009 in a program-shaking new piece published by the Yahoo! investigative pitbull Charles Robinson.

Following an 11-month investigation by Robinson, it's being reported that former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro — you know, this guy — is alleging "he provided thousands of impermissible benefits to at least 72 athletes" during an eight-year-period beginning in 2001.  In the latest report, it's claimed Shapiro spent what he estimated as "millions of dollars", with the benefits ranging from "cash, prostitutes, entertainment in [Shapiro's] multimillion-dollar homes and yacht, paid trips to high-end restaurants and nightclubs, jewelry, bounties for on-field play (including bounties for injuring opposing players), travel and on one occasion, an abortion."

Unbelievably, those aren't even the most damning accusations uncovered by Robinson through 100 hours of jailhouse interviews with Shapiro, a convicted felon.  Shapiro alleges that at least three football coaches — Clint Hurtt, Jeff Stoutland and Aubrey Hill — as well as three members of the football support staff had direct knowledge or participated in the violating of NCAA rules. Additionally, Yahoo! is reporting independent of Shapiro that former football assistant Joe Pannunzio was also involved; Shapiro refused to discuss his relationship with Pannunzio.

It should be noted that none of the coaches mentioned in the article are on first-year head coach Al Golden's staff; Stoutland and Pannunzio are assistants under Nick Saban at Alabama, Hill is a member of Will Muschamp's new Florida staff and Hurtt's at Louisville on former UF defensive coordinator Charlie Strong's Cardinals staff.

Among the allegations Shapiro makes involving former members of the coaching staff  includes:

    * Hurtt, Hill, Stoutland and Pannunzio delivered football recruits to Shapiro's multi-million dollar home, allowing the booster to make recruiting pitches to the prospective players.
    * Shapiro stated that he took high school recruits on his yacht as well as to strip clubs at the behest of the coaches, paying for services rendered at the latter establishment.
    * Coaches took part in strip club visits with Shapiro and Hurricane football players.

In addition to the allegations involving coaches playing active roles in major violations, Shapiro was also the co-owner of Axcess Sports & Entertainment, a sports representation agency.  Shapiro claims the agency — Shapiro's partner was Michael Huyghue, currently the commissioner of the UFL — funneled money to former Miami players Vince Wilfork and Jon Beason, as well as dozens of other unnamed players.  Wilfork, Shapiro claimed, was paid a lump sum of $50,000 while he was a Miami player as an inducement to sign with Axcess; Wilfork ultimately signed with the agency before becoming a first-round pick in the NFL draft.

Just as damaging as the above claims are to the program is the fact that Shapiro alleges a dozen unnamed, current members of the football roster were the alleged beneficiaries of Shapiro's financial benevolence, which ended in April of 2009 after he was arrested for defrauding dozens of individuals out of over $80 million in a Ponzi scheme.  Shapiro claims he was just grabbing the financial assistance baton from Luther Campbell, the rapper who was a big-time booster of the university before the school distanced themselves from him.

"Here's the thing: Luther Campbell was the first uncle who took care of players before I got going," Shapiro told Yahoo!. "His role was diminished by the NCAA and the school, and someone needed to pick up that mantle. That someone was me. He was 'Uncle Luke', and I became 'Little Luke.'

"I became a booster in late 2001, and by early 2002, I was giving kids gifts. From the start, I wasn't really challenged. And once I got going, it just got bigger and bigger. I just did what I wanted and didn't pay much mind toward the potential repercussions."

Shapiro was also asked why he did what he did, when he knew what he was doing could potentially place a football program he claimed to love dearly squarely in the NCAA crosshairs and in line for what could be significant sanctions.

"I did it because I could," he said. "And because nobody stepped in to stop me."

Among the things Shapiro claimed he did because he could included:

    * Putting up bounties of $5,000 for any Hurricane who could knock players like former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow out of games.
    * 39 Hurricane football players were on the receiving end of prostitutes paid for by Shapiro.  Shapiro initially set the players up in hotel rooms before moving the "encounters" to his yacht.
    * Provided plane tickets, jewelry, electronics and clothing to myriad players.
    * Allow players to take his $1.6 million yacht out on fishing trips and other excursions.  The boat was fully stocked with food and alcohol for the players.  Shapiro claimed it cost $2,000 to fill the boat up with fuel for the trips.
    * Paid for a stripper to have an abortion after she claimed an unnamed player had gotten her pregnant during an encounter.

There are myriad other claims, accusations and allegations made by Shapiro, but they are too lengthy to mention.  Thus, we'd strongly, strongly urge you to click HERE to read the entire expose because it is truly riveting stuff that would likely make SMU of the eighties blush.

Robinson utilized a laundry list of sources and financial documentation — some of which Shapiro has already turned over to the NCAA — to corroborate Shapiro's claims, which the Yahoo! reporter laid out in great detail.

    In an effort to substantiate the booster's claims, Yahoo! Sports audited approximately 20,000 pages of financial and business records from his bankruptcy case, more than 5,000 pages of cell phone records, multiple interview summaries tied to his federal Ponzi case, and more than 1,000 photos. Nearly 100 interviews were also conducted with individuals living in six different states. In the process, documents, photos and 21 human sources – including nine former Miami players or recruits, and one former coach – corroborated multiple parts of Shapiro's rule-breaking.

NCAA investigators have been in Miami since Monday digging for answers to questions Shapiro's claims have raised.  It's unclear how long The Association will remain on campus.

In light of Robinson's report and Shapiro's accusations, it could be a substantial period of time.

[CountDeMoney]

Among the things Shapiro claimed he did because he could included:

    * Putting up bounties of $5,000 for any Hurricane who could knock players like former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow out of games.
    * 39 Hurricane football players were on the receiving end of prostitutes paid for by Shapiro.  Shapiro initially set the players up in hotel rooms before moving the "encounters" to his yacht.
    * Provided plane tickets, jewelry, electronics and clothing to myriad players.
    * Allow players to take his $1.6 million yacht out on fishing trips and other excursions.  The boat was fully stocked with food and alcohol for the players.  Shapiro claimed it cost $2,000 to fill the boat up with fuel for the trips.
    * Paid for a stripper to have an abortion after she claimed an unnamed player had gotten her pregnant during an encounter.

And this is the U of M, right? 
Wake me up when it's Miami (OH).

[dps]

* Paid for a stripper to have an abortion after she claimed an unnamed player had gotten her pregnant during an encounter.

Not sure that one's technically a violation.

[CountDeMoney]

OREGON, Ohio -- Ohio State  University's president is back in the good graces of the Little Sisters of the Poor after turning them into a punch line last fall when he mocked other universities who don't play in football's power conferences.

Gordon Gee spent Wednesday touring a home for the elderly operated by the religious order in northwest Ohio, and he pledged to be one of their greatest advocates after putting them into the spotlight.

"As you know, I've made you famous," he told the residents and staff members.

He later stood next to Mother Cecilia Mary Sartorius, the home's administrator, who gave him a hug and whispered that he was forgiven. "Does everyone hear that I'm forgiven?" he shouted. "My day of penance is over."

Gee stepped into a controversy last November when he told The Associated Press that teams like TCU and Boise State don't deserve to play in the Bowl Championship Series title game because they don't play anybody. "We do not play the Little Sisters of the Poor," he said.

That comment rankled fans across the country as well as university officials.

Boise State's president, Bob Kustra, responded by calling Gee's comments a great exaggeration, saying it "gets under the skin of all of us who thought university presidents were supposed to be standing for fairness, equity and truth in how we portray our universities."

TCU fans got even following the Horned Frogs' win in the Rose Bowl over Wisconsin of the Big Ten with a message on billboards around Columbus that read, "Congratulations to TCU for their BCS Rose Bowl Victory." It was signed, "Little Sisters of the Poor."

Gee has famously gotten in trouble for his off-hand remarks, most recently during the memorabilia-for-cash and tattoos scandal that cost football coach Jim Tressel his job.

Gee was asked in March whether he'd considered firing Tressel. He responded: "No, are you kidding? Let me just be very clear: I'm just hopeful the coach doesn't dismiss me." Tressel stepped down three months later.

Gee admitted Wednesday that he knew nothing about the Little Sisters or their mission of serving the elderly poor at about 30 homes nationwide. He said his wisecrack turned out to be a good thing because it's helped promote the good work of the sisters.

"This is God's work here," he said, adding that he'd like to see Ohio State students and alumni volunteer at their facilities. He sent a personal check to the Little Sisters of the Poor last fall.

"Out of inadvertent humor can come great deeds," he said.

Gee shook hands with residents in wheelchairs, including those dressed in rival Michigan shirts and hats, and signed autographs for those wearing Ohio State jerseys while touring the home.

His visit was even bigger than bingo day, said activities director Rosanne Kalinowski.

It's difficult to find money to operate the facility that's home to 74 residents, Sister Cecilia said. Most months are run at deficit.

"We're very lowly, humble people," she said. "We take of the poor and try to reach out to get support. This has opened whole new doors for us."

The nuns gave him a bow tie with a Little Sisters logo and accepted his offer to attend a football game this fall.

"Sister Cecilia will dress up as a fullback," he said. "Of course, we'll expect special prayers on the Buckeyes that day."

[grumbler]

Yeah, Gee invented the "Little Sisters of the Poor" analogy...

Not.

I find it amusing that people could treat this moron and his statements as anything but stale, silly, and/or misinformed.  I know it is only Ohio, but surely they could have gotten someone smarter than Gee when they last went shopping for a president?

[dps]

I find it amusing that people could treat this moron and his statements as anything but stale, silly, and/or misinformed. 

Who treats them as anything else?  Well, anything else besides pompous, self-serving, and unsportsmanlike.