A Corvette and a white suit? Damn, son.As mentioned in the comments, there's big news on the Terrelle Pryor front. Allegedly, Buckeye coaches are pretty close to a Jeanette businessman, Ted Sarniak, that happens to be even closer to the recruit that's been busy driving multiple fan bases crazy for the past month. Pryor is said to have worked a summer at Sarniak's glass factory and the Corvette you see pictured is allegedly owned by Sarniak and loaned to Pryor for prom.
Leading the charge in trying to unravel something is MGoBlog, which is really a shame, because Brian has spent the better part of the past two weeks railing against the "jihad" WVU has launched against Rodriguez.In his first post, where he brought Sarniak to light, he couches his language a little, but can't resist implying something's afoot:
Sarniak has a business in Dublin, Ohio, that's doing quite well. OSU coaches and Sarniak had dinner before Pryor's trip to Michigan. None can be proven, and all seem like sour grapes from schools not likely to end up with Pryor on their team.
But... yeah, Maurice Clarett was driving around an SUV he didn't own and Troy Smith was suspended for taking money from a booster and Jim O'Brien bought a bunch of Yugoslavians or something. Ohio State fans are an enthusiastic bunch, aren't they?
Today he revisited the issue, bringing the insta-classic Corvette photograph to the surface along with this awesomeness regarding a Scout.com analyst saying the Vette was old news:
The idea that a fellow who's buddy-buddy with the OSU coaches is going to give Terrelle Pryor a Corvette... new news? Is this kid even eligible?
Is the panic and desperation in Wolverine fan finally starting to show? I mean if they don't get Pryor, they are f-u-u-u-u-cked.
Much like the internet, college athletics, specifically football, is serious business. Recruiting is the fuel that keeps the engine burning and courting someone close to Johnny McStud -- usually a parent or a coach -- but not restricted to those two groups, is par for the course.
Comments
Hes going to visit Oregon now too.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c...
Tressel: Uh oh, TP is visiting Oregon.
OSU Assistant: What!? I thought we pai-
Tressel: Hey! I thought I told you we weren't talking about that again.
OSU Assistant: Oh, right. So, when we went and visited Mr. Sarniak before TP went to Michigan and we had those hundre-
Tressel: I said enough! Looks like we need to make another trip to Jeanette. You know, I just miss my good buddy and new friend Ted Sarniak. Why would people think anything suspicious about us visiting a 50 year old businessman who gives gifts to teenagers? I mean, WHY IN THE WORLD would anyone presume that we would EVER give this man ANYTHING at all that could possibly be given in turn to Terrelle to get him to OSU.
"OSU fans are an enthusiastic bunch" is the understatement of the century.
Josh = "sour grapes"
Josh= Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa scUM is going to get its ass kicked by tOSU for another 4 years so I have to come up with an excuse for why. It has to be because JT is cheating.
Perhaps someone should begin looking into the NCAA legalities of Fraudriguez telling Pryor he was going to coach the Hun before he had resigned at West By-God.
I don't think it is sour grapes if Ohio State doesn't get TP, the football program will still be in good shape. However, up North, it is a dire situation to get Terrelle. If they do not, it maybe a couple of long years and who will be their quarterback? I will be interested to see if RR can get a full 25 in his recruiting class, I believe he is at 15 verbals right now.
IMO, if Terrelle wants to be an NFL QB, he needs to develop his overall QB skills in college and I don't think the read-option offense will do that.
Pretty sure letting a recruit know you are changing jobs is not an NCAA violation TLB, at this point your reaching.
Nice job with the "Fraudriguez" very creative...
To be frank, I'm not a big fan of these shady connections coaches have with local businessmen, well-heeled boosters and the like. I think an image like the one posted above doesn't do anything for college athletics, and makes Ohio State look like a dirty program.
That said, shenanigans are nothing new around some of OSU's programs. I was good friends with a certain Randy Ayers recruit when I was in college. I will *not* identify the recruit, but he was not one of the wunderkids who got in trouble and were kicked out of the program - he was here for the duration. He was highly-touted coming out of high school, but did not really live up to expectations at OSU.
Every night after a game where he scored any points at all, there'd be an envelope under his door with a few hundred bucks in it, and I know first-hand that a couple of girls were sent to his apartment on a pretty routine basis. It didn't come from the coaches; it came from the boosters that surround the program like flies on excrement. It's hard to get rid of them. That stuff happens *everywhere* in college athletics. A cousin of mine played for Auburn in the mid-80s, and had no trouble getting money or finding transportation whenever he needed it.
As stated in the article accompanying the photo, m*ch*g*n desperately needs Pryor. Not getting him throws their program back two years. Ohio State would like to have him, but can live without him (though Robbie's transfer puts us in a bit of a pickle). Bones are being thrown to Pryor from *every interested program*.
MGoBlog has a lot of nerve criticizing anyone for shady dealings, considering that their entire basketball program has had to purge its records of almost anything having to do with the Fab Five era. If MGoBlog follows m*ch*g*n athletics as closely as he purports, he can't fail to see missing basketball banners in his arena.
What a sad time we live in...
When 4 year old Corvettes are given to #1 prospects in America! Was Jeanette Cadillac all out of new Escalades?
The whole thing is fishy BECAUSE it's not like the other cases as described by mgoblow, i mean mgoblog.
Clarett - Car was the dealer's.
Troy Smith - $500 cash from a booster
O'Brien - Cash to Foreign players
The media/blog lovefest of/created by Terrelle Pryor has put the #1 recruit in the spotlight. There is no possible way that someone related to Ohio State could look at this and go, "let's get this kid a Corvette and hope nobody notices".
You can hide rental cars and cash, but you can't hide black Corvettes parked in driveways.
"...your reaching."
Gawd, can *anyone* who's a fan of that "school" spell? Anyone?
I should add that the e-mails between Rodriguez' agent and the WVU athletic department are very interesting reading. These e-mails started as far back as the Autumn, and hint toward some of the very issues we're discussing here.
For once, the Detroit Free Press is right. I hope m*ch*g*n fully understands that with which they've embroiled themselves.
Sorry Joe Fox my education at OSU didn't help me out in the English department, besides these online blogs are notorious for correct grammar anyway.
From the emails I have read it appeared that RR was only fighting for control of his program and at the same time trying to bring WV football out of the dark ages. The school was spending football money to cover other departments and allowing too much influence from outside sources such as the Gov.
If anything they should be evidence of the internal problems prior to RR leaving for UM, leaving you to question why WV was so surprised when concerns had been expressed several times from RR and his staff with the direction and control of the program.
I'm going to have to agree on this one......WVU looks like the psycho ex-girlfriend that says she hates you and tries to ruin your life.....but would really take you back in a heartbeat if they were ever given the chance. Seriously, even the Falcons didn't make this much of a stink over Bobby Petrino.....and that situation was sooooo much worse.
Their......er.....They're (that's just of you Joe Fox) feeding into every stereotype the nation has about "westvirginias" being backwoods hillbillies! Kudos to you Mr. 2nd tier athletic program AD! Don't ever let anyone tell you your......er......you're (again for you Joe Fox) not a Traditional College Football power....and if they do, just continue to be delusional and think that winning the Big East actually means something....then when they tell you that you are wrong and your coach leaves for a top tier traditional power......cry and scream like a baby so all the world can see and remove any respectability your school had gained over the last decade.
If Pryor becomes a Buckeye, he will have played his hand beautifully: Get m*ich*gan to think they have a chance at him, get RR to put all his recruiting efforts behind him and even schedule a JT-inspired half-time speech at a hoops game in Feb, get the qb to transfer ... and then pull the rug out from under them. I Love it!
I agree, Wil, however a lot of that psycho-backlash could have been avoided if RR (or scUM) ponied up the 4 million bones that he owes WVU. Acting like he didn't owe WVU anything just dumped a ton salt into the wound. I'm still not sure how RR is getting away with not paying the $4 million that he is legally inclined to pay.
"that’s just of you Joe Fox"
You mean "for" me? I appreciate the attention every English-speaking person should be paying to correct use of the language. It's all that separates us from the primates.
I have never stated that Rodriguez didn't have cause to complain about the West Virginia Athletic Department. I have never stated that Rodriguez was wrong to go to m*ch*g*n. I am suggesting that if Rodriquez flirted with Alabama, got a better contract out of it, asserted his loyalty to his alma mater, then twelve months later left it for another school, he should man up and pay the buy-out on his contract, whether he thinks he morally owes it to WVU or not.
You don't have to part as friends, but you should part as gentlemen, and neither WVU nor Rodriguez are behaving that way.
"The school was spending football money to cover other departments and allowing too much influence from outside sources such as the Gov."
Manchin's inanity aside, it should be noted that nearly *every* successful D-I program uses football money to fund other departments. It's one of the primary reasons football is considered a money-making venture.
The notion that revenue generated by football should be directed solely to football-related activities is absurd on its face.
Sweet! I actually had a typo on my quip at typos! I'm not sure...but I believe miiiiiichigain did have people ready to pony up the money but that WVU wanted Richrod to pay instead of them. At least that was a rumor back in the day....never heard if it was confirmed or not though. Anybody?
here's a Wall Street Journal detailing what Joe Fox just said: http://online.wsj.com/public/a...
Buckeye football and men's basketball are the only sports that don't wind up in the red and, consequently, because of their profitability, Buckeye football success means more scholarships for synchronized swimmers and tennis players, who I hope we should all agree, deserve a shot at a college education as well.
Don't remember saying Football revenue was being used in other areas but thanks for assuming I did not understand that Men's Football and BBall support the rest of athletics, it was the actual money dedicated for football specific operations that was being taken.
"West Virginia University athletic department officials acknowledged Tuesday that they used money from a WVU Foundation account set aside for football recruiting expenses to manage other costs in the athletic department."
As for paying the 4 mill I wish RR would just pay it and get this behind him, but that 4 million did had stipulations that the items in RR's new contract were to be taken care of or he would not be responsible for the buyout. As the reports and emails are showing now it appears they were having lots of trouble with administration in accomplishing these goals no matter how big or small they were.
Seriously, it's just shameful that your reaction is "OMG!!!SCum is jealous!!!!" and not "Holy crap, this guy is looking filthy WELL before he gets to campus."
Honestly, what is it with Buckeyes and Buckeye recruits being provided with cars? We know you've washed your hands of Clarrett ... after the fact, of course.
Anything other than chastising your own athletic department is wasting your energy ... and frankly, pretty pathetic.
RPN, seriously, there is NOTHING to indicate ANY wrong doing by ANYONE (any schools, boosters, anyone) in association with that horrible picture of pryor and an old corvette. So, as of right now, my only reaction is that scUM is jealous and trying to create something out of nothing. All schools looking at pryor should be wondering about the quality of his character, not just tOSU and its fans.
As to your implied inaction about Clarrett, exactly what are you trying to say? tOSU attempted to help a troubled youth who had made a mistake by accepting an improper gift (which came from OUTSIDE the program, or beyond the control of the program) by working with him as he sat out for his indiscretion. instead, he decided to start throwing bombs at the school, the NFL, everyone who he precieved to be in his way. as a result, tOSU did what any school would do, cut ties. How, exactly, is that wrong in any sense of the word? i'm curious to see you back up this veiled insult.
if he goes to ohio state, its because the buckeyes cheated to get him.
if he goes to michigan, its because thats where he wants to be.
do i have that right, michigan fans?
Morgan.....please tell me that is sarcasm....because if you're being serious I have some Enron stock to sell you.....RUMOR (which is all these are) is that its back on its way up.
"Honestly, what is it with Buckeyes and Buckeye recruits being provided with cars? We know you’ve washed your hands of Clarrett … after the fact, of course.
Anything other than chastising your own athletic department is wasting your energy … and frankly, pretty pathetic."
It's "Clarett." And what is it with Chris Webber and gang being provided with cars, Armani suits and a thousands upon thousands of dollars? What's with that?
What's more pathetic? Folks who can't read the posts from other OSU fans uncomfortable with the way recruiting at the major-college level is handled, or m*ch*g*n fans who can't remember any of the ominous, highly-visible warning signs surrounding the Fab Five?
At least the Clarett saga didn't force OSU to remove whole pages from its history books - an event from which your basketball program has never recovered.
Also for those of you that don't think WVU was shading in their dealings and do think that they were keeping all they're promises to Richrod then read this article:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/...
This article also explains where the money was coming from that it shouldn't have been....& it makes it look as if Richrod was not trying to get more money for himself, just trying to keep the funds he was promised where they were supposed to be so that he could continue to help the WVU football program grow.
"RUMOR (which is all these are) is that its back on its way up."
Wil, that's "it's." Not "its."
But I'm sure that was another quip on typos.
I think to be fair to Michigan, I don't believe the Athletic Dept., Coach Rodriguez or any of their coaches are involved in making claims and charges that OSU is using 'questionable' methods to reel Pryor to the Buckeyes.
I believe it's some fervent Wolverine bloggers and fans that are making the claims.
If Pryor goes to Ohio State, then that's where he wants to go.
If Pryor goes to Michigan, then that's where he wants to go.
If Pryor goes to Oregon or LSU...what the %^& is he thinking?!?!
Seriously, I don't think any athletic program is 100% clean, and boosters are notorious around the country. Here in CA, USC is the local program with booster that have more money than God and no hesitation to spend it to continue their dominance.
I don't think for a second that Ohio State's boosters are worse than Michigan's or vice versa.
I think we all need to just sit back and watch where Pryor goes...of his own free will. He brought Charlie Batch in to help him make a decision, so local businessman or Boosters from school a or b will likely have little influence on the decision. Batch HAS to be telling this kid that if he keeps his nose clean for 3 years, there's a seven-figure contract waiting for him on the other side. Risking that for a used Corvette or $500 here or there makes NO sense whatsoever....
That...and I'm a Michigan fan hoping he goes to Ann Arbor. There'll be disappointment from whichever side doesn't get him, but we can be civil with one another, right?
"Seriously, I don’t think any athletic program is 100% clean, and boosters are notorious around the country. Here in CA, USC is the local program with booster that have more money than God and no hesitation to spend it to continue their dominance.
I don’t think for a second that Ohio State’s boosters are worse than Michigan’s or vice versa."
Precisely correct. USC has serious trouble pending with the Reggie Bush situation. Ohio State had its Clarett. m*ch*g*n had its Fab Five. Boston College kids were shaving points. There are problems at Ohio University, for God's sake.
There is so much money flowing around out there, and so many ill-disciplined, naive kids out there willing to accept it, and so many "friends" of these players out there who are willing and eager to ride their jersey tails to the top, and so much prestige and revenue at stake in the games and bowl selections, that it's a wonder these things don't happen more often than they do.
Nope, just in a hurry because I AM at work. I don't always get time to read over my shorter posts.
But that's why I have you......my very own personal editor.
i and most of my fellow michigan fans have conceeded to the fact that Terelle Pryor is going to be a buckeye. you've been recruiting him for nearly a year, our coaching staff (well, half) has been courting him to come to michigan for a little over a month. Pryor seems like, well, a good player but one player is not the end all/ be all of any program, especially michigan. you've won a lot of our head to heads recently, congrats. we owned you throughout the entire 90's (and all time, for what its worth). the only reason that anyone is commenting upon this whol TP/Ted Sarniak deal is because it fits into a pattern of behavoir that your administration and coaching staffs (basketball and football, anyway) have consistently engaged in over the past 8 years. Tressel, while not specifically hit with violations in the YS case, was cited as having lost "institutional control" of the football program. Even the most hard-headed OSU fans HAS to recognize the similarity between the YS case and proven cases of Troy Smith taking cash and Clarett taking cash and the allegations against AJ "I suck balls in the pros and I married Brady Quinn's ugly sister" Hawke. It's just funny that sweater vest always seems to be an arm's length away from the "action." factor in the Jim O'Brien case, the NY Times and 60 Minutes stories on your "rigid" athlete curriculum, and you'll see why we think the way we do. And its funny to bring up the Ed Martin case: Michigan basketball has paid dearly and completely for that debacle. the story, you should note, started in a similiar way to this: a car crash led to some rumours which led to some facts which led to the destruction of the program. Maybe this is all just sour grapes, but maybe its not. And if its not, I will be basking in the afterglow.
Joe Fox, they happen all the time.....but what do Michigan, OSU, & USC have in common in regards to the time frames in which violations were found? They were all dominating: OSU and USC both had recently won national titles & the fab five went to 2 Final Fours. Everyone is doing this.....only the teams that are WINNING are garnering enough attention to get caught.
Are you joking? Your name is "Big Gay Heart" and you want us to take you seriously?
And No Michigan did NOT pay completely for that....it never went to trial because the witness was killed.
And gloating over your victories in the 1800's and early 1900's is REALLY getting old. You had a program for years and we were just starting out.....it's like a college kid bragging about beating up a 3rd grader. Well guess what, this 3rd grader has finally matured and is whooping your @$$ now old man.....my advice, stay down and take the 10 count.....don't get back up....you're just going to embarrass yourself.
Joe Fox,
I'm not sure we all understand RR's frustration with the money spending @ WVU the same way. I've never read anything that made me believe that he wanted all $$$ made by the football program to go right back to the football program. I agree, that would be purely absurd.
The Charleston Daily Mail said:
West Virginia University athletic department officials acknowledged Tuesday that they used money from a WVU Foundation account set aside for football recruiting expenses to manage other costs in the athletic department."
To me, it sounds like they set aside a budget for RR to be used for recruiting, then used the money for other things instead. This is something that would frustrate pretty much any department director in the world, not just a coach.
I work in the IT field, and every year, my department gets a certain budget. If I'm promised money that I can use for my department, but then that money is taken away, it throws a HUGE wrench in what I'm trying to accomplish.
That being said, budgets are not by any means a way of setting in stone the exact way that every dollar will be spent. It's impossible to be that certain of anything. It's possible RR overreacted to budgetary revisions. But it's also possible that WVU pulled the rug from under his feet. As far as I'm aware, we really don't have any evidence to clearly confirm either stand.
But I've digressed... bottom line, I've never read anywhere that RR said "We made that money here in football, it all stays here in football!"
[...] Still Owns Tressel Not wanting to be outdone by the Vest in the think-of-the-children-he’s-recruiting-too-hard category, Urban Meyer is taking it up a [...]
Thanks BIG GAY HEART for stopping by and being a douche in the middle of a conversation.
Well sort of a conversation, if you take out JOE FOX's enlightening sessions on punctuation and grammar when he can't think of anything intelligent to say...
Are you joking? Your name is “Big Gay Heart†and you want us to take you seriously?
It's an internet psuedoname, no different than any other. ("Wil" for example). It's from a Lemonheads song, sorry that I venture outside your artistic tastes, which are undoubtedly limited to "Trapt" and "Three Days Grace."
And No Michigan did NOT pay completely for that….it never went to trial because the witness was killed.
Get your facts straight. Or at least have the goddamn foresight to consult with Google. Ed Martin died of a "pulmonary embolism." The witness you speak of is most likely C. Malvo, whom I may report, is still alive. And you obviously don't undertsand the situation if you're speaking of a "trial," in the first place. To bring legal action against the University of Michigan, it would have to be proven that their was involvment at the insitutuional level. Sadly (for your purposes, you hairy cunt), Steve Fisher was, as the NCAA put it, cleared of any direct wrongdoing although he was "severely criticized him for allowing Martin to have access to his players." Michigan paid the full price for its role in the affiar. The legal matters concerning Martin (money laundering) were unconnected to the Michigan Basketball program. In that sense, the guy wasn't even a booster, just a member of an organized syndicate that saw illicit "donations" as a way to launder money. But yeah, I mean you're right.
And gloating over your victories in the 1800’s and early 1900’s is REALLY getting old. You had a program for years and we were just starting out…..it’s like a college kid bragging about beating up a 3rd grader. Well guess what, this 3rd grader has finally matured and is whooping your @$$ now old man…..my advice, stay down and take the 10 count…..don’t get back up….you’re just going to embarrass yourself.
Ok, so say we dont count the series as being a rivalry until 1919 (only one game was played in the 1800's, chief) . Michigan still holds a lead. But whatever. I think the point, here, that you're missing is that Michigan dominated the late 80's and 90's, going 12-3-1 from 1985-1990, and 8-1-1 from 1988-1997. I think the point your trying to make is that you have selective memory that is seemingly unable to stretch beyond 2000. A new milenium and a new way of thinking, huh? I think the bottom line in all of this is that you've never really recovered from being molested by uncle (aka mommy's live in boyfriend) billy.
Also Wolverine, i have a giant set of balls. I'd like to drag them seductively across your mouth and nose. Is that ok?
I don't remember playing 16 games between 1985 and 1990. But then again, I am getting old.
Anyone else wonder if the recruit is more hype than substance? And, will he be problems for whatever school he ends up choosing?
"Also Wolverine, i have a giant set of balls. I’d like to drag them seductively across your mouth and nose. Is that ok?"
And after that nice speech about you not being gay but rather referring to a "internet psuedoname" the first comment that came to mind was a gay one?
Last I checked this was an OSU blog, I stopped by to talk to some friends who visit and thought I would make some comments on Pryor and RR's situation. If you stopped by just to be a troll and pick fights, then on behalf of all UM and OSU fans simply fuckoff.
Ok, so you called me a hairy cunt, and mentioned that you wanted to drag your balls across Wolverines' mouth and nose.....yet you think I was molested.....I'm not really sure here but this stuff seems to be coming from your mind and not mine.
I also like how you state that people who were boosters for Michigan using Michigan players (whether they knew or not is irrelevant) to help them launder money has nothing to do with Michigan. And I will admit that I did jump to my own conclusions in thinking that the “pulmonary embolism" that Ed Martin died of was dirtier than it sounds....however I do not claim to have any evidence to support this. I just think it's odd that one of the men who can't implicate these athletes and possibly other boosters dies at such an odd time.
As to your selective memory comment:
Why is it I don't see you mentioning how OSU dominated the series in the 50's and 60's........the series is cyclical you idiot! And right now OSU is dominating. With a win next year (which all odds point to) OSU will have the longest win streak of either team in 50 years.
And how very convenient that you choose 1919 as the starting year so that Michigan would still narrowly lead by 3 wins (44-41-4)……Am I surprised that you didn’t pick say the last 50 years (which Ohio State leads narrowly) or from 1928 (considering between 1897 and 1927 Ohio State went 3-2-19 in the 1st 24 games…lets see after that point it would be…..well dead even….you see my fowl mouthed friend, anyone can skew the statistics to benefit them.
Oh, and “It’s an internet psuedoname, no different than any other. (â€Wil†for example).â€
Wil IS my fucking name you moron.
I didn't stop by to "pick a fight." I gave an outside perspective on an issue that affects both of us. Would I be happy if OSU went on probation? Sure, a little bit. For a couple weeks. And then, I'd realize that it sucks. I'm not so naive to pretend that my hate for OSU doesnt intensify my love for Michigan. Its what rivalries do. If OSU or U of M didnt exist, then we probably wouldnt care about our teams in the way we do.
The Ed Martin thing is irrelevant in many ways. He was not a U of M booster. He saw an opportunity and made his move. He didnt care about the program (say what you want about boosters, but they want to win and they care about winning). Martin didnt impact the recruiting of the Fab 5. His incursion into the program happened to coincide with the Fab 5. He didnt care if they won or lost, he cared only about his personal finacial gain. And none of the players he gave money to had ANY indication that it was coming from organized crime. Nonetheless, Michigan, as an institution, should have prevented it. And they paid the price. Our BB program is still in shambles, although I do have high hopes for Beilein.
The only point I'm trying to make is that the series is, as you said, cyclical. You seem to have a decent perspective on the whole thing. But there's a lot of OSU fans (I grew up in Columbus, so I know how all this works. Just as a sidenote, the Monday after the Game was always awesome for me. I was pulling in like 20 buxxx in bets and when you're a little kid, thats sweet.) who would like to pretend the 90's didnt exist. The win streak thing is over-rated because it doesnt account for ties. You know this to be true.
Don't pull the this is an "OSU Blog-thing" here. These here internets is free for everyone to use. If you want to limit who reads this blog, set up a password system. Ya feel me?
Yeah, I totally used that tie thing to my advantage...I'm not gonna lie.
But I have to correct you, Ed Martin WAS a U of M booster….it does not matter whether he cares for the university or not….it only matters if he donates money to the university.
Here is an article in the Ann Arbor News that directly refers to Martin, by name, as a booster:
http://www.mlive.com/wolverine...
Here is another one (from the Ann Arbor News) that your athletic director admits that money was being laundered through players while they were at the university:
http://www.mlive.com/wolverine...
Bottom line: EVERY major university is going to have their problems and NO coach is going to be able to keep their eye on all of it…..you just hope the coaches aren’t involved, such as that jack@SS we had Obie, who was giving players money himself.
Also, I do have to agree with Wolverines, you really shouldn’t have that name, try and defend yourself from being gay because you’re artistic, and then talk about wanting to put your balls on some other guy’s mouth and throw out accusations of other people getting molested by their “uncle.†I don’t care if you can paint the Mona Lisa or Sculpt Michelangelo’s David…..I’m still going to rip you. Furthermore I grew up in the outskirts of Columbus too, not the South (please exclude Florida from this negative stereotype of the south) where mothers normally don’t get divorced and date hillbilly rapists, my parents have been married for over 35 years, and Dana Jacobson hates me too. So next time before you start rambling perverted comments like an adolescent. Use your brain first and you might keep a little integrity.
Funny thing about that material off of mgoblog, it says Michigan cheated but Michigan is not responsible, some dead guy was, so it’s ok.
MoC, every wolverine fans most favorite buckeye, accepted a gift he shouldn’t have, falsified an insurance report, then lied about it. He was eventually kicked out of school. When he was eligible he played, when he started breaking rules he was punished by the school. I know UM fans wanted Ohio State to hold Mo out of games his freshman year for crimes he would commit as a sophomore, but Tom Cruise and his precogs were busy at the time, so they had had to wait for the crime to occur before enforcing punishment (stupid linear time).
Notice how hard mgoblog comes down on Troy Smith (who was punished by Ohio State for taking the cash, and Robert Baker is not allowed to donate money or purchase tickets anymore) over $500, while saying that the over $600,000 that Martin was funneling to UM basketball was totally no big deal. Martin’s relationship with Weber started well before college, so don’t try to tell me that the money didn’t affect Weber’s choice of school. Baker was allowed by Ohio State to purchase tickets (kind of hard to sell out 105,000 if you don’t allow the public to buy tickets), Michigan gave free final four tickets and transportation to Martin. . . which one of these guys had the sketchy relationship with the school? The point is that the University of Michigan went out of its way to bring Martin in, Ohio State allowed an idiot to buy tickets. Math would also tell us the Michigan infraction was 1,200 times more severe than the Ohio State infraction, which one should matter more?
O’Brien cheated. He lied about it to the university. He lied about to the NCAA. He was fired (then bizarrely won a wrongful termination suit, that lawyer must be fantastic). Ohio State should have been more vigilant about the basketball program when O’Brien was there, and they were rightfully punished for what happened.
This from The Michigan Daily (5/12/03) seems to paint to a different reality than mgoblog about Martin’s involvement with the basketball program.
Mid 1980’s
After the prospect enrolls at Michigan, Martin and the prospect's father begin to attend Michigan games and practices. Martin also accompanies Watson to games and practices, and even gained entrance into the team's locker room. During this time, Martin develops a relationsip with Frieder.
(If Michigan is as elite as you tell me it is, wouldn’t you think they could spell relationship correctly if given 4 years to correct it! Also bear in mind Weber is still in elementary school at this point, please don’t tell me Martin had no relationship with Michigan during this time, it makes me angry when intelligent people try to tell me things that are very, very wrong.)
1989
Frieder leaves Michigan and Steve Fisher becomes the new head coach. Martin begins to provide gifts to Fisher and his family.
Early 1990s
Martin continues to form a tight bond with Fisher. In return, the coaching staff regularly makes tickets to Michigan basketball games available to Martin.
1991
Watson joins Michigan as an assistant coach. Martin begins his relationship with Robert Traylor when he is a freshman in high school. When Fisher travels to Traylor's home on a recruiting visit, Martin is also present. Between 1994 and 1998, Martin gives Traylor about $160,000.
1992
When Michigan reaches the Final Four, the University receives a limited number of rooms at the team hotel. Fisher makes two of the coveted rooms available to Martin. Martin keeps one room for himeself, and gives the other room to Webber's father, a violation.
February 1996
Five Michigan basketball team members, including Traylor and Taylor and a recruit, Mateen Cleaves, visit Martin at home. Martin provides money to all the players, including Cleaves. After the meeting, the group is involved in a car accident. The accident raised questions about the car's ownership and Martin's involvement with the Michigan program.
The last one is just funny because with all the national titles Martin and Michigan tried to buy, they ended up buying one for Michigan State University.
Why is all this important, because Michigan’s athletic department was very aware of Ed Martin, they provided things for him, he did service for them. He was very much like an employee.
PS I feel very badly about poor Jamal, it’s awful that the NCAA enforced its rules instead of turning a blind eye like they did for Frieder, Fisher, Weber, Traylor, Taylor, Bullock, Cleaves and at least four other unidentified players (also O’Brien and Savovic).
I usually like reading Brian. He's a good writer and usually has goot info and/or opinions. But this is an ugly side of him. He keeps shouting at the rain over tOSU terrible reutation. This from a fan of a school that hired Rich Rodriguez, whose rep is worse than anything he can muster against tOSU.
Maurice Clarett was a nutjob that would've gotten intro trouble anywhere. Heck, he even got in trouble after being a 3rd round pick. His lack of character didnt stop everyone on earth from recruiting him.
Troy Smith was supended for 1 game by the NCAA. Tress made it 2, and because of that he didn't start the Texas game thats a big loss for 500 dollars.
And yes compare Boban to the Fab Five. PLEASE!!!
Ohio State is no more clean or unclean than any other mega college sports factory out there. Academically, the players on the team are doing at least as well as the rest of the Big Ten, and the recruits that he signs are have had increasingly better and better academic profiles. Calling them a "dirty" program is unfounder.
Usually Brian knows better than this....
BTW - The picture is from prom...of Pryor's sophomore year. SOPHOMORE!!! Apparently Tressel was illegally recruiting him back when he was a sophomore. Ironically, at the time he had committed to Jamie Dixon to play SF at Pitt. Aparently, Tress knew he would not only decommitt from Pitt, but decommitt from basketball. Must be a smart guy, that Tressell....
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse...
1460 is saying that TP has narrowed his choices to UM & OSU.
[...] Rich Rodriguez’ move to Michigan before West Virginia did. Most recently his connection to a prominent businessman, and decision to wait until after signing day to make up his mind have all been big Internet [...]