So, I was afraid I'd have to lead with the catastrophe that is Braxton Miller's new 'do but alas, Auburn came to the rescue.
Via Selena Roberts of roopstigo.com, comes a juicy story detailing all kinds of shenanigans taking place within the Tigers' football program. Before you scoff at the web source, take note that Roberts is a former columnist for the New York Times, senior writer for SI, and a graduate of Auburn University.
In her article surrounding a 2011 robbery allegedly carried out by players Mike McNeil, Antonio Goodwin, Shaun Kitchens and Dakota Mosley, Roberts details how Gene Chizik and the Auburn coaching staff supposedly left McNeil hanging out to dry in the name of protecting the program.
Further, the article contains allegations via quotes from said former players outlining various ways in which the coaching staff skirted a host of NCAA bylaws – beyond erecting churches without a paper trail – in an effort to keep the program in position to compete for SEC and national titles.
In the lengthy but worthy long read, highlights abound. On the topic of Academic Fraud:
Three players say that before the BCS Championship game the team was told that as many as nine of their teammates would not be able to play in the title game because they were academically ineligible. “We thought we would be without Mike Dyer because he said he was one of them, but Auburn found a way to make those dudes eligible,” says Mike Blanc, a teammate and roommate of Mike McNeil’s. Dyer’s name was cited by McNeil, too. Dyer did not respond to calls to his cell phone.
Before the season, McNeil says he was given an F for attendance in a computer science class. “I had B work but I missed too many classes; and I went to the instructor and said, ‘I really need this grade,’” says McNeil. “He said that he was sorry but he wouldn’t change it. I went to the person over him. She was in a position of power and backed up the instructor. I then told my counselor with the athletic department.” Within days, McNeil says, the grade was changed from an F to a C and he did not miss a game.
On payments to players, including a coaching name you'll certainly recognize:
Receiver Darvin Adams, a star player with NFL dreams and a family to support, wrestled with whether to turn pro after the championship season. He discussed his plans with teammates and told them how much pressure he was under by Auburn coaches to stay. McNeil and Blanc say Auburn coaches offered Adams several thousand dollars to stay for his senior year. “It was sugar-coated in a way,” says Adams, who confirmed he was offered financial incentives, but declined to detail the exact amount. “It was like, we’ll do this and that for you. But I’d rather do things the right way. I am happy I didn’t say yes to that stuff. That’s what I’d tell kids.” Adams turned pro but went undrafted, a result, one NFL scout says, was due to negative reports on him from Auburn coaches. Adams plays for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and refuses to be bitter. “I play the cards I’m dealt,” he says.
Other players tell stories of in-season cash payments to players. “Coaches would say, ‘Don’t tell anyone where you got it from,’’’ says Blanc. McNeil recalls having a difficult day at practice in 2007 and then-defensive coordinator, Will Muschamp, calling him into his office. “I had no clue what it was about because I’d never directly asked him for anything,” says McNeil. “He slid about $400 over to me. He went into a drawer and gave me money and said, ‘Is this enough? Is this good?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I’m good.’” Muschamp, now the head football coach at the University of Florida, denied the payment through a spokesperson.
And, how could this story be complete without allegations of recruiting violations?
The NCAA allows less than $50 a day to be spent by student-athlete recruiters on visiting prospects but McNeil recalls coaches giving him $500 to entertain blue-chip player Dre Kirkpatrick, one of the top prep players in the country in 2008. “This is how it goes: Coaches have certain players that they trust. And when I say trust I mean on the field and off the field,” says McNeil. “It’s within the family. It’s within the system. If I’m a star player and I’m a likable person, and a recruit comes in at my position, then, of course, I’m going to take him under my wing. … If a star recruit was in town, you would get a lot more than the NCAA limit.” As Thorpe said, “A special recruit was treated like a king.”
Unsurprisingly, since the report was published, some of players quoted have changed their tune but Roberts stands by her article. It will be interesting to see how this story unfolds as McNeil's trial is scheduled to begin next week.
IT'S SPRING AGAIN (EVERYBODY KNOWS...). Back to the actual gridiron, the Buckeyes will hold practice #10 later this afternoon. Though the practice is closed, Kyle will be on hand afterward for a media session that includes availability to the likes of coaches Tim Hinton and Zach Smith, and players Jeff Heuerman, Nick Vannett, Philly Brown, Chris Fields, Devin Smith, Evan Spencer and Michael Thomas.
Just typing that last sentence, it's amazing just how many guys Braxton will be able to use in the passing game this season. The team is stocked at tight end and already boasts a solid WR corps led by Brown and Smith, and all of this is before the likes of incoming freshmen Jalin Marshall, Corey Smith, James Clark and Marcus Baugh line up to catch their first pass in the scarlet and gray. Oh, and the offensive line returns 80% of its awesomeness and the stable of running backs is so overflowing that I'd bet my signed John Cooper hot tub that Carlos Hyde won't rush for 1,000 yards. For all the talk of a potentially sketchy defense, the offense might just score enough points to render the Bullets virtually meaningless. Anyhoo, check back later tonight for Kyle's report from the media session.
Also of note, this Saturday marks the 2nd annual Student Appreciation Practice. Last year's version brought us this iconic photo and cemented Urban's place in the hearts of the student population.
CONLEY DOIN' WORK. The best point guard in the history of Ohio State basketball, Mike Conley, continues to improve at the NBA level. Already in his 6th professional season after Memphis took him with the 4th pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, Conley has seen his steals numbers increase each year in the league and after scoring the game-winning bucket last Monday against San Antonio, the avid bowler is averaging 14.4 points, 6.2 assists and 2.3 steals.
Conley attributes added muscle for his improved effectiveness, especially late in games, and it's paying off as the Grizzlies are in a dogfight for homecourt advantage in at least the 1st round of the playoffs.
Through 74 games, Conley trails only Chris Paul in steals per game despite having his steals streak snapped at 64 games in the win over the Spurs. Amazingly, since he was born in 1987, only Paul and some dude named Michael Jordan can boast a steals streak of at least that many games.
An all-class guy, it's great to see Conley doing so well in the league.
OSU has gone 94-19 with Deshaun Thomas on the rosterSPEAKING OF THE PROS. The chatter suggesting Deshaun Thomas will undoubtedly turn pro has reached a fever pitch in the last 24 hours, so much so that it's likely just a matter of days before Thomas officially announces his plan to enter this year's NBA Draft.
In my estimation, this is absolutely the right move for Deshaun in that this year's draft is projected to be pretty weak, at least significantly more so than the talent pool he might be up against next year. Further, knowing NBA teams draft largely with an eye on the player's max potential, I have a hard time understanding what Thomas can add to his game in another year in Columbus that would do something to drastically alter his draft stock.
Unfortunately, the various mock drafts and prospect rankings continue to be all over the map on Thomas. The senior-to-be sits as just the 59th best prospect according to Draft Express while Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports has Thomas as the 31 selection, aka first pick of the 2nd round, ahead of B1G counterparts like Gary Harris, Adreian Payne, Tim Hardaway Jr, Brandon Paul and Rodney Harris.
I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but Goodman seems to share my view:
He's probably a late first-rounder or early second-rounder, but he won't do much more than he did this season. Thomas isn't going to get any more athletic, and that's the knock on him. He might as well go now in what's a weak draft. VERDICT: Go pro
His status as a 'tweener' likely doesn't help his stock as it's realistic to see him struggling to have the requisite ball handling and slashing ability to be a legit 3-man at the next level and his lack of lift, size and overall athleticism combine to make a 4-spot a stretch. That said, one thing we know is that he's matured immensely during his time in Columbus and the kid has an incredible ability to put the biscuit in the basket. Hopefully, he'll have the same good fortune as Sully to catch on with a team that can smartly utilize his strengths while having the talent and roster makeup to hide his areas of opportunity.
Whatever the situation, there's no doubt the class act from Ft. Wayne will have plenty of support from Buckeye fans after having had the pleasure of watching him blossom on and off the court into a one hell of an ambassador for Thad's program and the university as a whole.
'MURICA!. The current Big East Conference announced last night that they've decided on a new league name effective the 2014-15 academic year. After partnering with lead consultant Ricky Stanzi, the league issued a press release proclaiming themselves the American Athletic Conference.
In case you've lost track, the new league will consist of UCF, Cincinnati, UConn, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, South Florida, Temple, Tulane and Tulsa. The Naval Academy will become a football-only member in 2015. You scurred? Me neither.
LINKIN LOGS. Craft breweries per million people in the U.S... Heavy Metal tats don't often rule... Bobby Knight's typical presser... Where the players in the Final Four come from... Rutgers Basketball Gets Commitment from Highly-Touted 5-Star Masochist (NSFW)... 14 Moments Made Better With Phish In The Background (H/T Blackstripe)... Favorite sports by country... I'm still guessing he's arrested before the leaves turn... Konerko is a stone-cold playa... So, I might start drinking coffee... Syracuse's zone is on fire... How the Final Four teams were built.
