Bad agents have messed up now: They’ve made Nick Saban mad
Hoover, Ala.—Now they’ve done it.
I’m talking about the sleazy agents. Yeah. You know who you are.
You gave us Reggie Bush and the fall of the men from Troy.
You have us in an NCAA investigation that started in North Carolina and seems to be growing by the day. You don’t care that you violate NCAA rules and put the eligibility of these kids in jeopardy and hurt scores of other kids who will never play in the NFL. You don’t care. Not your job. I get that.
Well, know this bubba. You’ve messed up now.
You have made Nick Saban mad and you’ve screwed up the first day of SEC Media Days, which is nothing short of a Southern holiday in this part of the world. It is not to be messed with and you, my friend, have just messed with it.
Word got out yesterday that Alabama is looking into defensive end Marcel Dareus and whether he broke NCAA rules by attending an agents’ party in South Florida. If somebody affiliated with the agent paid Dareus’s expenses, then the Alabama player broke the rules and could have to sit out some games.
The NCAA is already looking into former Florida player Maurkice Pouncey who may have taken money from an agent prior to the Sugar Bowl. Pouncey’s brother, Mike, will be here today representing Florida and will be peppered with questions about Maurkice instead of football.
The NCAA has also looked at South Carolina tight end Weslye Saunders on this issue, which is going to dominate these meetings.
Even the unflappable Mike Slive, the SEC Commissioner, is hot under the collar about this one.
I would have this additional word to the sleazy agents: You can do this stuff in the Pac-10 and the Big Ten. Those folks will simply be annoyed.
It ain’t that way here. When it comes to messing with college football in the South, people do not have a sense of humor. They go straight for the pitchforks. You don’t want keep doing this in the SEC. Trust me when I tell you that it’s not good for business.
Saban asks, rightfully so, if it makes sense to throw open the doors to the NFL if that body is not going to help the colleges on this issue. The NFL could simply decree that if you host parties and give stuff to guys who still have eligibility left, and that kid loses eligibility, you don’t get to represent NFL players for a while. The NFL needs to realize that the colleges are the perfect training ground for their future employees. They need to step up to the plate.
If this one party in South Beach causes Dareus to sit, and thus impacts Alabama’s season as the defending national champions, that agent had better change addresses. His identity will be known and he would be well advised not to enter the state of Alabama. They’ll slap a subpoena on you around here—or worse.
But seriously, what should college football do about this? They educate the athletes. They know the rules. If Marcel Dareus got a plane ticket paid for by someone else and his expenses were paid by someone other than his family, he knows he broke the rules. And if Alabama confirms this, the school will have no choice but declare him ineligible and apply to the NCAA for reinstatement. No choice.
Do they ban NFL scouts from campus? Don’t think so. That’s short sighted.
Do they just put these guys under lock and key? Can’t really do that with a 20-hour rule.
Do you make a law against this? A bunch of states already have laws addressing this. The agents ignore the laws.
I think you do two things: You continue to open up the process. Some schools host agents on their campus to do interviews with potential clients. Keep doing that. Demystify the process and get it out of the shadows.
But you also have to ask for help from the NFL.
Just asking: What would you do about these agents?
Man. They just don’t know who they are messing with.
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Programming note: We will be broadcasting our “Talkin’ Football” Show on CSS today, Thursday, and Friday at 6 p.m., Eastern time. Tonight we will sit down with Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Dan Mullen, and Joker Phillips. Bob Neal, Mark Schlabach, Brady Ackerman, and Sandra Goldman join me on the broadcast team. Check us out!
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412 comments Add your comment
Fred
July 21st, 2010
9:08 am
Saban was named #9 most disliked person in Sports by Forbes. Hey, at least he beat out Michael Vick.
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/sports/Forbes-Calls-Traitor-Saban-No-9-Most-Hated-52122707.html
Fred
July 21st, 2010
9:08 am
Lokk, i’m just tired of the ncaa and ajc picking on my bulldogs.
Rob
July 21st, 2010
9:10 am
The most hated list. Interesting……most hated = winners. No wonder everyone loves Richt and all his gay schenanigans he pulls.
The most interesting man alive
July 21st, 2010
9:10 am
What’s your point freddie; sure they hate saban and meyer. But everyone loves helen hunt suntanned lookalike mark richt.
Hankie Aron
July 21st, 2010
9:11 am
Most interesting,
Not concerned with Fred or what he says. The column is on UA, Saban, Dareus, and the slimy agents. NOT UGA. Moron
Russ
July 21st, 2010
9:11 am
Sick of all the Saban finger pointing. His player, and himself, is to blame here. Grow up, take responsibility, and be a decent role model. Saban never learns. Man, this guy is not likable at all. He just turned off every sports agent, kissing his players’ NFL futures goodbye over a stupid immatire rant, typically Saban bloviation.
Fred
July 21st, 2010
9:12 am
Stop! I’m going to put on my black jersey and black helmet and go pretend we might someday beat the gators. I’m gonna score and have my mom throw a flag in the living room when i do my touchdown dance.
The most interesting man alive
July 21st, 2010
9:12 am
hankie dipship; read the column then, everyone else read it and is reacting to your ugay moron brother. go back to mobile boy.
Beast from the East
July 21st, 2010
9:12 am
jumbeauxtiger,
What’s the word over in Baton Rouge? Have any players been rumored to be involved in this mess? It’s starting to sound like an “all-star team” party on South Beach!
dawgdoodie
July 21st, 2010
9:13 am
Attn: Original. The word is you’re, not your. And stop defending saban and alabama. It’s not dignified and coming from someone who claims to be an Auburn fan it’s not credible. So until you have something nasty and true to say about the rednecks from Tuscaloosa, keep your pie hole shut. Thank you and have a nice day.
Pong
July 21st, 2010
9:13 am
I say the NCAA gets tough, sends a message, and suspends Saban and his player, for 1 year, per Saban’s suggestion, as far as the term goes.
Robert W. Miller
July 21st, 2010
9:14 am
The comment that the Big Ten would just be annoyed if this happened there is disingenuous to say the least. The Big Ten is one of the cleanest if not the cleanest conference for following rules. And this comes from someone representing the SEC, the most penalized conference for violations.
BobDog
July 21st, 2010
9:15 am
You can’t stop a crook from being a crook. Agents or players.
A lot of these kids only choose the college because it’s a means to the end- to play in the NFL and make lots of money. There is no loyalty. You’re right that NCAA football is the NFL’s farm team system.
O City Blues
July 21st, 2010
9:16 am
I like it how Alabama fans start bashing Georgia over Nick Saban’s and his player’s mistake. Typcial. This has nothing to do with Georgia folks. This one’s on Saban and his player.
jumbeauxtiger
July 21st, 2010
9:16 am
I don’t understand what the point of Saban being disliked has to do with the agent issue.
He is disliked because he is demanding. That’s his style and he obviously is successful.
BTW I’ve met him and he’s not a bad guy at all
Brian
July 21st, 2010
9:18 am
David
The rockies have until Aug 16th to continue talks. They will pony up. You don’t take a guy with the 9th pick and let him go. Parker won’t be playing football.
Big time?? Not
July 21st, 2010
9:19 am
The Player’s Union is responsible for certifying and policing Agents, not the NFL. Look it up.
jumbeauxtiger
July 21st, 2010
9:20 am
I haven’t heard of any Tiger players being involved with this Beast. Of course we recruit in South Florida (DeWayne Bowe, Ali Highsmith,etc & incoming fresh Jakori Gore) so we very well may someone involved with that.
LSU has enough to worry about with improvement needed on offense and a tough schedule. We don’t need any of this right now.
GaDawg
July 21st, 2010
9:21 am
Why is old Awburn so upset an talking this jawga crap. Was there an Awburn Limo outside this party? Things that make you go Hmmm
theo
July 21st, 2010
9:21 am
O city blues, learn to read and comprehend. Fred the Georgia fan started the crying.
Sick of Saban's Ego
July 21st, 2010
9:21 am
College football is going to dictate to the NFL how things should be?? HILARIOUS!!! That’s like minor league baseball telling the big league what to do. The reason why college football is such big business is because the players are trying to get the NFL. Little Nicky needs to learn his place, especially since he was a total FAILURE in the NFL.
You want accountability? Make the players accountable. They are the ones who accept the money/gifts. Have them sign a contract that stipulates the punishment (i.e., fines) they will incur by playing with agents while still in college. Make them pay back their college expenses or more. That’s how you start to address this. Nick Saban can SHUT UP already.
Anonymous
July 21st, 2010
9:23 am
Beast:
Just a “cost of doing business.”
It IS sad.
Miles
July 21st, 2010
9:24 am
It takes two to tango, i.e., agent and player! Both are responsible for breaking the rules. To blame these alleged problems simply on the agents is only half the story, Mr. Barnhart. Taking responsibility for one’s OWN actions is what life is all about…even in the South!
Sick of Saban's Ego
July 21st, 2010
9:24 am
I’m sorry, I’m a big idiot.
J Dog
July 21st, 2010
9:24 am
Saban’s so full of hot air. He needs to figure out how to finish in the top 10 consecutively more than 1 time in his career. He doesn’t even have a decent winning %, 700. He’s an ok coach, a “timing” coach, he times it to have a big year every 9 or 10 years. Saban’s record the rest of the years is pathetic, he wins 7 games or less, 50% of his coaching seasons.
Nick Saban, the human yo yo, aka “Mr. See Saw”, the most inconsistent coahc in America.
OldSnarky
July 21st, 2010
9:24 am
To ‘The Original Auburn Man’…Are you an Auburn Grad. Just wondering about your spelling and the proper use of ‘you’re’ and ‘your’. …just sayin!
Beevis
July 21st, 2010
9:30 am
Old Snarky,
Your grammar is awful. Ever heard of using a period in a sentence?
Beast from the East
July 21st, 2010
9:31 am
To all those bashing Saban, I think we should be thanking him. More college coaches should be speaking out on this issue and demanding some help from the NFLPA with the agent issue. If Meyer, Spurrier, Butch Davis, Richt, etc would chime in it might help to have an impact. I don’t agree with everything Saban has said and done in the past but I feel he is right on in reagrds to this issue. Can you imagine a HC’s frustration with his player when this happens? What else can he do? Don’t let your disdain for Saban cloud your judgment on this agent issue.
Quirky Dirky
July 21st, 2010
9:33 am
Attn dawgdoodie, you should not begin a new though in writing with the word “and”.
The most interesting man alive
July 21st, 2010
9:34 am
J dog = Mark Richt, suntanned helen hunt lookalike preacher boy
Barrrffffffff
July 21st, 2010
9:35 am
Wow. Tony must not have taken his meds before he wrote this.
The SEC is THE most corrupt conference in the NCAA.
That well-established FACT is beyond dispute.
Its how the SEC does “bid-ness.”
And, make no mistake, it aint about college education.
Its about THE MONEY.
This is the biggest pile of hypocritical bullsh**
Tony has written in a VERY long time.
But, Tony being the #1 SEC-homer-apologist,
no one should expect anything different from Tony.
george
July 21st, 2010
9:36 am
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_bianchi/2010/07/forget-southern-cal-alabama-is-ncaas-most-consistent-cheater.html
Great article for all you bammers out there.
J Dog
July 21st, 2010
9:37 am
The most interesting man alive = anti Mark Richt, .769 win %, 90 wins in 9 seasons, 19 top 10 finishes in 24 years, 14 consecutive top 10 finishes.
Fred
July 21st, 2010
9:38 am
We’re gonna have another Black Out this year in A-Town and win!
Gooooooooooo Dawgs, Sic em…hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!!
Bammer B
July 21st, 2010
9:39 am
aTTN: The most interesting man alive
Leanr how to spell, ‘lookalike’, seriously?
fraction
July 21st, 2010
9:40 am
You guys are all going to look stupid when the truth comes out. Listen to Mark Schlabach from ESPN about the situation. He knows more than anyone.
The most interesting man alive
July 21st, 2010
9:40 am
You are so right J dog; the rest of the SEC East is upset when we hear he is on the hot seat. You forgot to mention Weedeater bowl.
LL Cucumber
July 21st, 2010
9:40 am
Hey “Barrrffffffff”, you should not use ain’t in a sentence.
The most interesting man alive
July 21st, 2010
9:41 am
Barffff, head on back to Big Ten country where you belong.
XpatHeel
July 21st, 2010
9:42 am
This junk started last week. ncaa entrapment. sent spies to the SoBeach party. got photos. want to fix the R.Bush fiasco by going after any and all future 1st round draftees. UNC has about a half dozen. We got jumped when all the coaches went on vacation. LSU, you’re on the list. if your db was there, he’ll get put in the box too.
Agents are scum.
FSU Guy
July 21st, 2010
9:42 am
Beast from the East:
You did not spell “regards” correctly, look it up.
DawginLex
July 21st, 2010
9:43 am
The agent should be forced to surrender his license for a minimum of 2 years. The players involved should instantly lose all remaining eligibility. In addition, the NFL and the NCAA should work out an agreement banning the player involved from playing in the league for 2 years.
Make them go to Canada and freeze to death and maybe someone will learn something.
snuff Said
July 21st, 2010
9:46 am
Saben aint a goode coach, 4 sure. mean guy. blamer. excusitises. victims everywhere in sabans glasses cept agents.
Wilie H
July 21st, 2010
9:47 am
Saban is really spewing venom at the NFL because he was a FAILURE in the NFL as a coach.
JB
July 21st, 2010
9:47 am
Any Auburn fan cracking on Georgia is lost……If there are two teams our poor little hated Bulldogs have owned the last 5 years or so, it’s Auburn and Georgia Tech. So, if we’re so lousy, where does that place the two of you?
5IML
July 21st, 2010
9:48 am
Pie chart detailing last year’s production and who’s back this year for every SEC team:
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/07/at_a_glance_whos_coming_back_f.html
JB
July 21st, 2010
9:49 am
Was Saban talking to himself when he said all this?……because he talks to no one………….Must of been looking in the mirror while dying that hair Chestnut Brown…LOL
athensdawg
July 21st, 2010
9:49 am
here’s how you solve the problem.
the schools should be able to sue the agents and all other interested parties for revenue lost due to their inability to follow the rules.
for example – USC should sue reggie bush and everyone involved in that for all the money they are going to lose for the next couple of years.
win one of those lawsuits and well, i don’t think the agents would be messing around any more.
problem is….if you did that, you might expose a whole lotta dirty laundry.
for the last 30 odd years you can almost start counting down the time between a school getting a MNC and NCAA violations….. that’s the way of the world….
Phillip
July 21st, 2010
9:50 am
Did ya’ll know Saban doesn’t even win 8 games a year, 50% of his years in coaching?
Beast from the East
July 21st, 2010
9:51 am
FSU Guy,
Thanks for the spelling lesson. I’m certainly not immune to a typo…..or two, or three!