We need a whole new way of thinking on the agent issue
Hoover, Ala.—Here is how fast the sport of college football now moves. A few days ago Mike Slive was working on a first draft of his annual opening remarks for SEC Football Media Days. Slive uses the opportunity to talk about the accomplishments of the conference in the past academic year and to lay out the challenges that are still before it.
There wasn’t a word about agents included in that draft.
By the time he actually delivered that message on Wednesday at the Wynfrey Hotel, the SEC commissioner had a lot to say about the current relationship between elite athletes and agents who do not play by the rules.
When Slive spoke at about 1:30 p.m. the SEC schools who were being questioned by the NCAA had grown to three: Alabama, Florida and South Carolina. Before dinner time Georgia revealed that it had heard from the NCAA which wants to come on campus and ask questions. Three of the four schools face the possibility that key players could miss games this season. A fourth, Florida, is investigating whether or not a former player, Maurkice Pouncey, took cash from an agent before his last game. If true, Florida could see its Sugar Bowl win over Cincinnati vacated.
“The world moves pretty fast, doesn’t it?” Slive told me when we talked late in the day.
Keep in mind that there is a process at work and that the players could be cleared and miss no games. They could pay the money back and miss some games. They could be neck deep in this and be banned for the season. At this point nobody knows.
Florida coach Urban Meyer was not happy about the reports that Pouncey, a first-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers, may have received $100,000 from an agent before the Sugar Bowl. He called such agents “predators who take eligibility away from kids and that’s not right.”
Alabama coach Nick Saban was even stronger in his assessment of bad agents. A story surfaced that defensive end Marcel Dareus, perhaps the best NFL Draft prospect in Tuscaloosa, had attended a now famous party given by an agent or someone representing an agent down in South Florida. If Dareus received his travel expenses and other gifts from an agent to attend that party, that is a violation of NCAA rules.
“I believe that athletes should be held accountable because they know what the rules are,” Saban said. “But the agents who do this have to be accountable as well. And it’s time that we got some help from the NFL to hold them accountable.”
Saban implied that he would not be beyond cutting back or cutting off access to NFL scouts if the league won’t help. Meyer said he would have to study it but was inclined to listen to Saban’s idea. They want the NFL Players Association to determine that if an agent breaks the rules and it costs a player some eligibility, that agent must be held accountable in some way.
Now it’s easy to bring out the age-old argument: “The coaches make a lot of money, the school makes a lot of money, the kids see this and want their share now because they don’t think it’s fair.” The statements in that argument are all accurate but it doesn’t get us anywhere because college athletes are not going to get paid. You know it and I know it.
We can rail about the hypocrisy of the system, which has been going on for several generations, or we can try to find a 21st accommodation. Notice that I didn’t say solution. There is not a solution to this problem but there are better, more innovative ways of dealing with it.
The coaches give us the righteous indignation, which is the red meat for an angry fan base. And that’s fine. But I would listen to Slive, a former attorney and district court judge. Slive told me he has looked the issue, which has been with us for a long time in many different forms. He’s decided that the time has come to quit working on the margins of the issue. It’s time, he said, for a complete paradigm shift of how schools handle elite athletes who want a future playing professional sports.
Slive believes that when faced with this kind of problem, the solution is not to try and lock down the athletes and prohibit any kind of contact with agents or NFL scouts. He believes the exact opposite should be true.
“If we had a student who was a great violinist and wanted to join a symphony and become a professional musician, there are all kinds of things the school could do to help make that happen,” said Slive. “I think the NCAA rules on this issue are as much as part of the problem as they are the solution. Instead of shutting things down for these student-athletes, we need to open up the system and give them greater access to it. We need to take the mystery out of it.”
The current rules, which limit how much contact athletes can have with agents, essentially sets up a secondary market for agents who will break the rules hoping to get a competitive edge over the more established agents.
“What we need to do is get out of the model that based on enforcement and adopt a model that’s based on assistance,” he said. “We’re supposed to be helping these kids.”
Slive can’t say this publicly but I will. The current NCAA model on agents and athletes is like prohibition was to people and booze. It created a black market for the stuff where all kinds of mischief would inevitably take place. Prohibition didn’t work so the rules had to change. We have the same set of issues with the agent problem.
There is another facet to this issue that people don’t like to talk about. At the end of the day, the athletes really don’t trust the adults who are running the system. The adults say they working with the best interests of the athletes involved. I think most athletes believe that the adults are looking out for their employer first. So when somebody comes along and points out that you, young football star, are putting money in all of these people’s pockets and you aren’t getting squat, it becomes a pretty compelling argument. I’m not sure I could resist it at the age of 19 or 20.
The answer is to give the legitimate agents—and there are so many good ones out there—GREATER access and to give the student-athlete with pro potential a clearly defined road map on how to get there and also get the most out of his college experience.
It’s one thing for somebody who works for the university to tell an athlete he shouldn’t break the rules. The athlete can look at that adult and say to himself: “You just want me on the field to help you win.”
But it is another thing entirely to hear an established agent tell a player over and over: “Don’t break the rules because it makes the NFL question your character and that will cost you money. Here is how you handle it.”
All I know is that at Wednesday’s SEC Media Days, Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, and Mike Slive all said they wanted change and were willing to work at it. That probably means that something will get done.
So what’s the next step? Should schools respond to this by locking down their players and giving no access to the NFL or agents? Or should they go in the totally opposite direction: Throw open the system and take the mystery out of it? Give these kids all the information and access they need?
Would there still be problems? Of course. As long as there is a poor kid and somebody flashing cash, women, cars, parties, etc., this is going to happen. What we’re discussing here is a new way of thinking to manage the issue because what college football is doing now, in the 21st Century, is clearly not working.
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Programming note: Our “Talkin’ Football” second day coverage of SEC Media Days will be shown tonight at 6 p.m. on CSS. Today’s coaches’ interviews include Mark Richt, Bobby Petrino, Steve Spurrier and new Vanderbilt coach Robbie Caldwell. Check us out!
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136 comments Add your comment
Nachos
July 22nd, 2010
8:32 am
FIRST just like Bama was in 2009.
Damon Evans
July 22nd, 2010
8:33 am
Attention fat, ugly skanky white women….
Please friend me on Facebook, I will take care of your panties for you.
-DE
Chi Town eating at Crumpy Burgers
July 22nd, 2010
8:38 am
Zeeeeee Nachos is # 1.
Just like Saban and Bama in 2010.
Ron Mexico
July 22nd, 2010
8:53 am
Now that is a solid piece of writing. Change the economics of supply and demand, and you change the game. They may never figure out how to placate the kids looking for extra benefits while in school, but allowing closer ties with agents (or just more exposure) is probably the next step.
KR
July 22nd, 2010
8:54 am
Unfortunately, there has been a shift in the mentality of the college football player. When I was in college, nearly every player was there because he chose the school. Now, players choose based on the coach or the TV time or the promise that they will be the star. This is shown by how many players transfer schools at the slightest hint of change.
Since the players seem to have developed a mercenary attitude, maybe it’s time the schools did as well. In addition to the scholarship, pay them a stipend, provide incentives for class attendance and grades and attach a zero tolerance policy for violations. There will always be players who will go for the illicit money, but it might address the issue with the majority of players who are tempted.
Equally unfortunate for me would be that I will probably lose interest in watching at that point, for many of the same reasons why I no longer watch the NFL.
dawgdoodie
July 22nd, 2010
8:54 am
Actually, First Moron is more like it! What an honor, Notcho.
dawgdoodie
July 22nd, 2010
8:56 am
You deserve the honor every bit as much as the George Wallace team did.
Mikey in SAV
July 22nd, 2010
9:02 am
Pay the players. The Universities are making Gazillions off them.
Nachos
July 22nd, 2010
9:04 am
dawgdoodie – you get your 2010 Music City Bowel tickets yet?
7-5
GeoffDawg
July 22nd, 2010
9:06 am
I like it. You can regulate it, take it out of the shadows, and ensure a higher quality product and protection for all parties.
Atlanta Jackets
July 22nd, 2010
9:12 am
You notice the NCAA skipped over the Institute on North Avemue. That’s because they know that good Tech men don’t need to have their hands held. Our student athletes are above this type of misconduct. Dwyer, Morgan, Burnett, Nesbot, they all have sense not to put the team at risk with such selfish behavior. And all of these guys are/were/will be first round talent.
STUNG AGAIN
July 22nd, 2010
9:14 am
dawgdoodie,YOU WOULDN’T HAPPEN TO KNOW THE ARRIVAL TIME OF THEM ncaa boy’s TODAY WOULD YOU??!! SURELY NO uga PLAYER’S SHOWED UP IN MIAMI B/C THOSE AGENT’S WERE LOOKING FOR NFL QUALITY PLAYER’S!! ME THINK’S YA’LL GOT NOT A THING TO WORRY ABOUT!!
Jon Matrix
July 22nd, 2010
9:23 am
The players in the SEC are getting paid already. It is pretty pathetic that all the lapdog SEC reporters are acting like this Miami party was the first thing that ever happened. Give me a break this has been going on for years, but the NCAA was embarrassed into action by Reggie Bush. Just keep these dirty agents out of the top academic learning institutions like the Stanford’s, Notre Dame’s, Univ. Of Southern California’s, Dukes and Northwesterns of the world. Does anyone really care if the SEC players continue to get paid? Their coaches are already collectively the highest paid and if they do happen to graduate it is not like they will earn that much from their diplomas from these Southern schools vs. going to the NFL.
How2fish
July 22nd, 2010
9:23 am
Tony great article I find Slive’s comments a breath of fresh air. Perhaps we can make a change that benefits the players and also the schools. Please keep up the good work I fear this will be the story for the next month and not sadly how our teams are preparing for the upcoming season.
Alphare
July 22nd, 2010
9:25 am
Why would NCAA ban outsiders giving money to the athletes? Isn’t the ban illegal in some way? Isn’t this a free country?
If you want to find an example where the rich get richer and poor get poorer, this is the best example.
How2fish
July 22nd, 2010
9:26 am
Jon Matrix you have a better chance keeping liquor out of ND than agents..well if you had any elite players anymore. Oh and did you REALLY mention USC?? Really!
Alphare
July 22nd, 2010
9:29 am
Banning somebody from making a buck utilizing his God-given talent must be illegal in the constitution(I would guess).
Has anybody sued the NCAA on this issue before?
bamaguy
July 22nd, 2010
9:30 am
Slive’s analogy was spot on. My nephew was a perfect 4.0 engineering and math double major at Alabama. Companies from all over the world wanted him. The university went out of its way to make create access to the top companies for him. How is an elite athlete at Alabama or any other school any different. The school should be creating access to legitimate agents.
Jon Matrix
July 22nd, 2010
9:30 am
Just looked at the top football playing schools in any US News and World Report academic ratings. But you are right Vandy should be included. Especially since their players are obviously not being paid. Roll Tide!!!
How2fish
July 22nd, 2010
9:36 am
bamaguy as hard as it is to admit I agree with you 100%. The schools should be creating access to legitimate agents. You and Alphare make some great points….
Atlanta Jackets
July 22nd, 2010
9:36 am
bamaguy, if your nephew was so elect, why did he pick a second rate engineering school? No offense, just asking.
ignition
July 22nd, 2010
9:37 am
If agents are pimps then what that makes the college coaches??
At least the players get $$$ and representation, while the players do all the work for the coaches and get No $$$.
Chi Town eating at Crumpy Burgers
July 22nd, 2010
9:38 am
Anyone know what time NCAA is arriving in Athens today?
I hear they can rent Evans house since they will probably be there for some time.
May find some white girls panties in the couch from time to time but other than that I hear its a nice place.
Jon Matrix
July 22nd, 2010
9:48 am
I really cannot believe that everyone is pretending they don’t know how much these players are getting paid already. The local reporters depend on the coaches and AD’s for their access so of course they don’t speak about this, but go along with the party line that this “Miami party” is the only thing that has ever happened I recent years. Why should there be any investigations when there is a nice cushy situation set up where everyone gets paid. Let’s face it, I am happy that Bama won but we all know how the system works. This will all blow over and the players will continue to get paid.
Jake
July 22nd, 2010
9:50 am
Get the Hoover deal done,, move on,,,, I’m just ready for some Football.
Dawg posturing
July 22nd, 2010
9:52 am
North Avenue shouldn’t be so pious. This is a problem all around. There will always be athletes driving cars or flashing cash beyond their means, which equals debt or $ under the table somewhere. By the way, AJ lied (see Dez White for consequences).
jj
July 22nd, 2010
9:56 am
funny how almost every sec fan laughed at the usc situation and now that its happening to them…now we need to do something about agents…here saban, heres a box of tissues go cry pimp
Courtney Fuhrmann - aka skanky white girl
July 22nd, 2010
9:57 am
Has anyone seen my red panties???
Note to players: Act like grown-ups and keep your hands out of the cookie jar – SportingNews.com | SportsZrr.com
July 22nd, 2010
10:06 am
[...] PressMeyer, Saban sound off on player agentsTbo.comSan Francisco Chronicle -NOLA.com -Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)all 727 news [...]
Damon Evans
July 22nd, 2010
10:06 am
Hey Courtney:
Check underneath the ottoman in my living room.
Hope all is well and miss u girl!
Lowcountry Bulldawg
July 22nd, 2010
10:08 am
Atlanta Jackets,
If you are a fan of the school at least learn how to spell the names of the players correctly— Nesbot? Really?
T3
July 22nd, 2010
10:10 am
Not once was…EDUCATION…even mentioned in this article.
Afterall, its the SEC we’re talking about.
Its not about Education.
Its about “bid-ness” which means its about…THE MONEY.
SecGuy
July 22nd, 2010
10:10 am
Good column. I watched the coaches yesterday. They and Slive had sensible ideas. The most important one to me was to equalize the punishment when player-agent deals are exposed. Under the current system the players get punished but the agent doesn’t. That’s the crux of the matter and it needs to be fixed.
Bride of Chucky Knapp
July 22nd, 2010
10:11 am
Good article. Still looking forward to more about football and less about lawyer stuff.
Courtney Fuhrmann - aka skanky white girl
July 22nd, 2010
10:12 am
Damon you are such a powerful man!
Cant wait to see you tonight at the Motel 6…. bring the Ole English “big” man
dip
July 22nd, 2010
10:14 am
bamaguy – did any guys give him money his soph or jr year? Did they try to get him to leave before his senior year?
NCAA Football is not the AAA for the NFL. – These are supposed to be STUDENT/athletes not Professional Athletes. IMO
Riiight
July 22nd, 2010
10:17 am
AJ is just following what he learned from Damon. LIE! Who’s the girl? Oh were just friends. Why are you holding her panties? Oh she asked me to while I drove her home!
Damon Evans
July 22nd, 2010
10:18 am
AJ just lie like I did. DENY!!!! You were in SC!! You were playin bball with the locals! You have no desire to go to South Beach!!
GeezusDawg
July 22nd, 2010
10:19 am
Throw open all-access to the athletes. They should allow the agents to spend anything they want on the athletes. The caveat? The agent will also have to spend the exact same amount of money on EVERY other athlete at the respective institute AND make a matching monetary contribution to the Academic portion of the university for each “perk” extended to one athlete.
Jon Matrix
July 22nd, 2010
10:19 am
The SEC is the AAA for the NFL. We won the last four championships, have the highest paid coaches and more importantly the highest paid players. Academics are a joke it is all about the football. Roll Tide.
ignition
July 22nd, 2010
10:20 am
Education is Not A Factor..
The Actually Well Being of the Kids is NOT a Factor..
S.E.C. Rednecks could care Less about the Athlete as a Person it’s all about being the Pawn on a football field and once they’re done they’re Done..
Courtney Fuhrmann
July 22nd, 2010
10:21 am
I’m not fat, Damon.
Damon Evans
July 22nd, 2010
10:25 am
don’t worry fleabag nation. i am a powerful man. i am going to catch the ncaa before the get to town and tell them to come to a hotel instead. it will work… trust me. i am a powerful man, ask my skank errrrrrr girl courtney.
Joey
July 22nd, 2010
10:27 am
Congrats, Atlanta Jackets (9:12), for now . . .
dowhatnow?
July 22nd, 2010
10:27 am
Where’s Fred? Is he ready to suspend Richt for a year now? Hey Fred, Goonie Goo Goo……
GeezusDawg
July 22nd, 2010
10:28 am
And Tony, you should proofread before posting.
How2fish
July 22nd, 2010
10:40 am
jj there is a huge difference here USC lied and refused to work with the NCAA and then Mike Garret stood in front of a microphone and proclaimed that the entire sordid affair was a product of “envy”…get a grip tool.
Rob
July 22nd, 2010
10:41 am
I’m not sure I like the idea, but if players were allowed to go ahead and sign with agents and get a limited advance from the agent on future earnings while keeping their eligibility, then the process would come out of the shadows and players would be dealing with legitimate agents.
I’m not a lawyer, but I’m a little suprised that players haven’t sued over this issue. Taking money is one thing, but not allowing a player to consult with an agent (in effect, get good legal advice) seems to me like it might be on shaky legal ground.
Will
July 22nd, 2010
10:42 am
I don’t think anything is going to come of the UGA investigation. I just hate the bad p.r. of being grouped in with UF, Bama and SC. I was hoping we could stay above the fray but I guess it was not to be. Sometimes I hate to even go to the AJC website because I know there is going to be a negative story about my dawgs. It’s getting depressing-almost like when I go to Drudge Report and get the real news on what a disaster of a president we have. I need a Valium.
Aiken Chicken
July 22nd, 2010
10:43 am
This is an amusing thread, but once the season kicks off no one will remember it. I do enjoy reading the SEC envy posts. Keep em coming!
Atlanta Jackets
July 22nd, 2010
10:53 am
Nesbot the Robot! Ever heard of him! News flash, the Robot just scored another touchdown against the mutts!! Burn!! LOL!
TexasDAWG
July 22nd, 2010
10:56 am
Maybe it is time for the NFL to set up a farm system for these “elite athletes .” Most of them have no real interest in getting a degree and many leave after only three years. There are plenty of really good players/students that would love to play at UGA, get a degree and then go to work in the real world, but never get the opportunity. I know most kids are not ready for the NFL right out of high school, but why not let the NFL pay for their development over the next four or five years instead of the taxpayers. Would the quality of the game suffer some? Sure, we might be back to 70’s talent, but I saw some great games back in the 70’s. Let’s get the kids on campus that want to get a degree, and play sports by the rules.
girl know better than you
July 22nd, 2010
10:58 am
sure is funny when your orecious UGA is involved, that now you suggest changes need to be made. Like I said yesterday, coaches are allowed to go after the gold mine and leave all their players stranded coachless, why aren’t the players that do the real work allowed any rights?
I bet if this were only USC and NC breaking rules, all would be just fine and dandy, but you cannot have the almighty SEC hit this way with. Saban preaches, “do as I say and not as I do” and expects his kids to understand.
And what if Tony they penalize both Bama and UGA and take away some their wins from 2009 like they did FSU. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahA that is ok, you still have the 1980 title to hold on to
Damon Evans
July 22nd, 2010
11:05 am
where da fat ugly skanky white womens at ???????????????
TheTaxJacket
July 22nd, 2010
11:11 am
*** NESBITT FOR HEISMEN ***
(((( 45 – 42 ))))
HugoStiglitz
July 22nd, 2010
11:13 am
Im with you on that TexasDAWG. Setup, minor league/rookie league for players straight out of high school that didnt really want to go to college anyways. There they can spend 2-3 years developing their bodies, and skill playing against similar top notch talent and they will be much better off when they go to the NFL then they would have been out of college. The colleges can get kids who actually want to go there and at least somewhat care about their education. Seems to be a perfect solution.
GeoffDawg
July 22nd, 2010
11:14 am
“Nesbot the Robot! Ever heard of him! News flash, the Robot just scored another touchdown against the mutts!! Burn!! LOL!”
And that, Atlanta Jackets, is precisely why you’re going blind and growing hair on your palms.
How2fish
July 22nd, 2010
11:17 am
girl know better than you what is ” orecious” sugar ??
bamaguy
July 22nd, 2010
11:29 am
Atlanta Jacket, My nephew attended Alabama because his father, grandfather and great-grandfather did. For the record, he had full scholarship offers from MIT and GT. Unfortunately (and honestly I tried my best into talking him into MIT) too many 18 year-olds make emotional choices. Too often support of sports teams are the overriding factor for where any southern student enrolls.
DP
July 22nd, 2010
11:32 am
Great piece Tony. After seeing the tabloid quality trash Jeff Schultz has been writing on the SEC meeting, it’s good to see the AJC has a journalist with professional standards there. Slive’s thinking is very innovative and I think he’s on the right track, but good luck to him in persuading the NCAA. The NCAA’s solution to everything appears to be to make the rule book thicker and more incomprehensible.
bamaguy
July 22nd, 2010
11:32 am
Good point, dip. Excellent academic students are not asked to leave school early. They get those choice jobs only with diploma in hand.
Tide Rising
July 22nd, 2010
11:35 am
Atlanta jacket,
I and most Bama fans recognize that AU and GT have better, higher ranked engineering programs. So does Purdue, MIT, and a quite few other excellent engineering schools. Doesn’t mean you have to be petty and call one of our programs second rate.
Tide Rising
July 22nd, 2010
11:37 am
DP,
The NCAA rule book is only 19 3/4 inches thick. They might as well just round it up another 1/4 inch anyway and make it an even 20.
Damon Evans
July 22nd, 2010
11:39 am
Puppy fans sure are quiet today.
Circle of Life
July 22nd, 2010
11:43 am
Four years ago Pete Carroll at USC tried to sound the alarm about these agent and nobody cared. Most SEC fans only called for blood and the NCAA delivered, Cardnal and Gold blood. Now perhaps you will come to see how hard it is to control events that take place hundreds of mile away from campus. There is a verse that say’s “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind”. This time it may be SEC blood that spills.
I second DP
July 22nd, 2010
11:58 am
I agree DP, good work Tony. All the cynicism and negativity really gets old.
Man I’m ready for “toe meets leather” as Al Ciraldo used to say.
DP
July 22nd, 2010
11:59 am
Circle of Life, surely you’re not seriously trying to equate the Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo situations with allegations that some SEC players may have attended a party thrown by an agent.
Atlanta Gator
July 22nd, 2010
12:08 pm
Nice try, Circle of Life.
Here’s the difference between Southern Cal and the recent SEC allegations:
1. Florida self-reported the allegations against Maurkice Pouncey, even though the head coach doesn’t believe the charges. The school is taking it seriously and conducting a joi8nt investigation with the NCAA and Florida law enforcement. USC not only didn’t disclose, they tried to ignore it and cover up and minimize conduct that at least one assistant coach was fully aware of. Worst that could happen to Florida is that the Gators might have to forfeit a bowl game IF Pouncey actually took the money. USC? Forfeit an entire season’s worth of games, and probably a national championship and a Heisman Trophy, and forgo 30 scholarships and 2 bowl games. Big difference. Oh, and do we really have to mention the Trojans basketball problems, too?
2. Alabama and Georgia players may or may not have attended an agent sponsored party in Miami Beach. No real way for the coaches or schools to know about it in advance. Both are cooperating in NCAA investigations. Worst that could happen are the individual players are suspended for part or all of the upcoming season. USC? Institution tried to stone-wall the NCAA, the AD cried about persecution, and the programs got nailed. Big difference.
Bottom line: Rules violations are inevitable, whether they are inadvertant or just plain stupid. How the program handles them is telling . . . and cover-ups usually only increases the ultimate penalty. Just ask Mike Garrett, once he’s completed his denial phase.
Circle of Life
July 22nd, 2010
12:09 pm
DP: obviously Bush took much more in benefits than free transportation and rooms in South Beach. But this investigation is just starting; who knows where it will go. What I am saying is that Agents provided illegal benefits to Bush as they are accused of doing in this case.
Circle of Life
July 22nd, 2010
12:11 pm
To be accurate the “agency” in the Bush case was a ex-con who wanted to form the agency “New Era”.
Anonymous
July 22nd, 2010
12:12 pm
Hey, Atlanta Jacket,
“bamaguy, if your nephew was so elect, why did he pick a second rate engineering school? No offense, just asking.”
Tacky. Very tacky.
Tide Rising
July 22nd, 2010
12:15 pm
Circle of Life,
You’re still not getting it. As atl gator pointed out its the fact that the SEC schools are fully cooperating in the investigation. USC not only didn’t cooperate but tried to stonewall the investigation. Huge difference. In addition this is just one party where players attended and may or may not have known it was being thrown by an agent. Big difference in going to a single party vs receiving various extra benefits over a couple of years in the case of reggie bush.
Anonymous
July 22nd, 2010
12:16 pm
Go get him Atlanta Gator!
Chomp!
Chomp, chomp!
Gut Check
July 22nd, 2010
12:17 pm
Boy how things change. Yesterday was nothing but bashing from the UGA puppies and now they’re no where to be found. It amazed me that even after the AD’s stupidity and the the teams desire to spend more time in jail than on the field, people still had this sense of being better than every on else. Now that the NCAA is actually going to the UGA campus it seems the barking had finally stopped. At least now you’ll have a fresh excuse as to why the team doesn’t win this year….Again.
Atlanta Gator
July 22nd, 2010
12:17 pm
One final sanctimonious pronouncement from this Old Gator:
For all of you who are either happy or sad about the Dawgs’ new A.J. Green problem, I suggest you put your schadenfreude or mourning on hold. This agent investigation has not yet run its course. Even ACC schools have proven vulnerable. Others will be named, and they may be players who attend your alma mater or play for your favorite college sports team. Mark Richt, the acting AD and UGA are doing what they are supposed to do: self-report, cooperate and protect the institution. The school’s integrity is more important than any star player, any football game or any championship.
Speaking as someone who lived through the Charley Pell-NCAA nightmare in Gainesville in 1984-1985, believe me. I know.
jarvis
July 22nd, 2010
12:19 pm
Saban is blowing smoke. Try recruiting to talent while at the same time telling the recruits that no NFL scouts are given access to players at Alabama.
File this under “Empty Threats”.
Circle of Life
July 22nd, 2010
12:19 pm
Hold on there Atlanta Gator: Pouncey is a differerent matter then the SB party. I am not saying anything regarding Pouncey. I’ll wait to see more facts before I do. I am saying when Carrol called out these agents four years ago, he was alone.
jarvis
July 22nd, 2010
12:19 pm
top talant that is.
Atlanta Gator
July 22nd, 2010
12:24 pm
Circle of Life,
I suggest you actually read the USC major infractions report. It’s available thorugh the NCAA’s major infractions on-line database.
Unless the assistant football coaches and head basketball coaches at Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina knew about the money and benefits received by their players, and did nothing, then the situations aren’t even remotely comparable. That’s why USC got nailed: “lack of i-n-s-t-i-t-u-t-i-o-n-a-l c-o-n-t-r-o-l.” Would you like me to spell it for you? Oh, never mind. I already did.
GreatBigGator
July 22nd, 2010
12:42 pm
Let the agents pay the players, who cares? For every one that ends up signing with the agent and making big bucks in the NFL there will be ten who do not. The ROI will not be there and the money will soon dry up, problem solved…if it is found that the schools are involved or facilitating…death penalty no questions asked..
JJ-Noles
July 22nd, 2010
12:43 pm
Anyone watching the new Vandy coach on ESPNU?
Circle of Life
July 22nd, 2010
12:43 pm
Atlanta Gator:
Rather than read the NCAA report maybe you should read my comments. I never said that these incidents are comparable. In fact I said they obviously were not.
I said that when Pete Carroll called out the Agents nobody cared. I said that SEC fans called for blood and the NCAA delivered. I said agents are providing illegal benefits. I said that this time it may be SEC blood.
My comments are below.
“Four years ago Pete Carroll at USC tried to sound the alarm about these agents and nobody cared. Most SEC fans only called for blood and the NCAA delivered, Cardinal and Gold blood. Now perhaps you will come to see how hard it is to control events that take place hundreds of mile away from campus. There is a verse that say’s “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind”. This time it may be SEC blood that spills.”
“DP: obviously Bush took much more in benefits than free transportation and rooms in South Beach. But this investigation is just starting; who knows where it will go. What I am saying is that Agents provided illegal benefits to Bush as they are accused of doing in this case.”
“Hold on there Atlanta Gator: Pouncey is a different matter than the SB party. I am not saying anything regarding Pouncey. I’ll wait to see more facts before I do. I am saying when Carroll called out these agents four years ago, he was alone.”
Lane Kiffin
July 22nd, 2010
12:56 pm
So now that Lil’ Nickie has decided to lambast agents and put the blame on them, lapdog Tony Barnhart will now spend the remainder of this month spinning Nickie’s message for him to the masses. Tony used to be my favorite college football analyst….but as soon as bammer came on he forsook all others and became the biggest saban pole smoker on the planet.
Makes me physically ill now to read anything TB writes.
Damon Evans
July 22nd, 2010
1:05 pm
the bulldawg nation is hung over.
Atlanta Gator
July 22nd, 2010
1:06 pm
Circle of Life,
Of course Pete Carroll was talking about agents four years ago. The NCAA had already started its investigation of the USC basketball and football programs four years ago. Any squawking by Carroll about “these agents” was after the fact and too damn late for his program. Carroll’s assistant coaches were facilitating the agent-player relationships. And, yes, a lot of SEC fans and many others were baying for cardinal and gold blood because there were so many self-apparent NCAA rules violations surrounding the the most high-profile Division I program in the country—-and nobody at the NCAA seemed to care.
You can make your case for “SEC hypocrisy” if you want, but, from my perspective, it was simply a demand that all major college sports programs be held to the same standard of conduct, including USC. Sorry, but there are no apologies to be made for demands for equal NCAA enforcement and a level playing field in Division I sports.
King Gator
July 22nd, 2010
1:13 pm
Pimpin’ aint easy Nick! If they’re pimps .. what are the coaches?? heads of mob families?
Atlanta Gator
July 22nd, 2010
1:14 pm
BTW, if there were similar problems at the University of Florida, I would be screaming for orange and blue blood, starting with the head football coach, athletic director and university president. But, you see, that’s never likely to happen because of the reforms and compliance mechanisms put into place at Florida by people who cared deeply about the integrity of the university like Marshall Criser, Bill Carr, Bob Bryan, Bill Arnsparger, John Lombardi, Jeremy Foley and Steve Spurrier. It’s not that bad things won’t happen from time to time at Florida, but because there’s a good NCAA compliance system in place, any such problems are not likely to ever rise to the level of the 1984-1985 nightmare again. It’s called institutional control. Athletics serving the university, and not the other way ’round.
Atlanta Gator
July 22nd, 2010
1:18 pm
@Lame Kiffen:
That’s a funny handle to pick for someone who seems so concerned about the ethics of Nick Saban and Tony Barnhart. Were you be ironic intentionally or accidentally?
Doc
July 22nd, 2010
1:27 pm
Atlanta Jacket, are you talking about fine upstanding young student athletes like Reuben Houston?
Jeff
July 22nd, 2010
1:32 pm
Slive’s comparison of a student athlete and a symphonic musician is not close to valid. First class musicians don’t compete in the same way, and they typically don’t draw thousands of people to hear them play when they are a student. Plus, only a handful of classical musicians have agents, and those do not play with a single orchestra…they are total free agents. Besides, most student musicians would quaify for college, even if they were not talented…they can make good grades.
GT#1
July 22nd, 2010
1:34 pm
It is arrogant and selfish for a college student-athlete to decide they are getting nothing and the adults are getting paid and to think that is unfair. That is a slap in the face to everything they have been blessed with talent-wise and to the STUDENT-athlete name. They are given a free ride to a usually great institute of higher learning. They are given possibilities, choices, and a means to move to a better life either through their professional sport or by using their talents to get a degree when they might not have had the opportunity if not for their sports abilities. This agent problem is very complicated, but no student-athlete should consider themselves deserving of more than they already get and may take for granted. Yes, they work hard and play hard but they have been given many gifts and they throw them away the minute they feel they can not wait to get paid.
Jeff
July 22nd, 2010
1:34 pm
JJ Noles: I did…he’s great! What a breath of fresh air! He obviously does not take himself too seriously.
Red Ryder
July 22nd, 2010
1:36 pm
Will So you still go to the Drudge report do ya? Now see that says more about you than you could ever imagine. Hardly comparable to the AJC. Do you listen to Neal Buutz too? And Faux News?
Best in the State of Georgia
July 22nd, 2010
1:53 pm
. .
Nesbitt for Heisman
————————–
GregKennesaw
July 22nd, 2010
2:01 pm
Look, Let’s stop pretending these are “student athletes”, most couldn’t get into the school, wouldn’t want to be in schoool except for the chance to play football or basketball, and maybe make into the pros some day. Baseball has a minor league and colleges still have baseball teams. Why not let the NFL and the NBA start a minor league, then these “students” can just go do what they really want to do. Paying students to play a game is stupid! Of course the colleges and the fans would never go for it, yet they complain about all the problems caused by these so-called students.
Crumpy
July 22nd, 2010
2:34 pm
You wanna know my favorite game of all time ?????
The blackout game of 2009
Rang that bell too beeotches
UGA = irrelevant
Sky
July 22nd, 2010
2:38 pm
Its called Player Accountability.
Chi Town eating at Crumpy Burgers
July 22nd, 2010
2:41 pm
Crumpy just owned all the puppies.
Kay Whidby
July 22nd, 2010
2:46 pm
Stupid moron A.J. Green… once again proves that Julio Jones is a BETTER receiver… especially when it comes to brains.
Bama rules…. UGA is well…. who the hell cares
Sky
July 22nd, 2010
2:46 pm
I agree GregKennesaw.
A great number of the players can barely get into school. Coaches bend, twist, skirt the rules everyday. They deceive players and wonder why it is so easy to for the rogue agents to sway them.
They just bought the boat load of crap the coach sold them to get them signed. Why would they suddenly change? Many barely pass. The SEC schools paid out an average of something like $144 thousand per athlete it was reported in May and spent $10 grand on an academic college scholarship. Someone says Pay Them? They are paid. 144 thousand worth annually.
Chi Town
July 22nd, 2010
3:25 pm
What’s that coming down the track?
The NCAA in Red and Black.
Ain’t nothing finer in the land,
than a drunk,fat,redneck obnoxious Jawja fan!
Go Dawgs, Sic ‘em! Woof Woof Woof!
2010 is our year!!!!!
Damon Evans
July 22nd, 2010
3:27 pm
Now dat I am in the witness protection progm, I’m snitchin on UGA till the day I die.
“No snitchin” ain’t in effect in Gainesville.
I told y’all there would be hell to pay for how you treated me.
Now look at you. huh.
UGAY in the Papa Johns Bowl
July 22nd, 2010
3:51 pm
Hey…
UGAY in the Papa Johns Bowl
July 22nd, 2010
3:54 pm
hey, how about this……UGA SUCKS, YALL ARE THE NEW MIAMI, 1980, ZACK METTENBERGER, 9 OFF-SEASON ARRESTS, RED PANTIES ARE FALLING FROM THE SKY, LOSE TO KENTUCKY, KILLED BY TENN. 17 OUT OF 20 IN FAVOR OF FLA. AND NOW YOUR GOLDEN BOY AJ IS GOING TO BE SUSPENDED……TYPICAL JIGGA BOO GEORGIA!
Atlanta Jackets
July 22nd, 2010
4:06 pm
UGAY in Papa Bowl, I have no idea what all that means, but I love it! Put the mutts in their place! LOL! ROTFLMAO!!
Keep going!
And to the guy that asked about R. Hueston, I think he was found not guilty if I recall. So shut your cake eating hole!!
THWG!!
jj
July 22nd, 2010
4:10 pm
someone told me there is no difference between bamas situation etc with that os usc…bull s#%$ its agents giving money and players taking something they shouldnt its a violation my point is and everybody be objective bama fans are now in a tizzy about it because it directly affects them thats all i want those fans to admit…admit they were thrilled when usc got nailed and now its them they hate it
mike mooney,joe hamilton,reuben houston,robert hall,8outof9,nerdsnerdsnerds
July 22nd, 2010
4:29 pm
Sez it all
david
July 22nd, 2010
4:29 pm
NCAA exists to benefit the NCAA. Period. The athletes are exploited. Period. Don’t give me bull about a free education.
mike mooney,joe hamilton,reuben houston,robert hall,8outof9,nerdsnerdsnerds
July 22nd, 2010
4:30 pm
Anyone who calls Georgia “UGAY” is a virgin.
mike mooney,joe hamilton,reuben houston,robert hall,8outof9,nerdsnerdsnerds
July 22nd, 2010
4:30 pm
or dates blow up dolls
mike mooney,joe hamilton,reuben houston,robert hall,8outof9,nerdsnerdsnerds
July 22nd, 2010
4:31 pm
or lives with his mother in the basement
mike mooney,joe hamilton,reuben houston,robert hall,8outof9,nerdsnerdsnerds
July 22nd, 2010
4:54 pm
or is Jawja fan and thinks Athens is cool.
Delbert D.
July 22nd, 2010
4:57 pm
The NCAA inquiry is to determine whether or not Mike Garrett is on the search list for AD at Georgia. If he is, Georgia gets the death penalty.
mike mooney,joe hamilton,reuben houston,robert hall,8outof9,nerdsnerdsnerds
July 22nd, 2010
5:04 pm
or disguises himself with someone else’s blog handle like a true nerd from North Avenue.
Paul The Vol
July 22nd, 2010
5:26 pm
Why don’t they just say that this was a Drew Rosenhaus party and get it over with? Everyone knows it was.
Gen Neyland
July 22nd, 2010
5:30 pm
david : Since when has the youth of this country not been exploited..? The Selective Service Board ring a bell..? Who in the he-11 thinks the college student-athlete is on the same plane as the men who got the ‘Greetings’..? Exploited..? They’re (supposedly) getting an education with an opportunity to prove themselves worthy of the Big Show. If not, they still got a free ride in college with medical bennies. Free. In return, they play ball. Darn good trade.
To Slive : If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em…
Huggy Bear Bryant
July 22nd, 2010
5:49 pm
Tony, Nick Saban (and Urban Meyer) are the pimps. Well, actually, they’re worse than pimps, because a pimp give some of the money to his ho. Yeah Nick, talk to me about pimpin’ the next time you cash that $5 million paycheck. Pimps put ho’s on the street, and Saban and Meyer put ‘em on the turf. And as I said, at least a ho “gets paid”.
Delbert D.
July 22nd, 2010
5:51 pm
Robert Hall’s girlfriend: Australian Brigitte Ardossi, formerly of Georgia Tech and the Atlanta Dream, described by her former coach as having “a mean, very competitive streak.” #21 draft pick in WNBA by the Atlanta Dream. 6′2 power forward (released in camp).
I wonder if Hall had to call 911? (Oops). When is the hearing on this?
Bernie
July 22nd, 2010
6:55 pm
Good job explaining everything to the rest of these sports fans Atl Gator.Went thru the Charlie Pell era myself…. bad times for us. GO GATORS !
Education
July 22nd, 2010
9:18 pm
The athletes do get a free education – what does a 4 year education cost these days?
Greensboro, GA
July 22nd, 2010
9:28 pm
——————————
NESBITT for HEISMAN
——————————
Robert Hall
July 22nd, 2010
10:36 pm
Atlanta Jackets talks like a little girl. Just the kind I like to beat on. Look out little beotch!
Damon Evans
July 22nd, 2010
10:47 pm
Hey Robert Hall, did he talk like the little girl whose panties were in my lap? I’m sure he’s not the only thing you like to beat on.
Slive Is Right About Agents: Leather Helmet Blog
July 23rd, 2010
6:14 am
[...] a recent article Mr. College Football, Tony Barnhart, quotes SEC Commissioner Mike Slive as saying: «If we had [...]
Dave
July 23rd, 2010
6:51 am
Actually I personally think if you guys in the media want to help get rid of this problem Tony you should start up a media feeding frenzy and follow the lead of the scandal site TMZ. First I ask all of you guys why aren’t you mentioning the name of these rogue agents in your columns at every opportunity? I heard the agents name only mentioned a few times in mainly blog articles, but why are guys like you Tony Barnhart not naming names? Next find out what happened at the party. Were these agents bringing in strippers, were these agents serving liquor to underage kids if so name the names of the underage kids there so they could be suspended a game for drinking, and finally were drugs present at the party. If you guys shine a flashlight on these agents and what they did to players while there maybe stuff like this would not happen so much. In some ways I think the media is complicit in not naming names, Maybe like with some political stories outlets like the National Enquirer are truly doing the real reporting and the rest of the media is business as usual. If you guys in the media get together and heat up the story to sell newspapers with blood in the water you will have agents running for the hills to escape media scrutiny. Help TMZ smoke out these guys by finding out what happened at the party scare some agents.
Dick Nixon
July 23rd, 2010
7:34 am
Let us look at the situation. Saban, Myer etal make millions and millions of dollars a year getting mostly poorer african americans to work for no pay, but the agents are scumbags?
hotrod
July 23rd, 2010
8:26 am
Somebody explain to me why a free college education and all that goes with it is not considered to be compensation for an athlete?? Depending on the school they attend, that could be the equvalent of $100,000 over a four year period. Those crying to be “paid” to play football in college are using their God-given talents and expect even more of a free ride……they are leeches and they’ll likley never make a significant contribution to society.
Dawg H8R
July 23rd, 2010
2:45 pm
A college education isn’t “free” for these guys. They risk life
and limb for their schools and conferences. When a kid screws up,
aren’t they removed the team and university.No obligation to make
sure he continues toward his degree,even though he gave up himself
for the school.
When a kid is taking up a spot on the team that could be for a new
one,isn’t he given walking papers.The education isn’t free,you pay with
labor.
If a dweeb or nerd had the option to get paid for cogitation by “agents”
of Microsoft or Halliburton,then they would have their hands out.
The money and exposure was the reason kids left Black Colleges
and Universities(HBCU).Don’t discount the level of education they
could receive there,it’s the fancy dorms,cafeterias,ice cream machines
and leather sofas.Plasma tv’s,blonde chicks that are down for anything,
and I mean ANYTHING.All these things are part of the pay that kids
receive,not the damn education.
Everything that money buys is what seperates USC and GA from
Ft. Valley and SC State.Why should a kid not accept the money,
don’t we all?Every republican I know who’s had an issue with Obama
and the stimulus,all of them accepted stimulus money!
Principles,ethics,and morals seem to only exist when someone is
watching.
Vol Man
July 23rd, 2010
4:19 pm
Just pay the players a couple of thousand each per month—they generate millions for the university, coaches, staff, etc. Time to pay up.
Shelf life not long for SEC coaches – Florida Times-Union | Bet 31
July 25th, 2010
8:20 am
[...] Looking To Protect Investment, Not PlayersBleacher ReportESPN -Bloomington Pantagraph -Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)all 377 news [...]
David Hand
July 26th, 2010
3:04 pm
Tony,
As always..you just make way too much sense.
David Hand
Tallahassee
Has Big Time College Football Outgrown the NCAA? | LouisvilleBlogs.com
July 27th, 2010
1:40 am
[...] Barnhart, goes Slive one step further, with a full comparison to the shenanigans today with the prohibition era of yesteryear. The fact that agent contact is so verbotten is analogous to the black market for booze in the [...]
Has Big Time College Football Outgrown the NCAA? | Football Timeout
July 27th, 2010
1:47 am
[...] Barnhart, goes Slive one step further, with a full comparison to the shenanigans today with the prohibition era of yesteryear. The fact that agent contact is so verbotten is analogous to the black market for booze in the [...]
We need a whole new way of thinking on the agent issue | Football Coaching Jobs
August 3rd, 2010
4:44 am
[...] View the original article here Posted in Uncategorized [...]
Has Big Time College Football Outgrown the NCAA? » College Football Daily News - Get all your football news at one site
August 12th, 2010
2:21 pm
[...] Barnhart, goes Slive one step further, with a full comparison to the shenanigans today with the prohibition era of yesteryear. The fact that agent contact is so verbotten is analogous to the black market for booze in the [...]
Has Big Time College Football Outgrown the NCAA? | Team Souvenirs
September 17th, 2010
2:08 am
[...] Barnhart, goes Slive one step further, with a full comparison to the shenanigans today with the prohibition era of yesteryear. The fact that agent contact is so verbotten is analogous to the black market for booze in the [...]