UGA’s Orson Charles mentioned in report on NCAA violations at Miami
Georgia tight end Orson Charles has been mentioned in the mess that Yahoo! Sports is reporting about the University of Miami and its relationship with a notorious booster named Nevin Shapiro. Shapiro is a convicted felon who, in several prison interviews, claims he provided impermissible benefits to dozens of Miami players and recruits.
Charles is listed among those recruits with whom Shapiro claims to have had impermissible contact. But, on face value at least, it doesn’t look like he is anything but a bystander in all this.
The bombastic report, written by Yahoo! Sports reporter Charles Robinson, merely alleges that Charles was escorted by a Miami assistant coach to Shapiro to be given “a recruiting pitch.” As we all know, Charles rather famously signed with Georgia. Shapiro is incarcerated in federal prison in Atlanta after being convicted for his role in a $930 million Ponzi scheme.
Current and former Miami players and student-athletes from all over are implicated by Shapiro and other sources in the extensive report, which includes thousands of supporting documents such as bank statements, hotel folios, cell phone records and corroborating quotes from athletes. Here’s the specific passage in which Charles is mentioned (along with several other recruits):
Among the specific incidents, Shapiro or other sources say Hurtt, Hill, Stoutland, Pannunzio and Allen all delivered top-tier recruits to Shapiro’s home or luxury suite so the booster could make recruiting pitches to them. Among the players who were ushered to Shapiro while they were still in high school: Eventual Miami commitments Ray-Ray Armstrong, Dyron Dye and Olivier Vernon (prompted by Hurtt); eventual Florida commitments Andre Debose (Hurtt) and Matt Patchan (prompted by Stoutland and Pannunzio); eventual Georgia commitment Orson Charles (Pannunzio); and eventual Central Florida commitment Jeffrey Godfrey (Allen).
A hot-link on Charles’ name carries readers to a page that provides more details of on Charles and his encounter with Shapiro, including Shapiro’s account of the meeting:
“Orson Charles was a tight end out of Plant City [High School] who was Robert Marve’s teammate. And because I had a real close relationship with Robert, Robert’s high school coach, Robert Weiner, came to Miami, Marve brought him to my house and he was with Orson Charles. I showed [Charles] my closet. The reason why I show all the kids my closet is because that’s where I had like 50 to 70 UM game-worn jerseys of all the best players in the last however long. That was our first visit. I saw him a second time and I think it was a Miami football camp.”
Charles’ name is also on a list of players Shapiro mentions that appears next to the text of the story. Again, click HERE to read the entire report from Yahoo!Sports. Here’s an Associated Press story on Charles’ connection and here’s a link to The AP report about the story.
UGA officials did not return messages sent late Tuesday night seeking comment about Charles. Wednesday morning Athletic Director Greg McGarity said via email UGA is checking into it.
If and when they respond, I suspect they will say something similar to what Alabama spokesperson Doug Walker said: “The University of Alabama is aware of the story, but we will have no further comment.”
Joe Pannunzio was the tight ends and special teams coach at Miami under former head coach Randy Shannon and is now the first-year director of football operations at Alabama. Bama’s new offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland, is also implicated in the Yahoo! Sports report.
Charles, a junior from Tampa, is a preseason All-SEC first-team selection expected to be one of the Bulldogs’ main offensive weapons this season. He had 49 career receptions for 796 yards and five touchdowns.
We’ll try to sort all this out from Georgia’s end on Wednesday.
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356 comments Add your comment
AltamahaDawg
August 17th, 2011
10:46 am
Yes it would be a voilation. For Miami. We don’t care what happens to Miami. Orson Charles doesn’t recruit for Miami. What is your point?
Just making up reasons why UGA should win
August 17th, 2011
10:47 am
slydog
August 17th, 2011
6:05 am
Why do people keep whining about Jan Kemp? She was given a settlement and deposited it in the bank; And she has kept her mouth shut since.
____________________________________
Isn’t Jan Kemp Dead?
Pretty easy to stay quiet when you are taking the celestial dirt nap.
AltamahaDawg
August 17th, 2011
10:48 am
Finer is starting to remind me on some other troll that hangs around here, with his style now.
DawginLex
August 17th, 2011
10:50 am
If Jarvis Jones was ruled eligible, this situation pales in comparison.
Pickle Tile
August 17th, 2011
10:51 am
Da U
“OC was dating Marve’s sister at the time when his recruitment was going on, so i’m sure he was leaning towards UM at the time.”
Ever heard the expression, “you don’t take sand to the beach?”
*All-Involved
August 17th, 2011
10:51 am
Does Lowder have a yacht?
Just making up reasons why UGA should win
August 17th, 2011
10:52 am
DawginLex
August 17th, 2011
8:51 am
Last time I checked, it wasn’t a violation to go to someone’s house and look at stuff.
If OC didn’t accept any money, he is scott free and will be playing against Boise
———————————————————————————————————
No one is saying he will not play against Boise St.
But as someone else stated.. It makes you wonder why a kid who would be given all the cash, and bonuses would ever attend UGA unless some booster was “taking” care of him and he got a better deal at UGA. Just saying.
Patrick
August 17th, 2011
10:52 am
*breath
AltamahaDawg
August 17th, 2011
10:53 am
So he should have said: “she has kept her mouth shut since, up until her death, when that can no longer be consider an action, which is pointless to say but nevertheless more tecnically correct”.
Would that have been better, Poindexter?
DawginLex
August 17th, 2011
10:53 am
http://insider.espn.go.com/college-football/recruiting/player?id=59419&_slug_=orson-charles&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fcollege-football%2frecruiting%2fplayer%3fid%3d59419%26_slug_%3dorson-charles
no mention of Miami here
i do remember him breaking the crystal on his visit to Gainesville
Just making up reasons why UGA should win
August 17th, 2011
10:54 am
*All-Involved
August 17th, 2011
10:51 am
Does Lowder have a yacht?
Na, just a houseboat and 85 jet skis.
DawginLex
August 17th, 2011
10:55 am
http://michigan.scout.com/a.z?s=162&p=8&c=1&nid=3628786
This one lists miami as “no interest”
Patrick
August 17th, 2011
10:55 am
No one is saying he will not play against Boise St.
But as someone else stated.. It makes you wonder why a kid who would be given all the cash, and bonuses would ever attend UGA unless some booster was “taking” care of him and he got a better deal at UGA. Just saying.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
Maybe the kid simply knows right from wrong and stayed away from Miami after this visit, because he knew some of the things going on at UM weren’t right. And maybe, just maybe… he went to UGA because he wanted to play with Aaron Murray, who is he played with in HS. After all, Charles transferred to Plant to play with Murray to begin with. Why would it be so crazy that he’d follow Murray to UGA also. Give me a break…. This is a non story.
DawginLex
August 17th, 2011
10:56 am
Maybe he wanted to play with Aaron Murray?
AltamahaDawg
August 17th, 2011
10:57 am
Maybe he knew the rules about cash and bonuses and didn’t just automatically accept major cheating as a criteria for his college choice? Just saying.
Pickle Tile
August 17th, 2011
10:58 am
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
how2fish
August 17th, 2011
10:58 am
Chip good article we need to know if any of our guys could get dragged into this goat rodeo..however is there any news from practice ? Who is showing signs of having a big year, how are the injuries healing etc…its 17 days till kickoff and we really NEED some updates..please and thank you Sir.
Just making up reasons why UGA should win
August 17th, 2011
10:58 am
AltamahaDawg
August 17th, 2011
10:53 am
So he should have said: “she has kept her mouth shut since, up until her death, when that can no longer be consider an action, which is pointless to say but nevertheless more tecnically correct”.
Would that have been better, Poindexter?
Just a real UGA fan would have known that the biggest scandal director at the UGA had died.
Just like punks like you who think that UGA is just a lily white program that only has a few bad kids come along but the program is so outstanding, the academics are above reproach and the white trash that attends games on saturday are just rabid fans, not graduates from the diploma mill business party school.
suwanee dawg
August 17th, 2011
10:59 am
Amen Patrick and DawginLex. For bloggers to refer UGA as sleaze based on this article is crazy.
Just making up reasons why UGA should win
August 17th, 2011
11:00 am
AltamahaDawg
August 17th, 2011
10:57 am
Maybe he knew the rules about cash and bonuses and didn’t just automatically accept major cheating as a criteria for his college choice? Just saying.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Absolutely the dumbest statement made so far today! Did the shortbus not run today and you had to stay home?
Just making up reasons why UGA should win
August 17th, 2011
11:02 am
Patrick
August 17th, 2011
10:55 am
No one is saying he will not play against Boise St.
But as someone else stated.. It makes you wonder why a kid who would be given all the cash, and bonuses would ever attend UGA unless some booster was “taking” care of him and he got a better deal at UGA. Just saying.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
Maybe the kid simply knows right from wrong and stayed away from Miami after this visit, because he knew some of the things going on at UM weren’t right. And maybe, just maybe… he went to UGA because he wanted to play with Aaron Murray, who is he played with in HS. After all, Charles transferred to Plant to play with Murray to begin with. Why would it be so crazy that he’d follow Murray to UGA also. Give me a break…. This is a non story.
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
There are a ton of MAYBE’s in that statement. Maybe a booster is paying his and his expenses at UGA. We can add that statement to the paragraph.
DawginLex
August 17th, 2011
11:03 am
Enter your comments hereJust making up reasons why UGA should win
August 17th, 2011
11:00 am
AltamahaDawg
August 17th, 2011
10:57 am
Maybe he knew the rules about cash and bonuses and didn’t just automatically accept major cheating as a criteria for his college choice? Just saying.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Absolutely the dumbest statement made so far today! Did the shortbus not run today and you had to stay home?
*************************************
Why is this dumb? Because you say so from your perspective?
If this is dumb then your statement is just as dumb about the inference to a better offer from UGA.
Nothing Could Be Finer
August 17th, 2011
11:04 am
With just over two weeks to go before “The Hotseat Season”, this is the last thing Richt needs to be dealing with.
Chuck
August 17th, 2011
11:05 am
Classic AJC, while Tech’s headline is “Defense is getting tough!” and “OL making progress!” Rah Rah, Goooooooo TEAM!!!
- ours is “OC mentioned in Miami report” – even though there is no UGA implication and there’s no threat to OC’s eligibility in the report.
Classic.
AltamahaDawg
August 17th, 2011
11:08 am
Ok I’ll bite. Why is that a dumb statement on my part.
AltamahaDawg
August 17th, 2011
11:09 am
It’s “the dumbest” of the day, so I am msure you can easily explain how so.
Jan Kemp ?? Bear Bryant? Wally Butts???
August 17th, 2011
11:11 am
Jan Kemp and LIFE magazine have something in common. BOTH ran with wild stories about UGA that were finally proved to be either false or at a later time in appellate court, were dumbed down to oblivion.
LIFE or LOOK magazine ran with a wild story in the early, early 1960s alleging that Bear Bryant and Wally Butts conspired to throw a game between their respective schools. Alabama needed no deals then to win. The rags or some informant claimed to have heard a phone converstation between the two coaches. Later, both men sued and got major money out of it. Bear really made out with some $$. Case closed. Bear Braynt VW dealership and hotels resulted.
The AJC was embittered with this humiliating defeat because their sports writer Furman Bisher wanted some of UGA. His baby boy of course, received a football scholarship to GT and he did not even play football. Look it up GT fans !!!
Jan Kemp “blew the whistle” on UGA because her lover on the Lady Dogs BB team flunked out and was NOT given preferential treatment. So? She made up tons of lies or half truths to hurt UGA and such. Later in an appeals court, her “victory” was substantially reduced. This says it all.
She ended up with a sad, pathetic existance because almost no one thought that she was credible. She died a tragic death and had a sad ending to her dreary life after all of that pastic surgery too. I think she ultimately won like $24.99 and some Varsity french fries for life. Look it up.
UGA received not one moment of NCAA sanction as a result. GT? They are in their SECOND go round with NCAA cheating in the last 8 or 10 years. THAT is why they had to write that $100,000 check and VACATE any achievements. About 8 or 9 years ago, they were found GUILTY of systemic cheating in all sports. Victories were then forfeited. 19 athlestes were deemed illegal to play and grades were manufactured for them. CHEATERS GT is known far and wide as.
Jan Kemp? Oh, yeah, $24.99 and some greasy fries she won. Compare that to GT’s current humiliations. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
AltamahaDawg
August 17th, 2011
11:12 am
I’m not even going to ask you how you went from a joke, Does a guy even have to mention Kemp being dead to make the point he was making………..to I am a punk that thinks things are lilly white at UGA academic buildings. You know, because…..wow.
I’ll let that lil gem just hang out there and speak for itself.
Bama Mike
August 17th, 2011
11:14 am
To quote my good friends from Auburn we all are ” all in ” there is no in between with these allegations. You cant have one no more or no less guilty. Every player and coach mentioned is going to have to be suspended immediately. Too risky to allow them to play.
Unfortunately with the NCAA you are guilty until proven innocent. If allegation are true former Miami AD Paul Dee should be flown and dropped into the mountains of Afghanistan to live out his retirement.
Alabama | MrSEC.com
August 17th, 2011
11:15 am
[...] CharlesAthletic director Greg McGarity said this morning that UGA “is checking into it.”Here’s how Charles was tied to Nevin Shapiro, the man who’s now ratting out Miami.The story does not suggest that Charles took any illegal [...]
DawginLex
August 17th, 2011
11:16 am
mike
How is OC involved other than looking at a closet? If he took no money, he is clear. He didn’t sign with Miami. The Miami players are hosed but the Gators and the 1 Dawg involved are free as long as no money changed hands
WDE
August 17th, 2011
11:16 am
@Just making up reasons why UGA should win …hey tough guy you calling any one a punk is a classic example of pot calling kettle black..you trolling moron…its got to be a great trill to call folks names on a blog that you would never have the stones to do to their face…have a great day.
Big Dirty Dawg
August 17th, 2011
11:18 am
Finer…another idiot. Just because you step into a single wide trailer..doesnt make you a redneck!! Just your inept thinking does!!
AltamahaDawg
August 17th, 2011
11:18 am
The big story with Jan Kemp was the idiotic move by Fred Davidson to fire her because she was talking about stuff that nobody gave a rat’s behind about. HE made it a story, and the BS preferential treatment became the better angle to cover. Half you numbskulls that bring it up, don’t even know what the deal was about.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 17th, 2011
11:18 am
This is like that 2 or 3rd week in training camp. We got fellow dog bloggers banging on each other. Must be getting antsy to hit somebody else!
Just making up reasons why UGA should win
August 17th, 2011
11:18 am
Adawg..everyone reads your blog post on various articles. If you cannot be neutral and see the fact that UGA does have issues and the program is a lower mid pack team in the conference then sir you are just ignorant to the real world and to college football. We all want ANY SEC team to continue the streak of BCS TITLES and with UGA playing the weakest conference schedule we know that UGA has an outside shot. But with all the talent that has run the halls of UGA over the past 10 years not to have a title says alot about the program.
DawginLex
August 17th, 2011
11:19 am
Troll logic
Born in a garage, must be a car
GtDawg4Life
August 17th, 2011
11:19 am
HEY BAMA,
Bama coaches tied to ex-Miami booster
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/6869434/report-two-alabama-coaches-involved-miami-booster
Seriously
August 17th, 2011
11:20 am
Has nothing to do with UGA.
Just making up reasons why UGA should win
August 17th, 2011
11:20 am
WDE
August 17th, 2011
11:16 am
@Just making up reasons why UGA should win …hey tough guy you calling any one a punk is a classic example of pot calling kettle black..you trolling moron…its got to be a great trill to call folks names on a blog that you would never have the stones to do to their face…have a great day
You are just trash….ignoring you and your threats.
DawginLex
August 17th, 2011
11:21 am
History is showing more and more everyday that the SEC should have all of the BCS titles since 2001 and that would include Georgia in 2002. Eliminate all the cheaters and you have
2002-Georgia
2003-LSU
2004-Auburn
2005-Georgia
2006-Florida
2007-LSU
2008-florida
2009-Bama
2010-Auburn(remains to be seen if they are in cheater group)
Nothing Could Be Finer
August 17th, 2011
11:21 am
Why did Orson agree to visit the mansion of a Miami booster?
We all know he wasn’t there to clean the pool.
He needs to be crystal clear to Richt about what really went on there.
Flaubert
August 17th, 2011
11:22 am
This is simple. If what Charles did what he is alleged to have done, it is or it isn’t a violation. If it is a violation, then UGa wll have to hold him out until the allegation is proved or disproved. Otherwise, UGa will risk having played an ineligible player. Where is the flaw in this logic?
ryan
August 17th, 2011
11:22 am
Yahoo sports Charles Robinson is not done yet he says there are several other programs just like Miami lets just face it college football is fixing to be exposed .
AltamahaDawg
August 17th, 2011
11:22 am
I believe we are ALL waiting for your explaination of why that was the dumbest comment of the day. Here is your chance bigshot.
Bama Mike
August 17th, 2011
11:24 am
Dawgin
Not saying he did anything wrong and in the common sense world he probably did not. But that is not the world of the NCAA. Today just the sniff warrants a sit down until we sort it out. Auburn took an incredibly huge risk with Newton and it worked out. Today the risk far outway the reward. In the end OC should have left the building as soon as he walked in.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 17th, 2011
11:25 am
Flaubert,
I said the same thing at 7:29 this morning try and keep up.
DawginLex
August 17th, 2011
11:25 am
mike
I still say this pales in comparison to Jarvis Jones and he is eligible to play right now
Clarke Co. bail bondsman
August 17th, 2011
11:27 am
On a related note, I just read the headline “ex-UGA players home burglarized”. Right off the top of my head, I’m guessing, uh I dunno…INSIDE job?
DawginLex
August 17th, 2011
11:28 am
nah, it was more of those auburn boys making sure the 2011 fulmer Cup is won