September 26, 2017
By Lauren Thomas
The FBI has arrested 10 people, (click here) including four NCAA basketball coaches and an Adidas manager, in a bribery investigation involving recruitment efforts.
By Lauren Thomas
The FBI has arrested 10 people, (click here) including four NCAA basketball coaches and an Adidas manager, in a bribery investigation involving recruitment efforts.
The probe has revealed numerous instances of bribes paid to assistant and associate basketball coaches to exert influence over student athletes, according to documents filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. The papers were unsealed on Tuesday.
Among those arrested were Lamont Evans, an associate coach of Oklahoma State University, Chuck Person, an associate coach of Auburn University, Emanuel "Book" Richardson, an assistant coach of the University of Arizona, and Tony Bland, an associate coach of the University of Southern California.
NCAA President Mark Emmert called the nature of the charges "deeply disturbing" in a statement released later Tuesday.
"We have no tolerance whatsoever for this alleged behavior," Emmert said. "Coaches hold a unique position of trust with student-athletes and their families and these bribery allegations, if true, suggest an extraordinary and despicable breach of that trust. We learned of these charges this morning and of course will support the ongoing criminal federal investigation."...
There is wide spread concern about how this is going to effect the organization and financial liability for existing contracts. There will be economic impacts to these issues. The law is the law and it needs to be respected. Money does not talk as loud in the USA today. That is important. If only our elections and politics were able to be cleansed of corruption and money.
September 27, 2017
By Mark Cooper
At the end of the day Wednesday, (click here) Lamont Evans’ status at Oklahoma State remained the same as it did Tuesday afternoon.
Suspended, with pay.
Evans’ salary for the upcoming season is $600,000. He signed a three-year, $1.875-million deal that includes a $25,000 raise after each season.
But if Oklahoma State does terminate Evans -- for what would be just cause -- it may not matter whether it occurred immediately or later this week.
According to Evans’ contract, which the Tulsa World received through an open records request, the university’s obligations for payment cease at the end of the month in which he is terminated for just cause. The last day of September is Saturday....
There is a bigger picture to this as well. Young people take example from sports figures. What kind of example is it to have bribery be a part of the REALITY of the NCAA? What does it say about the sport and it's place in the ambitions of young people?
September 28, 2017
By Jap Bilas
...Right now, (click here) as the sky seems to be falling in college basketball, some are suggesting that things will really change going forward. Grassroots basketball is dead. Agents will no longer be able to get their hooks into players. Coaches will not be able to pay players. Now, thanks to federal law enforcement officials, college sports will be clean and moral.
While this is horribly unpleasant and far from over, I don't see meaningful change coming to college sports. The reason? Money.
The same things were said about Wall Street after the 2008 financial crisis. Things were going to change, and no longer would the big banks be allowed to do whatever they wanted and put the world economy at risk with collateralized debt obligations and credit default swaps. Yet, years later, it is back to business as usual on Wall Street.
While this ugly scandal seems to be the NCAA's worst ever, it is not. We have seen big scandals before, and as long as we maintain the current corrupt system and rules, we will be here again. We have implemented rules after each scandal to make ourselves feel better, but they don't do any good. They can't do any good. The reason? Money....
Corruption. When will it ever stop in all aspects of American life? The real question is why does it exist?
There is wide spread concern about how this is going to effect the organization and financial liability for existing contracts. There will be economic impacts to these issues. The law is the law and it needs to be respected. Money does not talk as loud in the USA today. That is important. If only our elections and politics were able to be cleansed of corruption and money.
September 27, 2017
By Mark Cooper
At the end of the day Wednesday, (click here) Lamont Evans’ status at Oklahoma State remained the same as it did Tuesday afternoon.
Suspended, with pay.
Evans’ salary for the upcoming season is $600,000. He signed a three-year, $1.875-million deal that includes a $25,000 raise after each season.
But if Oklahoma State does terminate Evans -- for what would be just cause -- it may not matter whether it occurred immediately or later this week.
According to Evans’ contract, which the Tulsa World received through an open records request, the university’s obligations for payment cease at the end of the month in which he is terminated for just cause. The last day of September is Saturday....
There is a bigger picture to this as well. Young people take example from sports figures. What kind of example is it to have bribery be a part of the REALITY of the NCAA? What does it say about the sport and it's place in the ambitions of young people?
September 28, 2017
By Jap Bilas
...Right now, (click here) as the sky seems to be falling in college basketball, some are suggesting that things will really change going forward. Grassroots basketball is dead. Agents will no longer be able to get their hooks into players. Coaches will not be able to pay players. Now, thanks to federal law enforcement officials, college sports will be clean and moral.
While this is horribly unpleasant and far from over, I don't see meaningful change coming to college sports. The reason? Money.
The same things were said about Wall Street after the 2008 financial crisis. Things were going to change, and no longer would the big banks be allowed to do whatever they wanted and put the world economy at risk with collateralized debt obligations and credit default swaps. Yet, years later, it is back to business as usual on Wall Street.
While this ugly scandal seems to be the NCAA's worst ever, it is not. We have seen big scandals before, and as long as we maintain the current corrupt system and rules, we will be here again. We have implemented rules after each scandal to make ourselves feel better, but they don't do any good. They can't do any good. The reason? Money....
Corruption. When will it ever stop in all aspects of American life? The real question is why does it exist?
