Committee on Infractions headed to Miami

[Anthony 78]

The NCAA will on campus Monday to meet with UM officials about potential violations of impermissible benefits provided by former booster Nevin Shapiro, InsideTheU.com reported Sunday night citing multiple sources. Shapiro, who contributed $150,000 to the program as a booster, pled guilty last June for running a $930 million Ponzi scheme and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In August, he expressed plans to write “a tell-all book” about his involvement with former UM players. Shapiro has said he was close to Jon Beason, Devin Hester, Antrel Rolle, Randy Phillips and Kyle Wright among others.

 

Source: Sun Sentinel

[Anthony 78]

Renegade Miami football booster spells out illicit benefits to players

 

In 100 hours of jailhouse interviews during Yahoo! Sports’ 11-month investigation, Hurricanes booster Nevin Shapiro described a sustained, eight-year run of rampant NCAA rule-breaking, some of it with the knowledge or direct participation of at least seven coaches from the Miami football and basketball programs. At a cost that Shapiro estimates in the millions of dollars, he said his benefits to athletes included but were not limited to: cash, prostitutes, entertainment in his multimillion-dollar homes and yacht, paid trips to high-end restaurants and nightclubs, jewelry, bounties for on-field play (including bounties for injuring opposing players), travel and on one occasion, an abortion.

 

Also among the revelations were damning details of Shapiro’s co-ownership of a sports agency – Axcess Sports & Entertainment – for nearly his entire tenure as a Hurricanes booster. The same agency that signed two first-round picks from Miami, Vince Wilfork and Jon Beason, and recruited dozens of others while Shapiro was allegedly providing cash and benefits to players. In interviews with federal prosecutors, Shapiro said many of those same players were also being funneled cash and benefits by his partner at Axcess, then-NFL agent and current UFL commissioner Michael Huyghue. Shapiro said he also made payments on behalf of Axcess, including a $50,000 lump sum to Wilfork, as a recruiting tool for the agency.

 

Source: Yahoo

[Glanvilles Grits 142]

Here's my .02,

 

I'm a big supporter that college athletes should get paid something, anything. Having a family member currently playing football in college on a scholarship, I knwo that he can't afford anything. And having a job? Ha, hardly have enough time for a job! He is able to work 10, maybe 15 hours of work at most. He can't pay for anything, they give him hardly any money. So I'm not saying a lot, but enough for meals at least!

 

Anyway, in terms of rules. I think it's time to start imposing the death penalty. Show schools that they are serious about following the rules. It's time.

[blotsfan 2,112]

I would bet that all scholarship athletes get a meal plan.

[Anthony 78]

Here's my .02,

 

I'm a big supporter that college athletes should get paid something, anything. Having a family member currently playing football in college on a scholarship, I knwo that he can't afford anything. And having a job? Ha, hardly have enough time for a job! He is able to work 10, maybe 15 hours of work at most. He can't pay for anything, they give him hardly any money. So I'm not saying a lot, but enough for meals at least!

 

Anyway, in terms of rules. I think it's time to start imposing the death penalty. Show schools that they are serious about following the rules. It's time.

 

Players can only work during the offseason. The job also has to be approved by compliance and there's a limit to earnings. I believe it's $2000 for the entire period or just a little more. The reason they cap the earnings is because they don't want a player working for boosters who will pay them thousands of dollars for doing nothing---You know, similar to our congressmen and payments they receive.

 

These allegations against Miami just show that authorizing pay-for-play wouldn't solve anything. There will always be someone raising the bar to become more attractive to recruits. At one time, the scholarship itself was considered an impermissible benefit, yet some schools still served them, and of course, got the better players.

 

Impermissible benefits is more widespread than most want to believe, but Miami just took it to a whole new level.

[Anthony 78]

I would bet that all scholarship athletes get a meal plan.

 

They do, if you don't mind eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the school cafeteria.

 

They also get stipends to pay for little things here and there. The problem with the stipend is that it's across the board. One set figure nationwide. So if you're attending a school in a city with a higher cost of living, you have less to spend compared to the guy attending a school elsewhere.

[KiLaSix9+ 398]

Poor student athletes on full scholorships to the nations bests schools. They do deserve a little money here and there.

[Anthony 78]

Poor student athletes on full scholorships to the nations bests schools. They do deserve a little money here and there.

 

The NCAA likes to say they are students first, which is so far from the truth. Those scholarships have to be renewed each year. You can be a straight "A" student performing poorly on the field and be shit out of luck and bounced off campus.

 

They are athletic students, not student Athletes. Their purpose isn't to add to the schools number of graduates each year. It's to assist in generating millions of dollars in profit annually.

[BLUE 1,026]

So, what are talking about with regard to the punishment the NCAA will hand down????

 

I've heard the dreaded "death penalty" punishment thrown around in the media....but would the NCAA really go that far again???? I'm not so sure....

[FSUViking 184]

I can't even wrap my brain around everything being reported right now. It's incredible. This shit makes SMU look like a speeding ticket violation. I smell "Death Penalty" coming. RIP U.

[Anthony 78]

So, what are talking about with regard to the punishment the NCAA will hand down????

 

I've heard the dreaded "death penalty" punishment thrown around in the media....but would the NCAA really go that far again???? I'm not so sure....

 

The NCAA placed itself in a position where it would have to go that far, because of the severity of the penalties imposed on USC. If USC's sanctions are as close as you can come to the death penalty without getting it, and for one ineligible player, you would have to cross that line for 72 players receiving benefits, several coaches with knowledge, Athletic Directors receiving payments from an agent and even honoring him in on-field ceremonies, and even team managers receiving payouts.

[BLUE 1,026]

72 players????

 

Yikes....I guess they are fucked....

[blotsfan 2,112]

The NCAA likes to say they are students first, which is so far from the truth. Those scholarships have to be renewed each year. You can be a straight "A" student performing poorly on the field and be shit out of luck and bounced off campus.

I thought the NCAA just announced that they're changing the scholarships to automatic 4 year ones.

 

Also, heres a good article on why Miami won't get the death penalty.

http://www.cbssports.com/#!/collegefootball/story/15447680/for-ncaa-to-survive-it-cant-give-miami-death-penalty

[Anthony 78]

I thought the NCAA just announced that they're changing the scholarships to automatic 4 year ones.

 

Also, heres a good article on why Miami won't get the death penalty.

http://www.cbssports.com/#!/collegefootball/story/15447680/for-ncaa-to-survive-it-cant-give-miami-death-penalty

 

No. They're not automatic. The only reason Frankie Telfor is still at USC is because the school chose to keep him on scholarship. It didn't have to. He was found to have a heart defect and can never play football. He never played a down. He never even practiced. The condition was discovered soon after he arrived.

 

My girlfriend played college volleyball, and when the sport was putting a strain on her grades and major, she chose to give up the game and focus on her education. If the student comes first, that was the proper thing to do, right? Once she notified the coaches of her decision, they informed her that she was losing her scholarship and would have to pay her own way to continue her education.

 

As for the article, I somewhat agree. But Miami is a program that had these troubles before, and back then it contemplated dropping the football program on its own. Even if the NCAA doesn't give what we know as the "Death Penalty", the sanctions may be so severe that it is slow death. USC is dangling near death. The loss of scholarships is going to make it hard to compete. Anything more severe than what USC has already received is going to leave a program floating face down in the water.

[blotsfan 2,112]

My girlfriend played college volleyball, and when the sport was putting a strain on her grades and major, she chose to give up the game and focus on her education. If the student comes first, that was the proper thing to do, right? Once she notified the coaches of her decision, they informed her that she was losing her scholarship and would have to pay her own way to continue her education.

Except they never would've offered her a scholarship if she couldn't play volleyball. They're called athletic scholarships for a reason. Its a deal between the athlete and school. The athlete plays on the team and in exchange, the school gives her a scholarship. I think that as long as someone is still playing, a school should be required to give him/her the scholarship but if a player quits, they shouldn't expect the benefits of playing.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

I'll stay away from the college athletes getting paid argument since BLUE was kind enough to start a thread on that very topic, and I'll focus on what's going on with the U here...

 

Anyone who follows college athletics should know that corruption like this is widespread. If you want some evidence to back it up, just look at the charges that have been coming out against big programs lately, especially at USC. All this about students receiving benefits and what not--it happens all over the place. Not at every program in the nation, of course, but I would bet that most of the big name programs do their share of cutting corners.

 

So what to do about it? The NCAA probably won't have enough balls to impose the death penalty, but they need to come down hard on Miami. Actions speak louder than words, and if you're the NCAA and you want to send a clear message that this type of activity will not be tolerated, you have to impose some serious punishment upon the University of Miami. If they get a slap on the wrist, all the other big name programs could only be more motivated to provide benefits to players, since the NCAA would obviously be showing that they are unwilling to impose serious sanctions upon a big name. Like FSUViking said, if all these allegations are substantiated, SMU's violations look like nothing. And by the way, that program still hasn't recovered from getting the hammer over twenty years ago.

[Tridentdawgpound 1,043]

I don't think the death penalty will ever be imposed on any program again.

[rzb+ 367]

So this guy rats out the program he shells money to because nobody will pay his bail?

 

That alone is a crazy story. With all these details, it is putting the tOSU stuff to shame. Now.. since USC, tOSU, and Miami have been kicked in the ass.. who's next? Texas? LSU? Notre Dame?

[FSUViking 184]

So this guy rats out the program he shells money to because nobody will pay his bail?

 

What bail? The guy is already serving his 20 years. He was busted for a ponzi scheme. I doubt anybody could afford his bail. I honestly don't even give a shit why he's doing it.

 

I can tell you first-hand how funny it is to see people who hate "rats" or subscribe to the "snitches get stitches" bullshit...who spill their fucking guts when the reality of prison is staring them in the face. You kinda gain a new perspective on life when yours exists in an 10x12 concrete block.

[Anthony 78]

So this guy rats out the program he shells money to because nobody will pay his bail?

 

That alone is a crazy story. With all these details, it is putting the tOSU stuff to shame. Now.. since USC, tOSU, and Miami have been kicked in the ass.. who's next? Texas? LSU? Notre Dame?

 

Just going by the Charles Robinson interview, the guy seems to be bitter because everyone abandoned him during tough times. It's a reality check. They hung out with the money, and not with him.

 

You left UNC off your list. I think their penalty phase comes next, and should be pretty severe. Oregon is also on the watch list.

[WindyCitySports 407]

I want the death penalty. It should only be used in the most serious cases, and this is possibly the worst case that has come before the NCAA. Not only is the sheer number of players involved unbelievable, but some of the benefits that the players were receiving were illegal (prostitution). I was also shocked that abortion was a benefit in this. I'm trying not to be biased here, and I don't think my opinion would change had it been any other school, but my opinion may show a little when I say that there is a reason the U is called the "convicts."

[FSUViking 184]

Show me another school in the last 30 years that has even been accused of anything close to this. Miami has trumped every NCAA investigation combined just with this Yahoo piece. The only thing you can even compare it to is SMU. USC/Reggie Bush or Auburn/Cam Newton isn't even a drop in the cheating bucket when compared to all this.

 

And, yes....probably 95% of programs are involved in some form of cheating or bending of the rules. But no institution flaunts it and flat out celebrates it like Miami does, and HAS for over 25 years. This is all part of the fucking moronic U "swagger." USC, Ohio State, Auburn, FSU....they all at least try and hide it. Miami puts it right out there in front of God and everybody to see and they don't give a fuck. That alone is why the NCAA is going to put on the sandpaper condom and bend them over.

 

I think it says a lot when Vilma and Antrelle Rolle don't even try and deny anything, they just say it's "not relevant right now.' What the fuck does that even mean? I've heard of a non-denial denial before, but this is just.....dumb. There's probably nothing in the world sports MORE relevant....RIGHT NOW....then this story and their names in it.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Show me another school in the last 30 years that has even been accused of anything close to this. Miami has trumped every NCAA investigation combined just with this Yahoo piece. The only thing you can even compare it to is SMU. USC/Reggie Bush or Auburn/Cam Newton isn't even a drop in the cheating bucket when compared to all this.

 

And, yes....probably 95% of programs are involved in some form of cheating or bending of the rules. But no institution flaunts it and flat out celebrates it like Miami does, and HAS for over 25 years. This is all part of the fucking moronic U "swagger." USC, Ohio State, Auburn, FSU....they all at least try and hide it. Miami puts it right out there in front of God and everybody to see and they don't give a fuck. That alone is why the NCAA is going to put on the sandpaper condom and bend them over.

 

I think it says a lot when Vilma and Antrelle Rolle don't even try and deny anything, they just say it's "not relevant right now.' What the fuck does that even mean? I've heard of a non-denial denial before, but this is just.....dumb. There's probably nothing in the world sports MORE relevant....RIGHT NOW....then this story and their names in it.

 

I completely agree with everything in this post, but do you think the NCAA is gonna have the balls to give Miami the death penalty?

[WindyCitySports 407]

I completely agree with everything in this post, but do you think the NCAA is gonna have the balls to give Miami the death penalty?

Unfortunately they probably won't, mostly because of the legacy left behind by the SMU scandal. I don't see them willing to expose the NCAA to that level. It would just embarrass them further.

[FSUViking 184]

I completely agree with everything in this post, but do you think the NCAA is gonna have the balls to give Miami the death penalty?

 

Probably not, but I bet they come real, real close. A bowl ban that lasts anywhere from 3-5 years....50-60 scholarships lost...and the residual effects will last for many years beyond that. Miami will soon be the team we see playing on ESPN-2 on a Tuesday Night vs Florida International.

 

For all the "swagger" they like to boast about, the team is pretty irrelevant. Unless FSU or Va Tech is playing them, there's usually more people on the sidelines of a Miami game then there are in the stands. It seriously might be another 15-20 years before we see Miami even as a Top 25 program again.