CAULTON TUDOR (N&O)
Miami could become dead ACC weight
At a time when UNC’s football program is in the NCAA’s on-deck circle and various other conference programs have been sanctioned, the potential mushroom cloud in Miami will be as bad for business as imaging.
The whole idea of bringing aboard Miami in 2004 was to add a big-hitter football commodity for TV contractual purposes. After much inspection (supposedly), the ACC pronounced the long-troubled Hurricanes a healthy, rehabilitated program that long would be an asset on and off the field for the conference.
In reality, the football team has been average – 30-26 against so-so league rivals – and anything except can’t-miss TV.
STEVEN WINE – ASSOCIATED PRESS
NCAA calls for reforms as reports of former Hurricanes booster’s claims are revealed
New York Giants safety Antrel Rolle declined to discuss the allegations but said Shapiro is mad about being in prison and directing his emotions at the Hurricanes.
“There is a lot of drama going on, and it’s all caused by one guy, one angry guy,” Rolle said. “Obviously he is on a rampage to cause havoc.”
Miami was once among the best and most intimidating teams in college football, but Shapiro was around the program during a period of only modest success for the Hurricanes, who won their most recent national championship in 2001.
“I’m not upset about the U allegations,” tweeted Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez, who pitched at Miami. “I’m mad we didn’t win anything while we were cheating.”
AUDIO (ACCSJ)
David Glenn Chats With Charles Robinson, Aug. 17
David Glenn r caught up with Yahoo! Sports investigative reporter Charles Robinson on Glenn’s afternoon radio show to talk about Robinson’s story on alleged NCAA violations at the University of Miami.
Among the topics they discussed: trying to calculate the value of Shapiro’s alleged benefits; Shapiro’s “rock star†lifestyle and why it attracted Miami players; how this case compares to other scandals in NCAA history; Shapiro’s high profile at Miami; whether Miami administrators can use the “I didn’t know†defense; and the depth of Frank Haith’s relationship with Shapiro.
Akula Wolf (BackingthePack.com)
Devin Hester Received $1000 For KO Return Touchdown Against NC State
TIM DAHLBERG, AP Sports Columnist
NCAA has more to deal with than just Miami mess
For that to change, someone has to be in charge of college athletics. And, despite all of Emmert’s tough talk, it’s clear the NCAA isn’t.
The big conferences control the big bowls. Television money dictates who plays where and when and in what conference. Wealthy boosters chase after the most coveted coaches with fistfuls of cash.
And all the NCAA does is slap a few hands once in a while when it has no other choice.
That’s not to say Miami will get off easy once the NCAA finishes its investigation. The Yahoo Sports report is so damaging that the football program could be grounded for years based on it alone. There will surely even be a call for the NCAA’s so-called “death penalty,” which has not been used since the Southern Methodist University football program was decimated by it a quarter-century ago.
If ever a program deserves to be shut down, Miami might be the one, given the range of accusations made by convicted Ponzi con man and Miami booster Nevin Shapiro and told to Yahoo Sports. Based on his tell-all, there wasn’t much that top football players and other athletes at Miami lacked for over the years.
Tim Hall (WRALSportsfan)
NCAA has been on Miami case for five months
Emmert couldn’t answer specifically how long Miami’s situation will take to assess.
“The average case is a six- or seven-month process,” Emmert said. “We’ve had some you’ve seen in the past, even before my tenure, that the USC case took multiple years. But the reality is that most of these cases are resolved within a six- or seven-month period.”
Miami is the latest in a string of major college football programs to present problems to the NCAA. Those problems, according to Emmert, were the largest focus of discussion at last week’s retreat.
Tar Heel Fan (Tarheelfanblog)
Hey This Miami Thing Looks Like It Might Be A Big Deal
Of course, UNC has its own front porch to sweep. Nine major infractions are not child’s play. UNC will have its own serious consequences and nothing that happens at Miami isn’t going to make UNC fans feel better or the school less guilty. Nor should it. However, there is some comfort in knowing that while there were some royal screw-ups in Chapel Hill, there should be an opportunity here. There is a chance for UNC to learn from its mistakes and move past the scandal without(hopefully) debilitating sanctions that cripples the football program.
For Miami there will be no such window.
Pat Forde talks about the death penalty (ESPN):
The extent to which Miami can and will be hammered remains unknown, of course. What is reported by the media does not always translate to what is formally alleged by NCAA enforcement. Then the school has a chance to respond to those allegations, and ultimately the Committee on Infractions must weigh both sides and mete out a punishment.
So we’re a long way from knowing how this will all play out. But the death penalty is applicable for “repeat violators,” and Miami would seem to fit that definition.
UPDATE (1:30PM)
Andrew Sharp (SBNation)
Hurricanes And Hookers And Jet Skis: Miami Football, Stranded On Death Row
6. And The Player Pages! Almost like an aftershock, an hour or two after blowing everyone’s mind with Charles Robinson’s initial report, Yahoo! went out and dropped the player pages, where Shapiro recounts specific transgressions with each player. Like Antrell Rolle, for instance, of whom who Shapiro said, “…he was about as bad as it gets. For starters, I bought him a $7,500 Jacob the Jeweler watch from Buchwald Jewelers in the Seybold Building. I supplied cash, strip joints. …. Probably the most significant violation would be Michael Huyghue financed Antrel to the tune of about $40,000 in cash while he was at the University of Miami.”
There’s also D.J. Williams’ “naughty high school girl” pose on Shapiro’s yacht, Vince Wilfork’s $1,500 washer and dryer, the assistant coach who accepted $200,000 in checks over the years, and of course, Sean Taylor’s $26,000 dog tags. It’s not a strike against those guys, either; if anything, it’s too bad every college football player couldn’t play at Miami.
Statefans (Statefansnation)
Yahoo! exposes The U, Administrative Hypocrisy
If the NCAA truly wants to enact change, then it should hire Yahoo! Sports reporter Charles Robinson. For those not keeping up, Yahoo! — and more precisely, Charles Robinson, and to some extent, Dan Wetzel — has become the lead on about every college football scandal since USC-Reggie Bush. Yahoo! has fully emerged as a relevant player in sports reporting, particularly investigative journalism; more importantly, Yahoo! isn’t trying to balance journalism with multi-million dollar TV deals.
Simply: you really don’t want to see anyone from Yahoo! on your campus. Ever.
Spencer Hall (EDSBS.com)
THE CURIOUS INDEX, 8/17/2011
PLEASE REMEMBER THE IMPORTANT PART. Kellen Winslow crashed a jetski into a boat. Debate the rest of the case: whether we should trust a convicted felon even if he’s got massive documentation, whether Yahoo’s milking an outrage that has long since petered out past cynicism into something even more tired and factual, or whether this is yet another dagger in the heart of the concept of amateur athletics. We dismiss those serious debates for the moment in recognition of this fact: Kellen Winslow, he of the soldiery monologues, he of amateur motorcycle stuntwork, can indeed crash any form of transportation. If there were a gif of this moment, we would display it on a flatscreen television 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with the audio “I’M A SOLDIER!” running under it.
For this visual alone, we owe you, Charles Robinson. Oh, and reform restructuring seriousness blah blah blah.
Spencer Hall (EDSBS.com)
THE CURIOUS INDEX, 8/18/2011
NO THERE WON’T BE A DEATH PENALTY DISCUSSION. Sources at the NCAA—wait, that doesn’t look suspicious enough. [Consults blogger guide to style.] Okay: “sources” at the NCAA have told Pete Thamel that the death penalty hasn’t even been discussed in the Miami case. This may not be of any real surprise: the NCAA moves with the speed of a glacier sprinting uphill, and certainly doesn’t like to comment on specific penalties.
No, they like the unadulterated fun of just dropping the courthouse on those least expecting it, or letting the victim feel the coarse Manila rope fibers of the hangman’s noose itself against their skin before smiling, patting them on the back, and writing a parking citation before sending them on their way. The mercury-poisoned syphilitic judge of the sport that is our Old West, if you will.
