Alabama now also under investigation by NCAA...

[Roadrunner]

Lol at Saban for saying they should ban NFL teams from coming on campus, and he said last year he supports it.  lol

Need a frame of reference here?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2718798

He should be an attorney.  He manipulates the truth to suit his purpose. Zero integrity.

[Hawg Balling]

Here's something interesting. Hit the link and check out the list under "NFL Clients". This is the agent at the center of this scandal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Rosenhaus#NFL_clients

That's one impressive client list. 

[Jimbob111]

The problem, as I see it, is this:  NCAA

If I'm a math whiz, and there was one my tiny town, and folks from MIT and Harvard are sniffing around because he's that good, and he goes to college and then the NSA comes sniffing with job offers...does the school get in trouble???

No, they do not.  The problem is professional athletics are not considered a college major.  How many English majors, or Sociology majors, or History majors are expected to pass a course on football?  Or a course on basketball?  Or a course on women's beach volleyball?  That's right.  Zero.  In Arkansas, if you can pass Health and Safety, it's all good.

A mediocre lineman in the NFL can make as much a year as a fair attorney in Small Town, Arkansas with less than 5 years experience under either's belt.  If you're lucky, in small town Arkansas, you can bank on $30 your first year as an attorney, and bank on (if you're lucky) $250 grand by year 5.

The NCAA wants to make college athletics about the student-athletes rather than about their future as a contributing, tax-paying member of society with a marketable career.  How many math or physics majors are expected to excel in a field other than their major or minor?  And yet, if you're gifted in sports, you're expected to excel in...psychology?  Get real.

The NCAA needs to realize that for the best of the best, professional athlete is what's gonna make them money and keep their family's fed.

[big_ol_meat]

I have two suggestions. 
1: pay the athletes minimum wage at least.  I know it isn't much but hopefully they are too wrapped in school work and practice\games to blow it.  It wouldn't hurt to give them 7.25 an hour (while school is in session) as a work study program.  It could help the walk on's pay for tuition.
2: make it mandatory that you finish college before going to the NFL.  No more people who play good for 2 years then slack off the last semester of their 3rd year because they know they are going pro.  Make them at least play 4-5 years, depending on the red shirt, before being eligible.  Seniors only would have the opportunity to talk to agents.  Since you wouldn't have to worry about juniors leaving early it wouldn't both you to have agents coming to campus. 

[nwarazfan]

Within days of Arkansas winning the basketball national championship in 1994, my dad told me it would just be a matter of time before rumors of NCAA investigations would descend on Nolan Richardson and his program. Sure enough, a few months later, Sunday Adebayo and Jesse Pate had people crawling up their a$$e$ with microscopes.

Jealousy from other coaches will eventually lead to multiple accusations being made.

Richard Williams Mississippi State

[atekido]

and we will beat you again....and again....and again

lets see same record as us in 2009...  We beat you..... you lost to kentucky....  we out scored you for the season.. and had fewer points scored on us.
so tell us again how you will beat us?

really how do you let Furman score 31 points? and ball st score 30...   you should be worried about Arkansas St.

[Hawginthecovers]

They don't. The schools should make sure the Athletes know the rules about contact with an agent VERBATIM and make sure they know that such contact will result in the loss of their eligibility. Once this is done, there's no excuse for a player breaking this rule and having contact with an agent because they know full well it's wrong and they'll lose their scholarship if they do so. The school has done what they're required to do and should even go father and ban the agents from their school so I have no sympathy for any athlete who breaks this rule and loses their eligibility.

There's also the part of them getting a free education worth Thousands.  I feel they should have to pay back their entire scholarship if they are found to be guilty.  Big time schools are using athletes to some extent, but these athletes are also using the school and the opportunity to help themselves even more.  Alabama (and their fans) have fed the monster.  Now they have to reap their just rewards for telling their players, "come here and you'll play in the NFL".

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

I'm still sick about hearing this kind of stuff, no matter who it involves.

If you through a rope to someone drowning, they are going to grab it.

tell the nfl "don't come looking until a student athlete is 22 years of age".  This will give the kids a different goal to persue.

Just don't through it throw their head!!!

[TOM "tbw1"]

Who really trusts the NCAA?

[The real Hogules]

Let me guess. You read that on BamaOnline?

No, actually it was on an AU web site.....................................but it was posted by a Bama fan posting on that site, who was also acknowledging the Bama players that were also involved.

He mentioned a player or two from Tennessee as well as a couple of players from other SEC teams that has since slipped my mind.

I guess we'll see in the coming weeks if he was just talking trash, or really does have a "source" that is giving him the names of the other soon to be ex-SEC football players.

[Niels Boar]

Funny how coaches are outraged, outraged I tell you, at agents having contact with players now that the NCAA has told USC that it doesn't matter if you didn't (translate:claim not to) know some dealings were going on because you should have known.  What I think has happened is that the new way of cheating with plausible deniability is that you tell recruits that we will absolutely not be (directly) involved with any NCAA violations, but our football team draws a lot of attention from these scummy agents that we (wink, wink) don't have time to keep track of.  Coach turns his back.  Now programs are trying to get ahead of the NCAA enforcement curve lest they suffer the same fate as USC.

[Hawg Balling]

Why not just form a minor league for kids headed to the NFL but not interested in education?   Make the NCAA truly for students.   The 40 times will go up to probably 5.0 for the fastest guy in the NCAA, but so what.   The money for education will truly be spent on students wanting to learn, not on player development for the NFL.

In a perfect world, this would be the outcome that the NCAA desired.  But they have a great product in high demand and don't see the point in compromising that one bit.  The three year rule for NFL draftees is about as far as it will go with regard to football. 

Money has always and will always rule the day. 

[Landonhog]

MD now officially ineligible per tidesports.com...  Bama will petition, but does anyone expect the NCAA to act swiftly?

[bigdaddyhawg]

They self-reported and Saban is screaming from the mountain tops all of his ways to solve this nation-wide problem.

Nothing to see here, unless we all want to discuss a dead end story.

Dareus was declared ineligible today and Bama is going to have to petition for his reinstatement.

Still think this is a dead story?

[Rolltide4ever]

The problem, as I see it, is this:  NCAA

If I'm a math whiz, and there was one my tiny town, and folks from MIT and Harvard are sniffing around because he's that good, and he goes to college and then the NSA comes sniffing with job offers...does the school get in trouble???

No, they do not.  The problem is professional athletics are not considered a college major.  How many English majors, or Sociology majors, or History majors are expected to pass a course on football?  Or a course on basketball?  Or a course on women's beach volleyball?  That's right.  Zero.  In Arkansas, if you can pass Health and Safety, it's all good.

A mediocre lineman in the NFL can make as much a year as a fair attorney in Small Town, Arkansas with less than 5 years experience under either's belt.  If you're lucky, in small town Arkansas, you can bank on $30 your first year as an attorney, and bank on (if you're lucky) $250 grand by year 5.

The NCAA wants to make college athletics about the student-athletes rather than about their future as a contributing, tax-paying member of society with a marketable career.  How many math or physics majors are expected to excel in a field other than their major or minor?  And yet, if you're gifted in sports, you're expected to excel in...psychology?  Get real.

The NCAA needs to realize that for the best of the best, professional athlete is what's gonna make them money and keep their family's fed.

You know Jimbob111 you just hit the nail square on the head. Does everyone realise how much money a successful Div-1 football team brings into a university. Without football , there would be little or no women's sports at most Div-1 schools.The NCAA needs to change with the times. These young men really make a lot of money for our beloved " Team Name and Nickname here " What really gets me in all of this. The main problem is the agent. That rascal walks away clean, while the young men that follow in your favorite teams probation and lack of scholarships pay the price. I sure don't have the answer,but something has to be done. Stop beating the cat cause the dang dog is barking all night ! And from what I heard today coming out of Hoover , seems their was several schools and several young men at this party? Nothing to do now,but back away from it and set your cup down!