I think it should be called the "and one time, at band camp" forum.
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I think it should be called the "and one time, at band camp" forum.
Codedawg, I love your post and I agree with the entire premise. But there is still a basic, fundamental difference between us and them.
Their boosters aren't acting in a vacuum -- we know that their coaches are actually directing some of what's going on. . Of course, we can't "prove" it in the traditional sense at this point or I presume we would have. "XXXXX, calm down -- talk to your Aunt -- she's very happy with our deal"... That was a phone conversation between an OM coach and a recruit that was overheard in the Memphis airport by an MSU fan that may/may not post here. Secondhand info is about as good as it gets on this kind of thing...
In that way, we will never match it -- because there is very little/no coordination between our boosters and coaches -- since our coaches choose to remain in the dark about things. Rightly so -- we saw what happened to Mirando simply for knowing what's going on. Our boosters aren't going to go drop big $$ on a kid that may/may not be a priority to our coaches -- and without the two working in conjunction, it's really hard to cheat effectively on many levels.
At this point, we CAN NOT play their game -- because WE ARE the ones on probation, for what basically amounts to a 7 year sentence that we fall under the repeat offenders clause that hammered us in the early 00s(over what would have been a minor violation).
They are going to beat us in recruiting until some combination of the following things happen:
1) They join us on probation -- hopefully under worse overall terms
2) We get rid of Bracky and get a LEGIT compliance office together full of lawyers and former NCAA officials
3) Our coaches start playing the game -- at least with the highest level of boosters
Great points, engie. I agree with you totally, but let me add to that. Don't you think one of the reasons the staff wants to be in the dark because they know that nobody in the athletics department has their back? Great point point on Mirando. He was fired for (among other things) knowing what was going on, which made him a liability because Bracky was going to put a poor kid on the sacrificial alter to keep the big bad NCAA boogeyman at bay. That's bullshit. Do you think Trooper Taylor would have gone out like that? Do you think Auburn would have let Trooper get into that position? Hell no.
To your points, I think number 2 is paramount. The ability to defend ourselves is what allows us to operate reasonably while on probation. Look at our history of probations and look at what the actual infractions where. Aside from the Jackie witchhunt, it's all been bullshit that any reasonable university should be able to defend itself from. Even the things Jackie was nailed on were minor. How is a coach supposed to operate if he doesn't feel secure that he will be defended?
The climate that we are operating in now different than what we are trying to operate in. The SEC wants schools to do whatever they can and the SEC office is defending those schools. In that environment we went and turned in Cam. WHAT THE **** ARE WE DOING. The world is telling us it's a free for all and we're sitting around with our thumbs up our asses tattling on other schools.
Instead of worrying about everybody else, let's worry about us. We will never the school of cocaine and blowjobs. That's just not our personality, and that kind of culture has proven to work itself out year-in and year-out up there. When you let Marshall Henderson run around with your star players and recruits, I just don't know how you expect that to end well.
The athletic department needs to get it's house in order, and the other things will work themselves out.