Pinpointing responsibility...

[CHATTBRIT]

Lyn, TW is correct. The books always went back. What was needed was a system to make sure course drops and book turn-ins were coordinated. They are now, with an NCAA official overseeing the process...

Thanks Earl. It just so damm frustrating that the football team are on the brink of great success, and some idiots just selfishly bring the university bad publicity and more probation.

 

[deliveryman35]

Thanks to the continued mistakes of a few, who have been mentioned in this thread, our entire athletics program is now in the 'repeat offender' window until 2014--all the fans and the entire program have to suffer these consequences and another black eye and embarrassment with the media. Do you really have confidence that our program can keep its nose clean for that long with these idiots left in place down in Tuscaloosa? .....interesting op/ed on the subject by the T-news....

UA athletics department in trouble again | TuscaloosaNews.com | The Tuscaloosa News | Tuscaloosa, AL

 

[LrgK9]

Well, from my personal legal opinion as an attorney - it seems like that the penalties should have been more strict on the administrative side and less strict on the sports side.

Just appears to be a records reporting flaw. Just another instance of the NCAA pouncing on those they do not favor and passing a blind eye to those they do favor (I mean USC West, UT and UF) imo.

Don't think you will get any heat on the recruiting trail from UGA, Richt is growing as a HC and he is cracking down on whining and fingerpointing big time this year.

 

[bayoutider]

Lyn, TW is correct. The books always went back. What was needed was a system to make sure course drops and book turn-ins were coordinated. They are now, with an NCAA official overseeing the process...

I understand the store employees who make up the book bundles have been better trained not to add anything not on the required list.

Some of the reported crimes were a $.35 test booklet and a $1.25 study guide.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Slive is trying to crack down on it also, but he's having a tough time with the barners. I really believe they'll soon have their hands full enough that they won't have time left over to finger-point. Of course, they'll still whine - that they got set up...

 

[Tidewater]

I understand the store employees who make up the book bundles have been better trained not to add anything not on the required list.

Some of the reported crimes were a $.35 test booklet and a $1.25 study guide.

That is a competitive advantage. I can picture players saying, "I'm signing with Alabama for the free test booklets."

 

[thetideinmd]

This post is to clarify exactly where the breakdown occurred. To me, this is important, although some other posters have said it's not to them. Just my nature, I guess. The employee primarily responsible in the AD is named Dever. He looks at the actual vouchers. His boss is named Almond, who signs off on what Dever does. The Supe Store shares responsibility for the book accounts. As I remember, there were three reprimands handed out to Dever, Almond and the SS mgr (could have been an assistant mgr). Dever was denied a raise. I don't know if the other two were. But all three are still in place, drawing a paycheck.

Now, I'm among the group who think the AD needs to be reorganized from the top to the bottom, because I think the NCAA (as well as some of us) are getting tired of looking at the same faces every time there's another screw-up. So, if anyone wants to condemn the whole AD system, I'm with you. What is absolutely not accurate is to blame Compliance for this particular screw-up (not saying we have great Compliance). All Compliance did was convey the self-report to the NCAA.

#1 How do these 3 people still have jobs!? and 2- i do agree that the whole AD needs cleaned out. and install some fresh maybe younger blood.
a zero tolerance policy needs to be take concerning the football team. automatic suspension for the smallest infraction. at some point the guys in the program must "get it".
now take this from someone that lives 800 miles from T-town. the players, deep pocketed alums, regular alums and us regular fans, this program has a TARGET on it's back! the media will never give us a break and plenty happy to push the program in front of a bus. at some point we ALL have to "get it" and help keep the program clean. if that means doing without some "borderline" players, then so be it. let's face it, the program can't survive another scholarship hit. it hasn't fully recovered from the last one.
i don't know about the rest of you but i'm sick of seeing our beloved Crimson Tide Football program being drug through the mud. the players, administration, alumni and fans have allowed it to happen.
:BigA:Roll Tide!

 

[jgb_hsv]

I have a responsibility question. Who, if anyone, within the athletic department is tasked with keeping up with news regarding NCAA investigations and assessing whether or not Bama may have vulnerabilities in that area?

The reason I ask is that the Ball State textbook investigation/case has been public knowledge since mid 2005.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I don't know that there's anyone in charge of press clippings, but the Director of Compliance would definitely have that in his charter...

 

[bama579]

#1 How do these 3 people still have jobs!? and 2- i do agree that the whole AD needs cleaned out. and install some fresh maybe younger blood.
a zero tolerance policy needs to be take concerning the football team. automatic suspension for the smallest infraction. at some point the guys in the program must "get it".

i don't know about the rest of you but i'm sick of seeing our beloved Crimson Tide Football program being drug through the mud. the players, administration, alumni and fans have allowed it to happen.
:BigA:Roll Tide!

To clarify something . .. Saban, Smart, McElwain, Anthony Grant, Sarah Patterson, Patrick Murphy, etc. are employees of the Athletic Dept. Let's be less sweeping in our condemnations.

 

[deliveryman35]

To clarify something . .. Saban, Smart, McElwain, Anthony Grant, Sarah Patterson, Patrick Murphy, etc. are employees of the Athletic Dept. Let's be less sweeping in our condemnations.

Umm...I think that's understood. Hell, Nick Saban is an employee of the athletic dept...:conf2:

 

[bamanut_aj]

I'm scared to death too, but your post suggests that we're cheating and would have to buy their silence if we fired them. That's just grist for their rumor and innuendo mill. Just because they do it that way doesn't mean that we are too.

yeah, because if there's anything the last 20 years have taught us is that EVERYTHING is on the squeaky up-an-up in T'town? I'll be honest.....I don't want to fire the 'wrong' person either. We've either been holding on to the same lugnuts for a good reason, or we've got far too many incompetent boobs in control of hiring/firing/retention.

 

[bamahippie]

I haven't seen this written, but I will: I'm particularly disappointed in Antoine Caldwell and Glenn Coffee. Caldwell was a leader, and leaders just don't do that. Coffee wrapped himself in religion, and did this. In both cases, it's not a bad moment -- this happened over a period of months, with plenty of time to think better of poor judgment and fix it. When you voluntarily assume the mantle of leadership or religion, you hold yourself to a higher standard. Neither did. That's not what leaders or men of God do.

Thank you for your stats earlier in this particular post. Those were enlightening, and I wish the press would actually USE them. And I agree with the comment on Caldwell. But does anyone remember when Coffee entered into the Christian faith? If he was fooling around with the books before getting "wrapped up in religion", then everything you say above about him is false. If he was new in the faith, and it was therefore just after getting "wrapped up in religion", considering the time frame, he was what folks in the faith would call a "baby Christian", which means he had just shaved off the dreds, been baptized, etc., he was trying, Caldwell had been there, done that. Just saying, there's a difference. Caldwell was a leader, Coffee became a leader.

 

[rizolltizide]

Personally, I think the responsibility lands with the 201 student athletes that worked the system. But that's just me.

Should it have been caught? Prolly. And there is culpability there.. But if we are going to "fire em all" shouldn't we also revoke the schollies of the guilty, at least the ones that are still in school?

 

[TommyMac]

Anyone know if there were actually 201 athletes involved or 201 cases of athletes abusing the system?

 

[Crimson Cat]

I understand it to be 201 athletes overall, with only 20 student-athletes being deliberate cases, meaning they knew it was a loophole and wrong but did it anyway. Out of that 20, five were football players.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Seven, I think, CC. It also included Dukes and Schreiber...

 

[russtang]

I don't really know which thread to post in, so I'll just post here.

The University stated that no athelete gained any academic or athletic advantage.
NO athelete received money or gained financially. The NCAA Agreed.

So, what was the improper "benefit" that the atheletes received?

I do think the whole issue could have and should have been avoided if the AD was doing its job.

 

[bayoutider]

I understand it to be 201 athletes overall, with only 20 student-athletes being deliberate cases, meaning they knew it was a loophole and wrong but did it anyway. Out of that 20, five were football players.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

And as stated previously some of the improprieties were no more than a bookstore employee adding a test booklet or study guide to an athlete's bag. These items are in the under $5 range some under $1 yet they are counted the same as a $100 textbook.

I can't buy a recruit a $5 hamburger but Reggie Bush's family can live in a $700,000 house.

 

[uaintn]

Yes, I think that is the correct total. My understanding is that the VAST majority were cases of students getting texts that were "supplemental" or "recommended" as opposed to "required". They weren't knowingly scamming the system -- they thought what they were doing was permissible under the rules. And I'm not going to be upset with or recommend punishment for anyone for trying to take advantage of every way to get a better education, good grades, etc. within the rules. If there is a problem there, it was with the athletic department/supe store....