Dr. Saturday - NCAAF

We're very disappointed. Now watch this drive. Officially, Alabama won 23 games between 2005-07. Unofficially, that number is about to be reduced:

TUSCALOOSA -- The NCAA will announce Thursday that the Alabama football team must vacate all wins in 2005 through 2007 that included players involved in violations of textbook disbursement policy, a person with knowledge of the ruling said.

That number is at least 10, another source said. Alabama will not have to give up its 2007 win over Tennessee or its bowl win that season.

The ruling, which will be announced to the public Thursday, also includes the NCAA placing Alabama on three more years of probation, and Alabama will pay a fine.

The probation is a special nod to 'Bama's status as a repeat repeat offender -- as Ray Melick points out in the Birmingham News, the program has been under a near-constant cloud of sanctions since the mid-nineties, thanks to infractions handed down in 1995, 1999 (basketball) and 2002. After the last round, Alabama was supposed to be "staring down the barrel of a gun" with the NCAA, and Melick recalls the round of back-patting stories when the program finally went sanction-free in 2007.

The gun in question, though, is a pop gun: Aside from some embarrassment, a little pocket change and a bit of red ink in the record book over years most 'Bama fans would like to forget, anyway, the sanctions don't carry any real teeth going forward, since a) There are no scholarship losses, and b) The NCAA has proven very generous lately to schools forced to "vacate" past victories. The Association restored eight wins it took from Oklahoma for starting two players who were paid for work they didn't perform at a local car dealership in 2005, and seems to be on the brink of giving back 14 "vacated" wins to Florida State after FSU appealed the ruling on a case of "widespread academic fraud" earlier this year. Next to either of those scandals, Alabama's textbook scam -- in which the offending players reportedly paid back the money the school lost through their book-lending plan -- is a misdemeanor, and one the Tide self-reported at that. The stern wrist-slapping here seems to be more of the three-strikes-you're-out variety than a response to the latest offense.

Anyway, bring on the appeal. Most of the triumphs in peril may belong to the Mike Shula administration, but they're crimson nonetheless.

Marrone the Cleanser. House-cleaning is standard operating procedure for a new coach, and you can judge the depth of the existing problems by the number of players the new administration roots out, runs off or recommends to transfer to Temple. At Tennessee, for example, Lane Kiffin got a round of headlines for "losing" 11 scholarship players in his first five months on the job. After four disastrous years under Greg Robinson, Syracuse was in a far more advanced stage of rot when Doug Marrone took over in December; accordingly, the Orange have shuttled off a whopping 14 holdovers from the Robinson regime in six months. Nothing to see here, says the Syracuse Post-Standard, as long as you remember that scholarships serve at the pleasure of the head coach:

Syracuse, NY -- Whether it's typical of football programs in transition under new head coaches to have soooo many players leave, you gotta admit, the upheaval of the roster at Syracuse University still has the appearance of a thorough house cleaning.

To that end, the head football coach of the Orange men - and that would be Doug Marrone - may or may not be asking players to move along. He can certainly make a persuasive argument, as in (and I'm pretending what he might say, here) you're not going to play and have no future of playing and I'll be more than happy to make some calls for you ... kind of argument. I keep hearing that the players themselves are making their decisions to leave. Those decisions could include breaking team rules or failing to meet academic requirements or getting the message from Marrone that their future PT is bleak.

The Dispatch has a man-by-man rundown of the latest departures, and if Orange partisans are misting up over the departure of Chaz Cervino, the rehab is going to take a lot longer than they hope.

Speaking of cleaning house ... Kansas State refuses to say why it suspended a pair of longtime athletic department officials Wednesday -- just four days into the administration of new athletic director John Currie -- only maintaining that their leave "is not based upon any concerns about misconduct on the part of either individual." The assumption, of course, is that the move is directly related to the crazy backroom deal, revealed last month, that puts K-State on the hook for $3.2 million in deferred pay to ex-coach Ron Prince through 2020.

So far, that agreement has been presented as the "secret" work of Prince, his agent and disgraced former AD Bob Krause. The university didn't back off that description Wednesday, but Prince's agent begs to differ:

Neil Cornrich, Prince’s agent and attorney, maintains the agreement was not done in secret and will withstand any legal challenge.

"Not only is it inaccurate to claim that this was a secret agreement, but also it makes no sense since the contract was mutually agreed upon, signed and legally binding," Cornrich has said.

This would never happen to, say, Tom Osborne, which I guess is why the Nebraska legend gets to hold onto the AD's chair for another year in Lincoln.

Quickly ... Elsewhere, K-State is adding South Florida's former backup quarterback. ... Alabama's attorney general won't pursue any charges related to early agent contact with ex-Tide lineman Andre Smith. ... USC refugee Vidal Hazelton's petition for immediate eligibility at Cincinnati was denied by the NCAA. ... Florida receiver Riley Cooper has a decision to make after going in the 25th round of Thursday's baseball draft, and Auburn loses a recruit to the Red Sox. ... Nebraska DB Mason Wald, one of two scholarship true freshmen who saw the field for the Huskers last year, is transferring to Samford. ... Indeed, Tebow is great. ... Former Georgia linebacker Arthur Marshall was indicted on federal charges of bank fraud. ... Hyped receiver Ahmad Paige, a washout after two fruitless years at Penn State, has landed at Louisiana Tech. ... The new official capacity at Rutgers Stadium: 52,454, up 10,000 seats from last year after an end zone expansion. ... And Ex-Gator Cornelius Ingram, '08 injury casualty, gets a $1.9 million birthday present from the Philadelphia Eagles.

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29 Comments

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  1. Lyell W
    1. Posted by Lyell W Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:31 am EDT

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    Look im not advocating what the students did but in comparison to other "violations" this is about as weak as it gets. Textbooks?? Come on...at least FSU actually had players cheating on tests....its not like Bama was paying players (im looking at you USC)...I guess what Im saying is the NCAA is kinda out on a very thin limb on this one.
  2. Brock
    2. Posted by Brock Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:06 am EDT

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    Tell you what. I'll give you this $100 textbook for $50. Just give it back to me at the end of the semester (it's a better deal than selling it back to the bookstore for $30 *wink *wink).
  3. Tusker
    3. Posted by Tusker Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:22 am EDT

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    Sorry you're disappointed Hinton, but since it was the University that self-reported the violations to the NCAA immediately upon apprisal of the situation, the NCAA was fair in not punishing the future of the program.
    Focus on the real cheaters at USC, Memphis, Dayton, F$U, etc., and not the schools that are trying to go by the rules like Alabama and Oklahoma.
  4. Mike C
    4. Posted by Mike C Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:22 am EDT

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    Ahmad Paige was at Tennessee, not Penn State
  5. zibby
    5. Posted by zibby Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:47 am EDT

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    Syracuse newspaper = Post-Standard, not Post-Dispatch.
  6. sirkev66@...
    6. Posted by sirkev66@... Thu Jun 11, 2009 12:05 pm EDT

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    Tell me again why Indiana got slapped down for texting recruits and habitual cheaters like OU, Ala, FSU, etc. continue to get off with little to no punishment?? More and more evidence that Miles Brand has a grudge against the Hoosiers. Thank god we suck at football otherwise we could be looking at the Death Penalty.
  7. AstateEditor
    7. Posted by AstateEditor Thu Jun 11, 2009 12:25 pm EDT

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    Awesome picture of Saban.
  8. jDAWG
    8. Posted by jDAWG Thu Jun 11, 2009 1:46 pm EDT

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    I agree with sirkev66... Indiana does suck.
  9. chris h
    9. Posted by chris h Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:49 pm EDT

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    Ahmad Paige went to Tennessee, not Penn State, although you were correct in calling him a washout. Had a lot of promise and would seem to fit into Kiffin's "big, fast receiver" mold, but apparently not.
  10. Darand B
    10. Posted by Darand B Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:00 pm EDT

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    The NCAA is a joke. They should drop the pretense of "making college sports truly an amateur affair” and admit that all their “policing” is just a front to mitigate billions in taxes and other costs associated with “professional leagues”. GET OVER YOURSELVES ALREADY!
  11. mean lori wrestles
    11. Posted by mean lori wrestles Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:04 pm EDT

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    The tide has been know to cheat and now just a slap on the wrist is what you get well thats total bs. you break the rules you pay for it and saben you are the highest pay coach in football what an idiot you are . the tide are know cheaters and time and time again they get caught ban them for a year ncaa wake up and smell the roses
  12. dusty h
    12. Posted by dusty h Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:19 pm EDT

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    im from tuscaloosa and a diehard tide fan and i will admit i can see where the ncaa is coming from with there actions but at the same time when you have teams that pay their players and give gifts to recruits and they dont get anyhting serious when with a small incident like this that the school reported and the students pay back and now were considered cheaters im sorry but giving out textbooks doesnt have anything to do with the players we have out on the field and im sorry we havent been known to cheat were just that good
  13. Bama F
    13. Posted by Bama F Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:28 pm EDT

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    Hi all, I have grown up and live in Alabama. People here are always quick to point fingers and justify by blaming others. They spin all to play the victim instead of accepting responsibility. Call it what it is. The University should not have let this happen, especially after probabation.
    It does not justify the textbook act by pointing fingers. Many people and athletes were aware of this, and allowed it to continue. Accept responsibility, and be happy no scholarships were impacted. This was self reported and the NCAA gave pat on wrist. Who cares about past games. The media loves Alabama more than anywhere else. It is all the state has to be proud of. Better players are in other conferences and the draft displays this. However, the media likes the manic fan support, so Bama will get off with tap on hand...
    fyi- Saban is not the highest paid coach, Pete Carroll is. Look it up.
  14. Czheck
    14. Posted by Czheck Thu Jun 11, 2009 6:08 pm EDT

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    Nothing less than a death sentence for nick sabien would make me feel any better. LMFAO so this is the clean college sports all you lame people where talking about? its one thing to be a criminal and break the law its ANOTHER TO CHEAT IN SCHOOL that just makes you look retarded. i hate college sports
  15. Christian
    15. Posted by Christian Thu Jun 11, 2009 8:10 pm EDT

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    Let me get this right. In 1993 alabama was put on probation and it was auburns fault. The last time they were put on probation it was Tennessee's fault. Now it is the NCAA's fault? When are you inbred booger pickers going to clean hose and admit it is Alabama's fault?
  16. Ute in DC
    16. Posted by Ute in DC Thu Jun 11, 2009 8:13 pm EDT

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    Maybe I don't understand what is involved here, but why is it even a violation to give textbooks to student athletes?
  17. Bama A
    17. Posted by Bama A Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:21 pm EDT

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    Um....to Christian, who called us inbred booger pickers, did you mean clean house? I try to wear clean hose every day. Thanks for the advice though. And Lyell W......You rock! I agree 100%!
  18. Wird Willy
    18. Posted by Wird Willy Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:36 pm EDT

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    I am also not understanding why the non athlete student can trade textbooks and the athletes can't. Sorry but equality is anuck here.
  19. W-mann
    19. Posted by W-mann Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:01 pm EDT

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    Um, OU's punishment because of Sampson was at least as bad as Indiana's. And frankly, Indiana's should have been worse, because they knew they were hiring a cheat.
    Frankly, Alabama took swift action when it was discovered what the students had done. And the punishment was pretty strong for the crime. In cases like this, the NCAA should review the punishment by the school, see if any athletic department staff were involved, and make a ruling. But rogue players or staffers should not harm the university IF the university disciplined the perpetrators (suspending/expelling athletes, terminating employees) appropriately. From what the NCAA reports, the school did just that and should not have been disciplined.
    These NCAA rules are meant to prevent schools from willfully participating in rules violations or flagrantly and repeatedly turning a blind eye to what it knows is probably happening. This was common in the 1980s, but these days is more rare. USC with its football and basketball teams is probably the closest today to willful negligence.
    It seems the only way to get on probation anymore is to self report violations and deal with them appropriately. Sweeping them under the rug or pretending they don't exist is now the way to go. The NCAA is run by college administrators and I guess it shouldn't be surprising that they are a little lacking in common sense.
  20. Clay B
    20. Posted by Clay B Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:25 pm EDT

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    This is the dumbest thing ever. First, the NCAA needs to catch these "violaters" in the act when it happens, not years later, its not like you can change the score, they dont do that at the pro level (hence Patriots). Cmon its text books, its not like it had an effect on the football field. The Memphis thing and the USC thing are also silly and they need to let bigons be bigons. IMO, they need to throw the NCAA rulebook thru a woodchipper and rewrite it. They make money off these guys and yet they dont want these guys to have money for dinner? So a player cant take a gift from anyone of anykind, even from mom? Retarded
  21. bobby
    21. Posted by bobby Fri Jun 12, 2009 12:57 am EDT

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    for those of you that do not understand what ala did wrong it was not giving the students the text books it was the students getting extra books and giving them to girlfriends and or selling them. that said the ncaa only goes after the teams that self report and has no teeth so does not even argue with the teams that dont ie usc and bush, ohio state and clarett
  22. TOS DO OR DIE
    22. Posted by TOS DO OR DIE Fri Jun 12, 2009 3:41 am EDT

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    Totally justified...lets see I am sure Alabama knew about it long before they reported. I also believe they only reported it thinking they would get a lighter punishment...now that the program is back and strong again....They did not want to hurt the future so they reported it. Mission Accomplished by Alabama.
  23. randango
    23. Posted by randango Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:30 am EDT

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    I am pretty sure this must be Phillip Fulmer's fault. Bama fans love to blame him every time they get caught cheating.
    Go Vols
  24. Benjamin S
    24. Posted by Benjamin S Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:49 am EDT

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    Church lady says.... Nick Satan?!?
  25. JEFF P
    25. Posted by JEFF P Fri Jun 12, 2009 9:50 am EDT

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    Just pay 'em (Bush / Mayo) and you don't have this problem.
    Just tell on somebody else (Fulmer - I'm glad he is gone. I could have pulled for The Vols again, but the hired that loud mouth Kiffin.) The NCAA is easily distracted.
    That being said, Alabama did wrong and received punishment that is about right for the crime.

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