Oregon Under Investigation By NCAA For Street Agents Recruiting High School Prospects
by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 3, 2011 10:32 PM PST
in California Golden Bears Football
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Whoa. I wasn't expecting THIS BCS title finalist to garner public scrutiny.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports and Joe Schad and Mark Schlabach of ESPN both come out with stories confirming that investigations were underway by the NCAA for the reigning Pac-10 champion Oregon Ducks and whether boosters were involved in recruiting several prominent names to Eugene. The two prominent names are Will Lyles of Complete Scouting Services in Houston, and Baron Flenory of New Level Athletics, who were both paid fairly large sums by Oregon for their recruiting services (legal), but could have assisted in driving several prominent recruits up to the Ducks.
Will Lyles has been known to be a notorious street agent for years. He was considered a trainer and mentor to prized Duck recruit Lache Seastrunk, and was a guest of honor for LaMichael James at a prominent ESPN awards show. Lyles will probably be the centerpiece of this investigation, since the $25k fee reportedly paid to Lyles is WAY over the service rate normally charged by college football programs to scouting departments.
As for Flenroy, he played football at New Hampshire under Chip Kelly before he started running 7-on-7 camps. His apparent dream is to consolidate high school camps and funnel the best players into his services for college coaches to recruit from. Linebacker Anthony Wallace is one of his pupils who committed to Oregon, and recent prized LA recruit De'Anthony Thomas also attended one of Flenroy's camps, according to Rob Moseley of the Register Guard.
Here's a great profile on both Lyles and Flenroy from Recruitocosm. (And by great, I mean you'll probably want to take a shower afterwards). For those who want to learn more about the idea of a street agent, go to Barking Carnival. If it sounds a lot like AAU basketball on the gridiron, you wouldn't be too far off.
Whether Oregon will get punished is really an iffy question. It's hard to really prove whether the NCAA has enough on Lyles or Flenroy to really say whether either is in violation of Bylaw 13 (boosters directing a recruit to a school). Like most NCAA cases, we might have to wait awhile before there's any conclusion to this investigation.
UPDATE 2: NCAA investigators are apparently on their way to Eugene.
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IF this story is true (the part that would cause these recruiting services guy to be classified as boosters), how much trouble would Oregon actually be in? They can always just say that whatever wrong stuff they did, it wasn’t with the knowledge of the athletic department. Are we just talking about the ineligibility of the players the recruiters might have pushed towards Oregon, or more hefty penalties involving losing scholarships and/or post-season play?
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
I’m not sure. If Oregon cooperates, the punishments will probably be minimal. The only reason USC got hammered was their stubbornness and refusal to cooperate with the NCAA.
I would have to look back at the schools that have been punished before for violating Bylaw 13.
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by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 3, 2011 6:21 PM PST up reply actions
*Again. Assuming there is a real violation here.
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by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 3, 2011 6:21 PM PST up reply actions
Not good for the conference
to have another high profile team under investigation. I don’t think I understand all the details but it doesn’t sound anywhere as bad as what $C did.
Oregon was probably a little naive in leaving that transaction to Lyles on their financial records and inviting this scrutiny. Whether they violated the bylaw or not, a poor oversight for them.
The SEC probably does similar things, but they’re the kings of cheating, so stuff like that will never see the light of day.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 3, 2011 6:29 PM PST up reply actions
Hey Oregon,
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cal Football: I loved them once and they broke my heart. Let that be a lesson to you. Never love anything.
IAWTC
The University of Oregon has released a statement and seems fairly confident that they have done nothing wrong.
Have they not seen their uniforms?
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by natteringnabob on Mar 3, 2011 6:42 PM PST up reply actions 12 recs
HEY MAN THAT’S NOT COOL WE’RE OVER HERE HURTING AND IN OUR MOMENT OF WEAKNESS YOU oh i see what you did there.
"[Autzen Stadium's] steep concrete banks and closed ends turn a small but rabid crowd from WAC-sized cheering section into a horde of bees with megaphones capable of reaching 127 decibels of hatenoise." -Spencer Hall
by ProbablyMonty on Mar 4, 2011 7:44 AM PST up reply actions
I agree with Avinash
I don’t expect major sanctions here. Most likely probation plus a small slap on the wrist. USC was handing out beach houses, I think the total money here was around 30k and Oregon doesn’t believe it did anything wrong
Neither did SC, since the problem wasn’t what they did, per the COI, but what they didn’t do.
In any case, I wouldn’t bother making any predictions here because 1) it’s early, and 2) it’s the NCAA. They could just as easily give the death penalty to Lane Community College.
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea"
That’s an oddly specific (and accurate) reference to a college around here. Well done.
"[Autzen Stadium's] steep concrete banks and closed ends turn a small but rabid crowd from WAC-sized cheering section into a horde of bees with megaphones capable of reaching 127 decibels of hatenoise." -Spencer Hall
by ProbablyMonty on Mar 4, 2011 7:45 AM PST up reply actions
My brother lived in Eugene for 8 years, I picked up a few snippets along the way.
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea"
I agree with your observations….in reading the details, I’m not sure there was anything that Oregon did wrong….but what could get them in trouble, if anything, was what they didn’t do.
Drinking the Kool-Aid. Pumping the sunshine. Livin' the dream. Go Bears!
The difference is the involvement of the compliance department.
In USC’s situation, the compliance department said they didn’t know what was going on whereas in Oregon’s case, the Compliance Department knew about the payment, reviewed it and considered it ok. If Oregon really is cheating, they aren’t doing a very good job of it. I am sure the SEC could teach them some lessons.
Off topic, but the sniping and backbiting between the fans of various Big 12 schools in the comment thread of the Barking Carnival post is highly amusing.
Is it wrong that I can’t state as an absolute article of faith that Cal is as clean as we all think it is? Like, I’m 97% sure that Tedford is as scrupulous as he appears to be and that nobody outside the program has the appropriate combination of money, Cal fanaticism, and lack of ethics to go rogue and start buying players, BUT that still leaves 3% which says “well, shit, could be.”
"Let me tell you a story. I was a political prisoner for two years. The instant I was released I ran to McDonald's. I had a Big Mac and a Coke.
It was fantastic."
-Toyama Koichi, US Presidential candidate from Japan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGZqOkeYbB0
The wide perception in college football is that you’re generally guilty until proven innocent, so no, I can’t fault you for that little shred of doubt.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 3, 2011 8:09 PM PST up reply actions
I’d guess that probably every school is guilty/involved in illegal stuff that they aren’t aware of and didn’t do intentionally, a la this Oregon stuff. Now, as for what percentage is cheating knowingly? That’s a much more interesting and murky question.
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I can think of one.
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by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 3, 2011 9:06 PM PST up reply actions
Don’t blame you at all. As classy as Tedford is, college football as a whole is such a slimy business that it’s hard to believe anyone is 100% squeaky clean.
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I heard that Coach Tedford gave Reggie Bush a house! So slimy. At least that’s what those USC fans told me. We can’t let the truth get out!!!
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That’s completely implausible – based on the shitty wages Tedford gets paid. Unless… he gets the bulk of his money from the Nike contract, right? OMG NIKE IS BEHIND ALL OF THIS
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea"
You know how at the end of Battlestar Galactica they were like “big reveal who was pulling the strings: IT WAS GOD”? In the first draft it was actually Phil Knight.
"Let me tell you a story. I was a political prisoner for two years. The instant I was released I ran to McDonald's. I had a Big Mac and a Coke.
It was fantastic."
-Toyama Koichi, US Presidential candidate from Japan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGZqOkeYbB0
This just brings up so much. I mean, how can the NCAA start “investigating” this seriously after they basically sanctioned Cam Newton’s dad shopping him around to the highest bidder?
Also, what will be interesting, is seeing the reactions. If any, and I mean any USC fan start pointing and calling names, my head may explode from hypocrisy overload. And in the same light, I wonder how many Oregon fans (or USC hatters) out there will suddenly do an about face and immediately claim that Yahoo is just trolling for dirt now, but was in serious super investigative journalism detective mode when first writing all those things about Reggie Bu$h.
Love it or hate it, you have to admit that the NCAA keeps you tuned in.
I'm thinking of having a little party down in Newport.
Pointing and calling names about what and to whom? I am keenly interested in what the NCAA does, that’s the only organization I’m interested in calling names.
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea"
"Pointing and calling names"
Meaning starting paint Oregon as a dirty program; making comments about how they “buy” players; begin characterizing Chip Kelley as some sort of sleazoid backroom dealer engaged in flesh-peddling …
You know, exactly the same sort of hysteria you’ve experienced.
Note, I’m not claiming that every USC fan will do this. But you have to admit, if some do, it would be a case of not being able to tell the pot from the kettle
I'm thinking of having a little party down in Newport.
I can’t rule out that some of my fellow alums will undertake pot-kettle-black responses. From what I’ve read thus far it looks like it was all within the rules. And as I alluded to, I’m only really interested to see what the NCAA does if there is actually anything untoward that is discovered.
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea"
The NCAA is incredibly reactionary
I have a real hard time believing Oregon would “pay” for a player using AD dollars that would show up on public record.
So do you think this came out just because of the rumors of a Top-10 school under scrutiny by the NCAA? Like, Yahoo Sports started digging around as a direct response to the rumors of the past week? If so, I think that’s pretty lame. Kind of like a witch hunt.
I don’t think this will amount to much. Just some bad press for the Pac-10.
Regardless of whether the Ducks did it or not...
It is disappointing to see that the two teams from the Pac-10 who in recent years made the BCS title game, USC and Oregon, are accused and pinned with stuff like this.
Doesn’t exactly make the conference look good, not to mention give SEC homers even more fodder to play with.
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Karma
Add this to the fact that Oregon lost $300K on the BCS NTG (as per Uncle Ted) and they must be going crazy at ATQ. Hey Twist; aren’t you about due to go pay them a visit???
by MV Bear on Mar 4, 2011 12:50 PM PST via mobile reply actions
That sounds like a familiar feeling
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea"
Haha
I get the joke, but I doubt there is a smoking gun they can find. It certainly looks like Oregon paid a bonus to Will Lyles for getting Seastrunk to sign the LOI, but who would volunteer this information? I really think the NCAA is investigating so they can write new rules about these street agents/recruiting/scouting/scumbags. It’s super unlikely that Oregon gets in any trouble from the NCAA – they were totally above board with the $$$.
But this does stink, and I think it taints Oregon as a program that is comfortable with questionable practices.
Am I known as Cugel the Clever for nothing?
I agree......going forward it's up to Chip Kelly to determine where that line is and how close to crossing it he wants to go.
Personally I am not a big fan of the move. It’s not going to get the school in any trouble, but it does leave fans with that dirty feeling.
It certainly looks like Oregon was in compliance but it never pays to get comfortable when the NCAA is on the move and looking to demonstrate “resolve,” “enforcement,” and whatever all else.
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea"
I think 25k says it all
If the ducks new that what they were getting was the same thing just about all other services charge 3 to 5k for then tell me why would they pay 25k for it 25k spells knowledge of wrong doing with a big old GUILTY on thier foreheads.
by beavernation_1 on Mar 22, 2011 10:52 PM PDT reply actions
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