Uh-oh, Bayou what are you hearing?

[furls]

Bayou,

On the surface this doesn't look quite as bad as the Oregon thing (because Lyles has not turned over a bunch of emails and stuff), but it looks like there may be some smoke here. What are you reading from the LSU insiders? I am sure there is some concern, and some minimalization, but it does not look like this "package" has a value of 6K.

What is the word out of Baton Rouge?

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... lyles-ncaa

[Bayou Tribe]

It's definitely getting fun down here, ol boy. We were due for some interesting talk-radio, and it looks like we got it.

From what I can gather, the 6K for what they got (periodical videos, written reports, progress reports, etc) is not a cause for concern in and of itself. The problem arises when we hear the reports that Lyles may have escorted LSU DL coach Brick Haley to a high school to see a kid. There is also a pic circulating of Lyles at the 2009 LSU/Auburn game in Baton Rouge with 3 prospects (Cassius Marsh who is at Cal, Lache Seastrunk who is at Oregon, and Trovon Reed who is at Auburn). This would solidify LSU as the worst cheaters in the history of college fb recruiting, but if you have that relationship with Lyles through the recruiting firm he worked for and then you have him as a middle-man for particular recruits it is shady.


Another interesting part of this is the fact that Yahoo Sports has leaked info that they will release a story in August concerning a SEC West team - not being Arkansas or Ole Miss. Rumors are circulating that "if the tOSU story was a 5, and the Oregon story was a 7, this story will be a strong 10". Common belief right now is that it is Auburn, seeing as they are under investigation by the NCAA and that the FBI should be filing their investigatory report by the end of July from the whole John Bond/Cecil Newton fiasco. Then again it could be more on LSU and Willie Lyles. I hope for my sake and Wismar's sake it is Auburn, but I am not naive enough to believe that it can't be LSU.

[danwismar]

I hope for my sake and Wismar's sake it is Auburn, but I am not naive enough to believe that it can't be LSU.

Wow...it's almost like you think I have some personal stake in seeing bad things happen to the Auburn football program. Not so.

Seriously, I have heard that something will break soon concerning Auburn, but it's all Internet hearsay....I'm totally in wait and see mode.

[Bayou Tribe]

I hope for my sake and Wismar's sake it is Auburn, but I am not naive enough to believe that it can't be LSU.

Wow...it's almost like you think I have some personal stake in seeing bad things happen to the Auburn football program. Not so.

That was more tongue in cheek than anything, but I do know you put alot of time and effort into your work earlier this year and I do think there is alot of validity in those claims. I don't know, it could be LSU, but there would have to be alot more to the story than what we are hearing for it to be worth the hype.

[danwismar]

I had my tongue firmly planted in my cheek too, Bayou. Even though I'm supposed to hate all SEC teams equally, I hope it's not LSU if only for your sake.

[Bayou Tribe]

I just look at how far Auburn came in a short amount of time and I scratch my head. To sign the #1 player in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and the #1 JUCO player in the country after going 8-5 (abysmal 3-5 in conference) in the prior year makes me raise an eyebrow. Also, growing up in Thibodaux and hearing the word on the street concerning Greg Robinson and Trovon Reed only solidifies it for me.

I don't know, maybe I'm trying to deflect LSU's potential troubles subconsciously by rehashing the Auburn evidence. I just think something is up over there and it will catch up to them, especially with a loud mouth like Trooper Taylor in the fold.


There's also a chance that it's Bama...

[danwismar]

After immersing in it for a while, I'm still just incredulous at the culture of college football in Alabama, and the dynamic between Bama and Auburn fanbases is just an amazing phenomenon to observe from afar. It really does make the animosity between Ohio State and Michigan look like child's play.

I do think it's good that the NCAA seems to be facing up to the street agent reality, at least to some degree. Wherever they decide and commit to look...they will find. Let the chips fall.

It'll be a tough call...because there really are "family friends" who help kids out by driving them to camps and such, and who aren't looking to exploit the kids' talents for personal gain. It's a real can of worms to even try to police all that activity and keep it relatively clean. Small wonder the NCAA has been hesitant to jump into the fray.

[e0y2e3]

The funny thing is who knows what would happen in hoops if something like the Yahoo! team were to get into it? I mean there is a huge door open there for ESPN but they would rather follow around Yahoo and try to turn their stories into revamped bigger stories becaues they are too lazy too go out on their own...

I mean you want to talk about freaking street agent insanity, hoops is the worst of the worst.

[furls]

Thanks for the candid answer Bayou.

(insert conspiracy theory movie soundtrack here)

I think the Yahoo! story is going to be 'Bama. Here is why:

1. Not Auburn: There is no way that Yahoo! sits on an explosive 10 for Auburn with all the snooping still ongoing, there story might leak through other sources. I just can't imagine that they would sit on that story if it is that explosive and there were still so many people sniffing around it.

2. Not LSU: There just isn't that much smoke around the LSU program, unless Yahoo! found the 80K Patrick Peterson smoking gun alluded to by the Texas A&M coach re: Willie Lyles. I gotta think that they may have held back a bit on their collateral reporting of LSU's involvement. Another issue here is that it was leaked that the "10 story" was regarding a "National Superpower." LSU has been great of late and is clearly one of the big boys in the SEC (making them one of the big boys in the NCAA), but I am not sure that LSU has the national reach.

3. The case for 'Bama: No one is talking about 'Bama right now, even in light of the fact that they lead the league by a comfortable margin in payments to street agents: http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-footba ... -in-report

WTF do you spend 218K for on scouting services? Why am I the only one asking that question? Where is ESPN/SI on this one?

I gotta think that the risk of losing the scoop on the Auburn story (Cecil Newton's 180K) would force Yahoo! to press early (unless they are gagged by the ongoing investigation), not enough National appeal for LSU to make it devastating.... so I am going with 'Bama. If you think everything is on the level in Tuscaloosa, well it would mark the first time in history.

[furls]

The funny thing is who knows what would happen in hoops if something like the Yahoo! team were to get into it? I mean there is a huge door open there for ESPN but they would rather follow around Yahoo and try to turn their stories into revamped bigger stories becaues they are too lazy too go out on their own...

I mean you want to talk about freaking street agent insanity, hoops is the worst of the worst.

Holy shit, you are on it. Personally, I am more worried for OSU's BBall team than I am for the football team. Those AAU teams and their street agents (I mean coaches) are disgusting and I hope to god the NCAA stays out of that.

Sad that ESPN parades itself as a news organization, but actually does very little to actually find it. The only investigative journalists out there in sports right now are the local guys trying to make a name for themselves by bringing their programs down and Yahoo!.

I wish I had the journalism training and knowledge to go down south and take a hard look at football or national NCAA hoops programs. If you threw a dart at the SEC odds are you would hit something significant (actually if you threw a dart at the top 25 you would get the same result). Frankly, I think the fact that nothing else came out of all the people in Columbus is actually a testament to the program's cleanliness. Name a top 5 program that you think has less bodies in the closet?

I know OSU is not as clean as the NOA/sanctions will reveal, but I also know that the same is true of every school in the country.

[Bayou Tribe]

Yep, hoops is terrible. I worked for LSU Basketball in the early 00's and the shit that you would hear from some of these kids' recruitment was pretty cool. We signed a kid who was from the Central African Republic via Laurinburg Prep in NC and just his story of how he landed at Laurinburg were shady. I think there is a ton of good in the premise of having an AAU circuit, but there are just so many vultures out there. Tough situation.

[peeker643]

It seems to me that if they wanted to they could end college hoops by planting a few shovels in AAU soil.

But it also seems to me that for the last 20 years it's actually become just the dirty standard operating procedure in terms of hoops recruiting.

Pandora's box.

Which is why, with the animosity that does exist versus OSU, my biggest fear in tpeezy2 and the gang drawing attention to Columbus was that a wider net would be cast and the entire athletic program would be dissected.

Shine that light on the wormhole and shit is scurrying everywhere. And not just at Ohio State.

Major reforms needed all over..... but so much money pouring in.

Money will beat integrity pretty much anywhere and always.

[Symbolic47]

John Calipari anyone? The dirtiest man in college sports.

[furls]

More smoke. Willie Lyles, like herpes, is the gift that keeps on giving.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... ting-value

Hearing stuff about some of his runners too. There might be something to this stuff. What is the story out of Baton Rouge?

[Bayou Tribe]

Honestly, no one down here is getting too excited about this. None of the accusations made yet are illegal. Per espn, LSU paid 6K for some low quality tapes that some schools pay 25K for??? Riveting.

Also, I love how "per espn", the tapes sent to LSU couldn't be used to recruit players. Didn't realize that the best talent evaluators in America work in Bristol. Maybe LSU broke rules, maybe they didn't, I don't know. What I do know is that this article exemplifies everything that people hate about espn.



So I guess my stance is that until I see something concrete and damning on Miles I'm going to sit back and enjoy. The only sniff of wrongdoing he has had since he came to LSU was this Akeim Hicks story two offseasons ago. Before anyone on the outside knew about it, LSU had fired the coach in question, booted Hicks, and came to the NCAA with everything. They handled everything right on a case that they probably could have covered up and no one would have known anything about.

[furls]

OK, Good enough by me. I am not interested enough to try to dig into LSU boards and try to figure out who is reliable and so on. I trust you and if you say the people who would be concerned (if this had legs) are not then that is good enough by me.

There is a lot of rumbling starting to emerge regarding Auburn.... I think Chizick may have stirred up a hornets mess in Destin.

[Bayou Tribe]

OK, Good enough by me. I am not interested enough to try to dig into LSU boards and try to figure out who is reliable and so on. I trust you and if you say the people who would be concerned (if this had legs) are not then that is good enough by me.

From everything that's out now, I don't see much of a problem. I'm just hoping what we have heard is the extent of it. If there is something else out there is still to be released, then it's a whole other ballgame.

As for Chizik, the water level is rising and he's starting to get frustrated. If alot of their allegations are booster-driven than I'm sure he feels in over his head. I just keep waiting for something solid to come out on Trooper Taylor. That dude is shady as all hell.

[danwismar]

There is a lot of rumbling starting to emerge regarding Auburn.... I think Chizick may have stirred up a hornets mess in Destin.

Uhh....yeah...

http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2011/7/20 ... n-finebaum



As for LSU, they seem to be getting kudos from the NCAA for having handled their situation responsibly...self-reporting and self-imposing reasonable penalties, etc. Some OSU media are saying that bodes well for Ohio State. We'll see.

[Bayou Tribe]

Something just happened with LSU that is going to suck in a huge way. Not relates to Lyles in any way, but Jr WR Russell Shepard was pulled from his media day assignments due to a situation with his off-campus houseing situation. With the NCAA ruling on the Hicks situation fresh, this is going could get really ugly, really fast. The Willie Lyles stuff is candyland right now, this housing situation story is the real player.

[furls]

So, if Cecil Newton/Cam Newton received 200K+ in this thing, I am sure that they did not pay taxes on it and there had to have been some effort at laundering the money... couldn't there be some pretty strong (years in prison) charges that could come from this for Cam or Cecil?

Maybe that is the way to fix this, put Reggie Bush/their families in prison for tax evasion. I don't know. What I do know is that the filth of the NCAA is making it hard for me to get excited for NCAAF this year.

[The Score]

Well, isn't Cecil a preacher with a church? If he has tax exempt status, it could maybe get him out of that problem.