NCAA Investigating Miami Football (Tuesday Update)

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…don’t you remember how Butch Davis cleaned up The U?

Georgia Tech has been busted twice in the last decade by the NCAA. UNC-CHeats is currently entangled in perhaps the worst NCAA scandal since SMU received the death penalty in 1987.

Now, Miami is getting sucked back into the NCAA’s vortex – click here

Great opportunity for the likes of Florida State, Clemson and NC State.

Tuesday Update

The following link has video of Erin Andrews, but also a response from former coach Larry Coker (ESPN.com):

Larry Coker, the Hurricanes’ coach from 2001 through 2006 who now holds the head coaching job at Texas-San Antonio, said he recognized Shapiro by name but wouldn’t be able to by face.

“If he walked up to me right now I wouldn’t know it,” Coker told ESPN’s Joe Schad. “He was ‘around the program.’ I certainly wasn’t aware of any improprieties. Now, when you look at college athletics today, would it surprise me if somebody gave gifts to players? No, it wouldn’t.”

Another former Miami coach, Randy Shannon, who was fired in November, had no comment when contacted by ESPN.

Heather Dinich has a statement from the U:

“When Nevin Shapiro made his allegations nearly a year ago, he and his attorneys refused to provide any facts to the University of Miami. The University notified the NCAA Enforcement officials of these allegations. We are fully cooperating with the NCAA and are conducting a joint investigation. The University of Miami takes these matters very seriously.”

Is it me, or are we seeing a trend of institutionalized cheating that doesn’t actually benefit the institution, rather only individuals?

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20 Responses to NCAA Investigating Miami Football (Tuesday Update)

  1. TruthBKnown Returns 08/15/2011 at 4:06 PM #

    It’s a shame the time frame does not include any Butch years. He left in 2000. But since this started in 2001, I’m guessing a good number of HIS players that he left behind were involved.

  2. Wolf1975 08/15/2011 at 4:22 PM #

    TBK has hit the nail again, I’m sure it will all be over by Friday…lol

  3. highstick 08/15/2011 at 5:30 PM #

    All of this stuff is “over Friday’s head”! I cannot believe the article(Charlotte Obs) giving him all of this great credit over APR penalties(with a direct jab to NC State in the process).

    Mr. Friday, do you not understand that UNC’s APR is grossly overinflated by cheating and giving away diplomas like candy? Does it not even register in your supposedly great mind? Mr. Friday, you have sniffed way too much glue!

  4. GAWolf 08/15/2011 at 5:33 PM #

    You cannot help but wonder whether theirs a connection here. It’s movie worthy I keep saying. Vincent Chase can play Butch.

  5. TigerAlum1970 08/15/2011 at 5:38 PM #

    This is a story written by Chuck Oliver that adds a little more to the UNC-CHeats story. I ask your indulgence in reading it, but I think it adds another perspective about the outcome of the UNC-CHeats investigation…and perhaps those of Miami and GA Tech as well. As the other “Udder” University in the conference, I thought you might find it interesting as it has harbored Clemson Fan’s painful memory core since 1982-1983..

    By Chuck Oliver

    ……”and be sure to ask Coach what he thinks of that slime ball John Swofford!””

    I knew the back story there, dating to the early- and mid-80s when Clemson football went on probation (more in a minute), but thought that the level of hatred twixt Clemson fans and Swofford had dissipated. Um, not quite. Through various e-mails, phone calls, texts and even an in-person conversation this past weekend at C-USA Media Days in Memphis (complete stranger, staying at the Hilton where the event was and started talking at the registration desk), I’ve learned Clemson fans not only remember the specifics of what happened, but some have been pining away for Swofford’s comeuppance for nearly three decades. The root of such long-standing anger?

    In a nut shell . . . Swofford has been commissioner of the ACC since 1997 and, by any measuring stick, has done an outstanding job. Expansion, a conference championship game, skyrocketing television revenue, all on Swofford’s watch. However, before he became ACC commissioner he had served for 18 years as Athletic Director at North Carolina. Which is his alma mater. Which gave him a front-and-center seat when Clemson’s problems with the NCAA were reaching a conclusion in 1982.

    Fact: Clemson was guilty. The football program as a whole had violated NCAA rules in regards to improper recruiting inducements, extra benefits to student-athletes already on campus, unethical conduct, etc, most of which occurred over two seasons when Charlie Pell was head coach in 1977 and 1978, a portion of which continued after Ford took over. This all came to a head in November 1982 when the NCAA imposed two years of recruiting sanctions on Clemson, as well as a two-year bowl ban and two-year television ban. That’s where it was supposed to end.

    Then Swofford stepped in.

    In a behind-closed-door meeting called by Swofford and including every athletic director in the conference . . . except Clemson’s . . . the now-ACC Commissioner stated, essentially, that the ACC was a hallowed collection of academic institutions that shouldn’t be sullied by the rule-breaking of one member institution interested only in winning. Therefore, Swofford continued, all should agree that what the NCAA handed down simply was not severe enough. Even though Clemson, one of their own in the league, was at its lowest point ever, the ACC should add another year of sanctions. (No, I’m not kidding.) Swofford and his counterpart from Duke led this initiative and were ultimately able to garner enough support from the rest of the conference to make it so. Only Wake Forest and Maryland were opposed to further punishing one of their fellow ACC members and the representatives from both schools walked out of the meeting when Swofford suggested the vote be taken anonymously.

    Which brings us to 2011. The NCAA hammer is about to fall in Chapel Hill. Will John Swofford be consistent now that it’s his school on the business end of sanctions and probation? Is the integrity of the entire league threatened by UNC, as it allegedly was by Clemson in 1982? Given what’s transpired over the past year at North Carolina – academic fraud, agents, trips, jewelry, cash, etc. — , it far surpasses anything Clemson was guilty of. The bottom line is the commissioner’s response will be very telling in regards to what type of leadership the conference has right now and what type of man is at the head of it.

    Thanks for your indulgence. GO PACK!

  6. 1.21 Jigawatts 08/15/2011 at 6:00 PM #

    Another blackeye on Swofford. Three schools being investigated within a year of each other. Can’t look good. I say it’s time for a new Commish.

  7. CaptainCraptacular 08/15/2011 at 6:19 PM #

    From the cbs sports article:

    “The NCAA has been active in South Florida over the past several months, sending investigators to various 7-on-7 camps and making connections with parents and coaches. One source added that the secondary focus of the look was on the recruiting methods of at least three SEC schools and a number of ACC schools in the area. It is unclear whether the two probes are connected”

    The NCAA statute of limitations is supposedly 4 years (? not verified). Good thing, in case Amato’s name comes up in that secondary focus area.

  8. Wulfpack 08/15/2011 at 6:50 PM #

    I’m no fan of Swofford but how is he responsible for what is going on at UNC, GT and Miami? That responsibility rests with the leadership at those schools – not the conference commish.

  9. highstick 08/15/2011 at 7:02 PM #

    Because it “floats to the top”, Wulfpack and Swofford’s got his head in the sand…Or you might say “lack of conference control”… I understand what you’re saying, but Swoff gives a “rat’s behind” about anyone else other than the “powder puff blues”..

  10. TruthBKnown Returns 08/15/2011 at 7:48 PM #

    Wulfpack, how is Butch responsible for what his players and assistant coaches do?

    How is Baddour responsible for what happens to Butch’s program?

    How is Thorp responsible for what happens with Baddour and Butch?

    When really bad things happen, people generally hold the one at the top responsible. These things happened on Swofford’s watch. He’s kind of the captain of the ship, to some degree.

  11. Wulfpack 08/15/2011 at 8:23 PM #

    It’s really not the same thing. The conference office has nothing to do with the day to day of a program. They have no way to know that a player is out on a booster’s yacht receiving money, or flying to Miami, etc. If you saw the special on espn when the panel was talking about this issue, that was the main point everyone was making. The sportsnation poll reflects that. Who is in the best position to stop this???

  12. Ashman87 08/15/2011 at 10:00 PM #

    I hate to say it, but I believe that the problems at the University of Southern California were MUCH MUCH worse than the one’s at UNC. Those allegations expanded outside of football into basketball and I believe softball as well as the vacating of wins, a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, and a HEISMAN. Sorry StateFans.

  13. spanky 08/15/2011 at 10:14 PM #

    Has a program ever gotten NINE MAJOR ALLEGATIONS(infractions) – I guess i have to wait until 10/28 for that to be true?) at one time? I think SMU only got 8 – not 100% sure of that but feel confident I’ve heard that before. I think I’ve seen ASU listed as dirtiest with NINE in their HISTORY. UNC got NINE at ONE TIME. Numbers are numbers Ashman..

    According to this: http://blog.al.com/bn/2008/03/southeastern_conference_at_75.html
    UNC has potential to IMMEDIATELY top the list come 10/28

  14. BureauOfMines 08/16/2011 at 1:21 AM #

    Swofford is more like the admiral of the fleet. So far, 3 of his captains have steered their ships onto the rocks.

    This may not have included years when Butch was there but it sure looks like his handiwork.

  15. Rochester 08/16/2011 at 7:20 AM #

    So USC’s case was MUCH MUCH worse because their team was actually successful and had something meaningful to vacate? As for spreading into basketball, does it make sense to anyone that UNC would make academic life so easy for its football players, who had never accomplished anything of note on the field, and not do the same for its basketball players, who had?

  16. NCMike 08/16/2011 at 12:26 PM #

    Has a program ever gotten NINE MAJOR ALLEGATIONS(infractions) – I guess i have to wait until 10/28 for that to be true?) at one time? I think SMU only got 8 – not 100% sure of that but feel confident I’ve heard that before. I think I’ve seen ASU listed as dirtiest with NINE in their HISTORY. UNC got NINE at ONE TIME. Numbers are numbers Ashman..

    According to this: http://blog.al.com/bn/2008/03/southeastern_conference_at_75.html
    UNC has potential to IMMEDIATELY top the list come 10/28

    Actually, that’s eight OCCURENCES (or seperate cases) with major violations for SMU. The same with all the schools on that list. An occurrence can have one major violation or a hundred major violations. SMU got 5 when they got the death penalty but were already on probation and dating back to the beginning of the NCAA, they had 6 prior occurrences of violations. They’ve had once since then thus the total of 8. This would move UNC from 1 occurrence to 2 on the list you reference. Here’s a list showing all violations and occrrences by school.
    https://web1.ncaa.org/LSDBi/exec/miSearch
    Just click division 1 fbs to narrow the list.

  17. TomPack 08/16/2011 at 12:53 PM #

    I can understand how some can say that Swofford can’t be responsible for the actions of the schools in trouble…but when fully one-third of your members are either on probation or are under investigation someone has to be held accountable. It is the same as if a COO of a major corporation with 12 divisions had 4 failing so bad that it threatens to drag down the rest of the company. In a case like that the head of the company is going to be that person held accountable for the company’s mess…especially if one of the failing divisions was once headed by him.

  18. blpack 08/16/2011 at 7:22 PM #

    Swofford is all about making himself look good and now with all these schools being in trouble on his watch at nearly the same time, it can’t look good. UNC-cheats problems are just in football, for now, but are much worse than USC’s and Miami may be approaching those of the Cheats. May not warrant the DP, but it won’t be too far off.

  19. bigwolfpacker 08/17/2011 at 12:58 AM #

    ESPN is talking death penalty. It has been widely speculated that the death penalty was too severe back then and would never be utilized again but this is as bad as it gets. 100 times worse than anything UNC has done. Also, Frank Haith knew the basketball program is involved and he bolted because of it. He should be banned from coaching.

  20. Wulfpack 08/17/2011 at 6:26 AM #

    It’s looking like this story could trump the UNC scandal. Not saying it’s right, but it is “the U”, and this looks pretty rotten. One former coach admitted to what has been going on for years. This stuff has gotten way out of control.

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