Scandal, expansion & phone records: ACC Kickoff is back!
ACC Commissioner John Swofford
Jul 22, 2012
A team from the ACC Coastal Division is under NCAA scrutiny, conference realignment rumors swirl about and Butch Davis has North Carolina talking about off-the-field items more than the upcoming season.
Just another quiet gathering in Greensboro for the ACC's annual football media days.
Not so Golden
Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports continues to get eggs of information from the golden goose that is former booster and Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro, reporting that members of coach Al Golden‘s staff actively used his "onetime right-hand man," Sean Allen, as an "off-the-books" recruiter up until the start of the 2011 season.
According to Robinson, Golden allowed Allen to transport Miami area recruits during visits as the Hurricanes attempted to secure or flip their commitments before signing day. Despite Allen's departure in August after he was named in Robinson's initial exposé of strip clubs, jet skis and the overall debaucheries of the Shapiro era in Miami, Golden was able to close the deal with local recruits with more than half of the 33-signee class coming from South Florida.
Golden immediately denied Robinson's claims, saying the "inferences and suggestions in the Yahoo! Sports story that my conduct was anything but ethical are simply false."
On the surface, Allen's involvement in Miami's recruiting efforts would produce a giant yawn. It's a basic secondary violation featuring a former equipment manager calling and driving around recruits despite not being authorized by the NCAA to do such activities. The issue is who Allen associated with before Golden took over and how Golden failed to make a clean break from anyone remotely connected to Shapiro.
For a coach with a sterling recruiting reputation, that's a rather careless decision unless he truly didn't know of Allen's history before allegedly tabbing him to shepherd former coach Randy Shannon's targets to Coral Gables. And if he didn't know, why didn't anyone associated with the Miami program not tell Golden that it might be in his best interest to stay away?
These are questions that Golden will get in Greensboro, only to be answered with the standard "can't talk about an ongoing investigation."
Ninja Swofford working his constituents
In an attempt to get everyone on the same page before ACC Kickoff, commissioner John Swofford met with the Clemson Board of Trustees and school President James Barker on Friday for a "state of the conference" summit.
"I think it did nothing but reinforce our role in the ACC," said Barker. That's nice if you believe what school officials say during all this expansion madness.
It didn't take long for Big 12 rumors to resurface because of alleged language in the Champions Bowl contract, which would require participants to be the runners-up in their respective conference championship games. The SEC has such a game, but the Big 12 does not and Twitter blew up with another round of Clemson/Florida State speculation.
And that's the ultimate problem with any outlet or school official from saying "all is well." College football remains in a state of flux thanks to the new playoff format, bowls jockeying for position and conference maximizing their television contracts. While there is every reason to believe the ACC is just fine, it hasn't stopped others from claiming it isn't and pushing their own agendas.
Call me, maybe
At the last ACC Kickoff, soon-to-be-former North Carolina head coach Butch Davis told reporters he would release his 216 area code phone records, saying that "anything that has absolutely anything to do with UNC and business" would be open for public record.
We're still waiting...
Most Recent Comments
Posted Jul 23, 4:10 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 1493
Joined: Jun, 2011
Location: Apex, NC
RE: Scandal, expansion & phone records: ACC Kickoff is back!
- Posted by Hammerhead- Posted by forautumnYou know from PackPride members that they've contacted the NCAA about all of the basketball connections to the acedemic issues and all have been referred to the school (UNC) regarding acedemics
This is the part that is so stunning to me. Folks who are so concerned/obsessed/jealous/insert your own word that they feel the need to contact the NCAA about something like this. That is a mission for them, as if they need to prove themselves "relevant".
I love UNC, but I sure how I never fall to the level that I feel the need to run to the NCAA about anything happening at other schools around here. That is just bizarre.
You'd then be entering SEC territory.
Maybe that's why Pack fans want to join the SEC. Didn't think they really hated Swofford. ;)
Posted Jul 23, 3:55 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 1553
Joined: Jul, 2007
Location: Durham, NC
RE: Scandal, expansion & phone records: ACC Kickoff is back!
- Posted by forautumnYou know from PackPride members that they've contacted the NCAA about all of the basketball connections to the acedemic issues and all have been referred to the school (UNC) regarding acedemics
This is the part that is so stunning to me. Folks who are so concerned/obsessed/jealous/insert your own word that they feel the need to contact the NCAA about something like this. That is a mission for them, as if they need to prove themselves "relevant".
I love UNC, but I sure how I never fall to the level that I feel the need to run to the NCAA about anything happening at other schools around here. That is just bizarre.
You'd then be entering SEC territory.
Posted Jul 23, 2:34 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 1493
Joined: Jun, 2011
Location: Apex, NC
RE: Scandal, expansion & phone records: ACC Kickoff is back!
- Posted by forautumnYou know from PackPride members that they've contacted the NCAA about all of the basketball connections to the acedemic issues and all have been referred to the school (UNC) regarding acedemics
This is the part that is so stunning to me. Folks who are so concerned/obsessed/jealous/insert your own word that they feel the need to contact the NCAA about something like this. That is a mission for them, as if they need to prove themselves "relevant".
I love UNC, but I sure how I never fall to the level that I feel the need to run to the NCAA about anything happening at other schools around here. That is just bizarre.
I don't get it either, but perhaps we would have to walk in the shoes they've worn for the last 20-30 years...
RE: Scandal, expansion & phone records: ACC Kickoff is back!
You know from PackPride members that they've contacted the NCAA about all of the basketball connections to the acedemic issues and all have been referred to the school (UNC) regarding acedemics
This is the part that is so stunning to me. Folks who are so concerned/obsessed/jealous/insert your own word that they feel the need to contact the NCAA about something like this. That is a mission for them, as if they need to prove themselves "relevant".
I love UNC, but I sure how I never fall to the level that I feel the need to run to the NCAA about anything happening at other schools around here. That is just bizarre.
Posted Jul 23, 12:35 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 1493
Joined: Jun, 2011
Location: Apex, NC
RE: Scandal, expansion & phone records: ACC Kickoff is back!
- Posted by TruthBKnown Left The Building- Posted by forautumn. Bottom line. UNC should have had a court order to obtain these records before they fired him. The NCAA has had a tough job in digging up more stuff almost every other week now
The problem with that is that Butch Davis was not cited by the NCAA report for having been involved. And the NCAA didn't find the records necessary to their investigation either. I'm not sure what reason UNC would have had to obtain the records if the NCAA didn't find them pertinent.
I'm not sure the NCAA is digging up any of the new things. My understanding is those are coming from UNC. Unless the NCAA is back on campus, which I have not heard.
There are records that remain unanalyzed. They are called the 216 records. But they will be analyzed soon enough. And we'll get to see if Butch is innocent as you claim he is.
Do you really think there is anything in his phone records that will connect the dots to the basketball program? I don't. Even if you have a call from Butch to N'goro followed immediately by a call from Butch to Roy or someone on the basketball staff; it's still circumstantial because without content it could merely be a coincidence. If we are going to start convicting based on that, God help us all.
