Agent opens can of worms on paying College Atheletes..

[dabrockster]

With the Ex-Sports Agent coming out and revealing what we already knew. Do you see NCAA pursuing this further?

One name mentioned in this was Ohio State's receiver Santonio Holmes from Ohio St. With USC getting a large penalty do you see the NCAA likely coming in to take a look at these allegations?? In addition with the guy throwing Mel Kiper out there as well..

This could go away quickly or get very interesting..



[ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5678493"]Report: Ex-sports agent says he paid college football players, including Ryan Leaf, Jamir Miller, Chris Mims - ESPN[/ame]

[Surfah]

He's on Mike and Mike right now.

[Surfah]

He's kind of throwing Kiper under the bus. Man, I'd love to see him go down. He said, whether or not Mel was "aware" he was being used to recruit.

[Surfah]

Kiper is on now.

[dabrockster]

Of course they will have Kiper on to refute what the guys says. Since they all work for ESPN and this is a ESPN radio program..

I hate Mel Kiper.


Overall, it looks like this could gather more legs. Only time will tell if it will be just a One-day story or a month long nagging story that gains more momentum...

[Indy Coug]

Of course they will have Kiper on to refute what the guys says. Since they all work for ESPN and this is a ESPN radio program..

I hate Mel Kiper.

Overall, it looks like this could gather more legs. Only time will tell if it will be just a One-day story or a month long nagging story that gains more momentum...

So do you think Kiper is dirty?

[CJF]

So do you think Kiper is dirty?

Yes.

[dabrockster]

So do you think Kiper is dirty?

A Greasy Weasel as his hair can get....

[DrumNFeather]

Of course they will have Kiper on to refute what the guys says. Since they all work for ESPN and this is a ESPN radio program..

I hate Mel Kiper.


Overall, it looks like this could gather more legs. Only time will tell if it will be just a One-day story or a month long nagging story that gains more momentum...

Why in the world do you hate Mel Kiper?

[DrumNFeather]

With the Ex-Sports Agent coming out and revealing what we already knew. Do you see NCAA pursuing this further?

One name mentioned in this was Ohio State's receiver Santonio Holmes from Ohio St.

Apparently the guy who wrote the story came on Mike & Mike and said it was a different Holmes, not Santonio. That's a pretty big mistake to make.

[dabrockster]

Apparently the guy who wrote the story came on Mike & Mike and said it was a different Holmes, not Santonio. That's a pretty big mistake to make.

Well, this story is now changing already. If he is already backtracking there then he has lost any creditability he had...

Either he felt the heat of tOSU wrath or this was nothing more than a publicity stunt... For what?? Who knows.. You are correct. That is a HUGE mistake..


As for Kiper. I don't know what it is. His voice, the fact he determines the draft status of so many kids and one single bad comment and a kids future could be ruined. The fact he is an arrogant ass?? Just to name a few things..

[ERCougar]

I was wondering why i was suddenly getting a constant flow if tweets yesterday on ncaa violations (way beyond santonio holmes ). This will take off.

[TripletDaddy]

With the Ex-Sports Agent coming out and revealing what we already knew. Do you see NCAA pursuing this further?

One name mentioned in this was Ohio State's receiver Santonio Holmes from Ohio St. With USC getting a large penalty do you see the NCAA likely coming in to take a look at these allegations?? In addition with the guy throwing Mel Kiper out there as well..

This could go away quickly or get very interesting..

Let's see.....Reggie and his family took money from an agent. SC gives back Heisman and forfeits NC.

Maurice Clarett took money, cars, and a phony job. Tressell oversaw the entire thing. No forfeiture of Heisman or NC.

Charles Woodson takes cash and engages in academic fraud. No forfeiture of Heisman or NC.

Both Clarrett and Woodson admit to taking the money and benefits. No penalty.

I doubt very highly that anything will result in all of these revelations. The SC sanctions were about punishing SC, not really about cleaning stuff up.

[Sizzle]

Luchs lists more than 20 other players he says he paid: Michigan State's Tony Banks; Arizona's Rob Waldrop; Tennessee's Chuck Webb; Portland State's Darick Holmes; Illinois' Mel Agee; USC's Travis Claridge, Phalen Pounds, R. Jay Soward and Delon Washington; Colorado's Kanavis McGhee, Joel Steed and Greg Thomas; Washington State's Leon Bender, Torey Hunter, Singor Mobley and John Rushing; and UCLA's Chris Alexander, Ryan Fien, Carl Greenwood, Othello Henderson, Vaughn Parker, Matt Soenksen and Bruce Walker.

Alexander, Greenwood, Henderson, Mobley, Soenksen, Soward, and Walker confirmed receiving money. Fien, Hunter, Steed and Waldrop said they did not receive money from Luchs.

Banks, Parker, Pounds and Rushing declined to comment on the allegations. Holmes, McGhee, Thomas, Washington and Webb did not respond to requests to comment.

Agee, Claridge and Bender are deceased.

Luchs says Dana Stubblefield, J.J. Stokes and Keyshawn Johnson declined to take money from him.

Of the guys that he said took money, how many of them actually ended up in the NFL? Banks? Am I missing somebody besides him that I would recognize? I think the bigger issue is that guys like Stubblefield, Stokes and Keyshawn all declined. This guy seems like small potatoes when it comes to being an agent and his imapct seems minimal.

[Surfah]

It's been reported wrong, I don't think Luchs has changed his story. Mortensen reported that he had lost his credentials and he said that wasn't true. He was only suspended by the NFLPA I believe.

Also, regarding Holmes, he never said Santonio. That was erroneous reporting. He did say in the interview that he did approach Santonio but Santonio turned down his offer saying he was already taken care of. Whatever that means.

As to Kiper, he said that Kiper was being used to help him land recruits. As Kiper and Luchs explained it was more of a way for Luchs to get him these deals and for Kiper to get access to these guys for his draft prognostications. Kiper or Luchs would initiate the phone call with one of the players. Luchs would say something to the effect, "Mel I got you on the line with the top defensive end in the country." Mel would then reply, "Well I must be talking to [insert name of Luchs' client]."

Mel said that had no affect on his draft rankings and he never over ranked a player for money. He said that he's been doing it for 32 years and this is a common way for everyone in the media to get access to these players. He admitted that he probably has been used by agents but was never colluding with them.

It was an interesting show.

They asked why he's coming out now. He said he was approached by SI to do the article and he never approached them. He said it took a lot of hand wringing and discussions with his wife about whether to do it. Ultimately he did it to put it all out there so he could live with himself and face his kids. Greenie asked him why then the need to throw others under the bus. He said because it wouldn't have been a story otherwise. SI wouldn't have cared and printed the article without names. And finally the truth is the truth even if it may be embarrassing to those participants who were there.

Luchs really doesn't feel bad about what he did. He's not a member of the NCAA and doesn't have to abide by their rules. When he was doing it there was no enforcement. There were no rules that he felt he was breaking. Some of the players he mentioned validate his story and don't feel bad at all about it. One player with 4 kids now said he'd encourage his kids to take an agents money in college if given the opportunity. He did say these agents today are sloppy and that is why they're getting busted. When he was doing it he was always one on one.

He also said the NFLPA's response is pretty weak. He said there is no communication between the NFLPA and the NCAA.