SEC is powerless against agents

[madinmaryland]

Florida coach Urban Meyer called agent malfeasance an "epidemic" on Wednesday. Alabama coach Nick Saban compared agents -- presumably not his own -- to the men who supervise prostitutes. SEC commissioner Mike Slive spoke of a need to change the NCAA's rules regarding agents from an enforcement model to an assistance model.

Three powerful men, essentially powerless to fight a group that works in the shadows and passes cash to players more seamlessly than the greasiest booster ever dreamed. In almost any other facet of college football, the coaches of the past two BCS champions and the commissioner of one of the nation's most powerful and lucrative conferences could affect change with a wave of the hand or with a nod of the head. But against the agents, the financial advisors and the runners, they can do nothing.

Pete Carroll couldn't stop it at USC. The NCAA blasted the Trojans' football program more for its tepid response to the Reggie Bush allegations than for the fact that Bush profited from his relationship with two wannabe sports marketers. Steve Spurrier couldn't stop it at Florida, where soon-to-be-imprisoned agent Tank Black funneled cash to the Gators' best defenders in the late '90s. Now at South Carolina, one of Spurrier's tight ends, Weslye Saunders, was interviewed last week by NCAA enforcement staff regarding improper benefits. John Cooper couldn't stop it at Ohio State, where agent Dunyasha Yetts passed cash to cornerback Antoine Winfield by intentionally losing at cards. Joe Paterno couldn't stop it at Penn State, where agent Jeff Nalley gave gifts to running back Curtis Enis.

The coaches can't stop it. The conference commissioners can't stop it. Despite the high-profile blitzkrieg it launched this month, the NCAA can't stop it, either.

Only two groups have the power to make a dent. The NFL Players Association decides who is allowed to represent NFL players and can yank the certification of an unscrupulous agent, but it has no dominion over financial advisors, marketers and the other remoras that circle potential NFL players hoping to siphon off scraps. (It should be noted that Lloyd Lake and Michael Michaels, the central figures in the Bush case, were not agents but marketers.) Truly, the only people who can police the larger group are the actual police.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/07/22/agents/index.html

[trumad]

1. He He---Saban--Prostitute

Ahh the irony.

[lazarus]

2. the article got that wrong

he said "pimps".

[joeybee12]

3. This is a Bullshit article..."Pete Carroll couldn't stop it"...in fact, Carroll and USC

KNEW what Bush and his crooked family and the agent were up to...that's why USC took such a hard hit...THEY KNEW and did nothing.

[Auggie]

4. Sounds like bullshit to me, too

Powerless? C'mon...

[joeybee12]

5. just trying to make excuses for the coaches...n/t

[JonLP24]

6. I'll say this

If you got your own life and 70 or so athletes (football) to look after. You can't stop every time an off campus agent talks to one of your players. That isn't to speak about any specific incident but this does appear to be the most common infraction. An off campus agent giving money or something to one of their players.

I don't know about "powerless" but there isn't a whole you can do unless you can find a way to micromanage what every player does when they are not at the games or at practice.

[Auggie]

7. I guess neither of us

are privy to what football programs and athletic departments are doing to coach their players about this. Is their approach proactive or passive?

[JonLP24]

8. In USC's case

They were being passive. Especially in the Athletic Department. The OJ Mayo (CBBall) dealings were much more corrupt--which is why they self-sanctioned themselves (including a post-season a television ban) before an investigation took place. In that there was a "confidant" that was all over the place. He was in the AD's office, pictured at games, etc. He was giving benefits and such to OJ Mayo. The NCAA did a joint investigation into this and the Bush thing to see if there was an overall lack of institutional control. I'm not sure if Carroll knew considering it was 1 athlete out of so many and it was an off campus agent that was unlike the Mayo dealings where the "confidant" was unofficially affiliated with the basketball program. One thing that is clear from this is the AD knew about the Mayo thing and likely knew about the Bush dealings which is why is being replaced this year.

[joeybee12]

9. When Bush decided to dump his agent, the agent immediately called

the USC running backs coach, whose name escapes me, so even if Carroll personally didn't know, a member of his coaching staff did.

[JonLP24]

10. Ok thanks

I'm unaware of that. I'll have to look into it.

[Auggie]

11. This is my point...

the colleges (coaching staffs) could be / are knowingly allowing this to happen.

[joeybee12]

12. That's why USC got hit so hard...it wasn't that they were simply lax, but

someone high up enough knew and not only did nothing but was complicit.

[JonLP24]

13. Yes

Which is why I mentioned the AD. These violations happened under his watch and is being replaced. I know it was the violation and "lack of institutional control."

[Doeed]

14. As powerless as the Big 10 is against the SEC?

Because that's pretty damn helpless.

[PVnRT]

15. That woosh you just heard was the point going over your head

[Doeed]

16. The only woosh you heard

was the air rushing through that empty space between your ears.

[Condem]

17. Hate to inform you, Doeed.

Iowa, under Kirk Ferentz, is 3-1 against the vaunted SEC in Bowl games. I guess somebody from the Big Ten knows how to beat 'em.

[Doeed]

18. Would you like to compare

Overall SEC vs Big 10 records?

[PVnRT]

19. No, because this article was about agents

Logically, from your post, you support agents violating NCAA rules. Or you're just another dumbshit SEC fan who only knows how to grunt SEC RULES OMG over and over again.

[Doeed]

20. It was a joke

Were you born an asshole, or was it an aquired trait?

[Yavin4]

21. You Folks Are Kidding Yourselves

If you think that USC is the only school that looks the other way when agents approach the players.

Come on. Every school does it. This stuff happens all of the time. Maybe not on the same scale as Bush, but it does go on.