The virus spreads

[Kaos]

http://www.al.com/alabamabasketball/index.ssf/2017/09/alabama_basketball_staffer_res.html#incart_river_home_pop?li_source=base&li_medium=default-widget

Alabama announced an internal review of its basketball program. Athletics director Greg Byrne also announced the resignation of basketball staffer Kobie Baker.

**UPDATE: Alabama basketball staffer Kobie Baker's resignation related to FBI investigation**

"Our review has not identified any NCAA or SEC rules violations nor the involvement of any other coach or staff member," Byrne said in a news release distributed Wednesday evening. "We have notified both of the governing bodies of the actions we have taken. As always, we will continue to be proactive in our compliance efforts."

The statement also said the internal investigation was launched after news broke Tuesday of the FBI investigation of college basketball recruiting practices.

Baker was an associate athletics director who oversaw "all areas of men's basketball administration," according to his profile on the Alabama athletics website. His responsibilities included "salaries and benefits, operating expenses, team travel, donor relations, fundraising and scheduling non-conference opponents."

A back-dated cease and desist letter has been sent. 


The first article soft pedals it.  Scarbinsky uses his platform to kick ass and take names:

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/09/auburn_and_alabama_basketball.html#incart_most-comments

Page 31 introduces a new recruit to the scheme: Staff Member-1, who works for the basketball program at another NCAA school. Staff Member-1, as first reported by The Tuscaloosa News and confirmed by AL.com, is Kobie Baker.

In that job, according to his Alabama bio before it was removed from the athletics department website, "Baker developed significant expertise in the ... basketball recruiting environment ... which provided him the tools to effectively monitor and mitigate potential violations through outreach and education."

According to the complaint, Staff Member-1 met with Michel and the financial adviser on May 3, 2017, and the adviser paid the staffer $5,000. When the adviser asked the staffer if he really had the sway to send players his way, the staffer said, among other things, "Yeah, I can absolutely do that."

Those words echoed Person's alleged boast earlier in the complaint of his influence on one unnamed Auburn player: "He listens to one person. That's me."

As the complaint says Person did on multiple occasions, Staff Member-1 allegedly attended a meeting with Michel, the adviser and a parent of a prominent player in his program. The purpose of the meeting: To introduce the player's father and the financial adviser.

The complaint says that meeting took place Aug. 31 of this year in Atlanta with "the father of a highly regarded incoming freshman basketball player at Staff Member-1's university."

That description has to send shivers down the spine of everyone connected to or concerned with Alabama basketball. Neither the player nor his father is named in the complaint, but the Crimson Tide does have a highly regarded freshman point guard from the Atlanta area named Collin Sexton.

At that meeting, the adviser allegedly gave Michel about $10,000 to give to Staff Member-1. In all, the complaint says Staff Member-1 received about $25,000 as an incentive to participate in the scheme.

So while the Bama fucks were snickering yesterday, it was their own program that actually offered incentives to sign. 

[Godfather]

http://www.al.com/alabamabasketball/index.ssf/2017/09/alabama_basketball_staffer_res.html#incart_river_home_pop?li_source=base&li_medium=default-widget
 


A back-dated cease and desist letter has been sent.

He hasn't been with the team since the Orange Bowl NIT

[Kaos]

While I don't want to tap dance on the graves, still.....

Ours:  Assistant basketball coach charged with encouraging players to sign with an agent when they entered the draft. 

Theirs:  Associate Athletic Director charged with seducing incoming freshmen to sign with Alabama and the agents from which he took payments. 

Ours:  Those players are ineligible and we're going to smack your hand.
Theirs: Bulldoze the program.


I'm going to add this:  If Chuck takes the fall for us and simultaneously implicates Bama -- leading to an investigation that pulls the covers off the entire corrupt enterprise?  I'll forgive him. 

[AUChizad]

While I don't want to tap dance on the graves, still.....

Ours:  Assistant basketball coach charged with encouraging players to sign with an agent when they entered the draft. 

Theirs:  Associate Athletic Director charged with seducing incoming freshmen to sign with Alabama and the agents from which he took payments. 

Ours:  Those players are ineligible and we're going to smack your hand.
Theirs: Bulldoze the program.


I'm going to add this:  If Chuck takes the fall for us and simultaneously implicates Bama -- leading to an investigation that pulls the covers off the entire corrupt enterprise?  I'll forgive him.

I want to believe you, but I didn't read it that way. I read it as exactly the same as our situation. He was already a Freshman. Didn't see anything about inducing him to come to Alabama.

I want to be wrong, so please show me the verbiage that leads you to believe your version.

[Snaggletiger]

Look, here's what Bama has done.  It's another case of Bama gonna' be Bama.  The moment any of the corruption in any phase of the athletic program starts to surface, they do exactly what they've just done.  A "staffer" gets the boot.  We ran our extensive internal 24 hour investigation and we've weeded out the cancer.  We've sent a cease and desist letter to whom it may concern.  We did our annual investigation and self-reported 12 super sub-minor infractions and we've sanctioned ourselves.  Somehow it got out that a player was given money by a coach so we fired the assistant to the assistant apprentice to the head P.E. Teacher.  We're all about compliance and due diligence.  Nothing to see here. 

The only difference is if in fact, the FBI is leading the charge. 

[Kaos]

I want to believe you, but I didn't read it that way. I read it as exactly the same as our situation. He was already a Freshman. Didn't see anything about inducing him to come to Alabama.

I want to be wrong, so please show me the verbiage that leads you to believe your version.

Entirely possible I misunderstood.  I read it as he was a potential incoming freshman, not part of the team when they met and made the arrangements.  I construed that as an inducement to sign.

[AUChizad]

Entirely possible I misunderstood.  I read it as he was a potential incoming freshman, not part of the team when they met and made the arrangements.  I construed that as an inducement to sign.

Basketball signing day was April-May. This took place on August 31st.

[Snaggletiger]

Basketball signing day was April-May. This took place on August 31st.

Is that Pacific Time?

[Godfather]

Is that Pacific Time?

Gate A

[AUChizad]

Is that Pacific Time?

Roughly 75%.

[Buzz Killington]

Hey, NCAA...while you're there, let me encourage you to walk on down the hall and make a visit to the football offices.

[Kaos]

Interesting sub-plot. 

It's now being rumored that the NCAA turned information over to the FBI after they couldn't gain traction/cooperation from Louisville and that led to this. 

[GH2001]

Roughly 75%.

14/35ths?

[bgreene]

The plot thickens

[Kaos]

Their reaction is interesting and unsurprising. 

Nothing to see, nothing illegal or in violation of NCAA rules.  Move along.  Auburns are the cheats.  It's proven.  Cam Newton?

[Snaggletiger]

Their reaction is interesting and unsurprising. 

Nothing to see, nothing illegal or in violation of NCAA rules.  Move along.  Auburns are the cheats.  It's proven.  Cam Newton?

Exactly what I said above. We've run our own internal investigation and sanctioned ourselves.  Move along, now.  Let's go, keep moving.

[GH2001]

Their reaction is interesting and unsurprising. 

Nothing to see, nothing illegal or in violation of NCAA rules.  Move along.  Auburns are the cheats.  It's proven.  Cam Newton?

Dem awwwbrens pawwlllll

[Buzz Killington]

"Our internal investigation turned up some issues which have been dealt with internally.  Thank you and good day."

[Kaos]

The Finebaum pivot will cause whiplash. 

No surprise.
Could be anyone.
You have to do it to be competitive.
Everybody does it, where's the shock or harm.
They could do the same to any program at any time.

[chinook]

"Our internal investigation turned up some issues which have been dealt with internally.  Thank you and good day."

31 Flavors for all.