In testimony Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Lang said that coaches at two other Southeastern Conference schools, Kentucky and Georgia, gave him money. He also testified that Tennessee, Mississippi, Michigan State and Arkansas offered money for Means but never paid. http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/8134987 is this old news? dont remember hearing about money from Georgia and all the other offers from the other schools
They did pay...read that article again. There are a bunch of guilty programs that the NCAZI'S let slide to nail bammer. Its pathetic. Im in Birmingham and this is getting pretty wide coverage for obvious reasons. I've read a bit of the transcripts they published in the paper and this is a crappy case for the government. Based on what I'm reading I cant believe they even took this case. What a waste of tax dollars.
I went and read a couple of the editorials in the Birmingham Post-Herald and it was interesting because the two writers were on different sides of the issue. Ray Melick was singing the same song as most of the other Crimson Tide folks - that it was all a conspiracy involving the NCAA, SEC and of course Phil Fulmer and Tennessee. Now the other writer Ben Cook, had a much better perspective about this whole case. Mainly saying that it's a black eye for all of college football. http://www.postherald.com/ba012605.shtml
Ya, Cooks take is much more level headed. I dont know about any conspiracy but testamony has already been given that other schools paid the very same guy (Means Coach) this booster is getting charged with bribing. Much of his testamony in the trial this week was based on what he told the NCAAZI'S during the Bama investigation. If thats the case, why werent these other schools investigated like Bama and Kentucky were? It does make you go hmmmm a little. Granted I am stuck in Birmingham so I am only getting a biased side of the story but even so, being a non-bama fan at least lets me look at it from a different perspective. From where I sit something is fishy about this case. The NCAAZI'S used this guys testamony in large part to convict Bama of violations but yet ignored what he was saying about Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, Memphis and Mich State. Whats even more bizarre is he testified these others schools "COACHES" actually paid him the money, including Jim Donhan. Nowhere does he ever claim Bama coaches actually paid him anything directly. It clearly makes you raise your eyebrows more than a little.
Lang testified that former Kentucky recruiting coordinator Claude Bassett gave $7,000 for work at a camp and a Means visit to campus, and that former Georgia head coach Jim Donnan gave $700 cash for work at a camp. He testified that Bill Harper, a Georgia booster from Memphis, gave him a $100 bill. But he said that when he was referred to Young by former Crimson Tide assistant coach Ivy Williams, he started the bidding for Means at $50,000. Young "took to it like water," Lang said. My problem with this whole thing is that so many people involved are no longer with the university. These individuals were not there durring the sanctions. This happens so often with these types of situations. The players, current coache's and fans are punished for some other idiots screw up. Seems to me that the NCAA punishes the wrong people time after time.
Georgia has a perfectly logical explanation which is within NCAA rules that I have read about in the AJC. Not sure why it is going to be replayed out again.