~2017-18 Big Ten Basketball Thread~

[MaximumSam]

Miles Bridges' name getting tossed around in that FBI case.  There is an expense report of the agent floating around, that includes expenses like thousands of dollars in loans to variosu players.  An "advance" of 400 bucks listed to 
]Miles Bridges' mom."

Not sure what that will amount to.

https://sports.yahoo.com/exclusive-federal-documents-detail-sweeping-potential-ncaa-violations-involving-high-profile-players-schools-103338484.html

[847badgerfan]

https://sports.yahoo.com/exclusive-federal-documents-detail-sweeping-potential-ncaa-violations-involving-high-profile-players-schools-103338484.html


Excerpts...


...There’s potential impermissible benefits and preferential treatment for players and families of players at Duke, North Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, Michigan State, USC, Alabama and a host of other schools. The documents link some of the sport’s biggest current stars – Michigan State’s Miles Bridges, Alabama’s Collin Sexton and Duke’s Wendell Carter –...


Someone mentioned Diamond Stone, up-thread.


...Diamond Stone, at the time a freshman at Maryland, received $14,303 according to the documents....

[847badgerfan]

I'm glad the Badgers won last night. I didn't get to see the game so I cannot comment on my own accord as to how they played.

[ELA]

Miles Bridges' name getting tossed around in that FBI case.  There is an expense report of the agent floating around, that includes expenses like thousands of dollars in loans to variosu players.  An "advance" of 400 bucks listed to
]Miles Bridges' mom."

Not sure what that will amount to.

https://sports.yahoo.com/exclusive-federal-documents-detail-sweeping-potential-ncaa-violations-involving-high-profile-players-schools-103338484.html

I think you have to sit him this weekend until you learn more.
As I speculated all along, this was going to be more about players losing eligibility over impermissible benefits rather than a Louisville type thing.  You really wonder just how deep this is going to go with the FBI involved.  They are pulling out $400 handshakes to Bridges' mom and dinners with Wendell Carter.  The NCAA, unless someone talks, generally doesn't figure anything out until we are in the tens of thousands of dollars.
This wasn't even just one agent.  This was one runner from one agent, with ties to players from Duke, UNC, MSU, Kentucky, Texas, Villanova.  The upside to all of this is once the NCAA is presented with all of it they are going to be forced to make a change.
I don't know what it matters for his eligibility, but I do hope Miles didn't know, if for no other reason than the level of stupidity involved in passing up millions of dollars to come back to school, to throw it all away over $400.

[ELA]

https://sports.yahoo.com/exclusive-federal-documents-detail-sweeping-potential-ncaa-violations-involving-high-profile-players-schools-103338484.html


Excerpts...


...There’s potential impermissible benefits and preferential treatment for players and families of players at Duke, North Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, Michigan State, USC, Alabama and a host of other schools. The documents link some of the sport’s biggest current stars – Michigan State’s Miles Bridges, Alabama’s Collin Sexton and Duke’s Wendell Carter –...


Someone mentioned Diamond Stone, up-thread.


...Diamond Stone, at the time a freshman at Maryland, received $14,303 according to the documents....

Yeah, there were a few names listed connected to big dollar amounts

Dennis Smith, NC State: $73,000
Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall: $37,000
Bam Adebayo, Kentucky: $36,000
Tim Quarterman, LSU: $16,000
Diamond Stone, Maryland: $14,000
Markelle Fultz, Washington: $10,000

[847badgerfan]

I don't know what it matters for his eligibility, but I do hope Miles didn't know, if for no other reason than the level of stupidity involved in passing up millions of dollars to come back to school, to throw it all away over $400.

This is what I was thinking. I have to believe he didn't know. Sometimes, mama doesn't know best. I'm chalking it up to that until I see more detail.

[ELA]

This is what I was thinking. I have to believe he didn't know. Sometimes, mama doesn't know best. I'm chalking it up to that until I see more detail.

I still think you have to sit him.  Generally when it's not a booster as the source of the impermissible benefits, the school doesn't retroactively forfeit games.  But if they play him beyond the report, and he turns out to be ineligible, then they ding you.  Given the timing, I wonder if this is a case where MSU appeals the NCAA to force them to hand down a punishment now, so they know.  I seem to recall some other school doing that in this type of case.  A.J. Green was suspended 3 games I think for selling his jersey for $1,000.  5 games for the OSU tattoos?  Granted, on the other hand, Bowen took thousands, and played the whole year, and Cam Newton did too, under the "my parents did it without my knowledge" argument.  And that was involving substantial money.  I think to be safe, for now he has to sit.

[847badgerfan]

I'm thinking the NCAA wonks are shitting the bed right now, wondering what the hell it's going to do about this.

The best thing that could come from this is to blow the whole thing up and get back to basics - to the way it was intended to function from the start, with full faculty oversight of athletics.

Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives sounds good to me.

[847badgerfan]

I still think you have to sit him.  Generally when it's not a booster as the source of the impermissible benefits, the school doesn't retroactively forfeit games.  But if they play him beyond the report, and he turns out to be ineligible, then they ding you.  Given the timing, I wonder if this is a case where MSU appeals the NCAA to force them to hand down a punishment now, so they know.  I seem to recall some other school doing that in this type of case.  A.J. Green was suspended 3 games I think for selling his jersey for $1,000.  5 games for the OSU tattoos?  Granted, on the other hand, Bowen took thousands, and played the whole year, and Cam Newton did too, under the "my parents did it without my knowledge" argument.  And that was involving substantial money.  I think to be safe, for now he has to sit.

Well, the timing of this really sucks for MSU, for obvious reasons. If his mother actually did this without his knowledge, then shame on her for wrecking her son's experience and hurting MSU, the coaches and all the players at the same time.

[ELA]

Well, the timing of this really sucks for MSU, for obvious reasons. If his mother actually did this without his knowledge, then shame on her for wrecking her son's experience and hurting MSU, the coaches and all the players at the same time.

And for not coming forward when given the chance.  This story broke in September.  I think you could have remedied a lot of it then, by saying you took $400 from an agent the year before.  If it's not 10s of thousands of dollars, and I think something could have been done, if you had been proactive about it.  But yes, if she did it without his knowledge, that's selfish and awful, and I can't imagine how he feels this morning, knowing his mother did that to him.  If he did know, he's dumb for doing it, and even dumber for coming back for his sophomore year.

[847badgerfan]

That's why I have to believe he didn't know.

[ELA]

I've learned to never underestimate the poor decision making ability of an 18 year old

[847badgerfan]

I've learned to never underestimate the poor decision making ability of an 18 year old

Or an 18 year old's mother...

[JerseyTerrapin]

I know it's naive and understand that college sports is a business, but I'm going to be very disappointed in UMD if it's true that Diamond Stone got paid.

These seem like weird amounts, as in, really low, for players/programs to be taking this kind of risk*.  My guess is that

a) it's bogus
or
b) these amounts are only the tip of the iceberg.


* edit.  I take that back.  For one thing, some of the numbers aren't that low after a second look.  Also, who am I to say what is significant amount of lettuce to somebody else, especially in a place where money goes further than where I is at.