re: NCAA Coaches and Adidas Official Face Bribery Charges

So lets get this straight... we haven't finished anywhere near the top 1/2 of the SEC in recruiting in the time period and the most probable player being talked about is someone who didn't even get drafted. This is comical.

quote:

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They gathered at a restaurant near the USC campus in March 2016 where they discussed a Gamecock player who was a possible "first-round pick in the NBA draft" in 2017

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Only players that could have been a 1st rounder at any point this year would be thornwell and Dozier. at the time of that meeting and when the preseason draft projections came out, dozier was thought to be the higher pick.

and then you were like...

"Oh, what are we going to do about this?"


and she's like...

"I know. I've been a bad girl"

Cue music.

So you've seen that "movie" too?

I think all of us with the exception of the Tillman types have seen it once or twice.

quote:

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and then you were like... "Oh, what are we going to do about this?" and she's like... "I know. I've been a bad girl" Cue music.

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This is the only logical answer.

Saw this and thought of what your next avatar might look like

If you actually read the FBI charges against Evans, the only thing that is detailed is a lot of phone conversations, mostly between Dawkins, Sood, and the Cooperating Witness 1, known as "CW-1". Then there are one or two phone conversations between those two and Evans, where a meeting is set up in Columbia, near the USC campus.

This meeting takes place on March 3, 2016, and the case documents do not show ANY money passes hands then. During the meeting and again during the ride back to Atlanta from the meeting, Dawkins TWICE makes comments that its better to just deal with assistant coaches and NOT head coaches, because of the fact that its too risky for HCs, and also they are paid too much to agree to this kind of thing.

The comments make a clear implication that Evans is agreeing to do this on his own, apart from Frank Martin and the staff, and that the others are even preferring that it be this way.

The first instance in the documents that these "defendants" even pay Evans - that he takes money of any kind - takes place on or around April 19, 2016 - two weeks after he's been hired to Oklahoma State's staff. Evans is paid $500. There is no clear indication of what the $500 is for - is it for Evans alone, or is it going to be passed on to "Player-3" or to his family? There is discussion about Player-3 and what impact Evans moving on to Oklahoma State may have on his steering the player to the others.

Evans is reported to say during that meeting that "when the time comes, he'll put us in front of Player-3 and his family". This is clear indication IMO that the other defendants haven't yet met this Player-3 nor his family, and everything up till then was just talk, with the now exception of that $500 payment to Evans.

From then on, there is NO report that the other defendants - CW-1, Sood, or Dawkins - ever do finally meet Player-3.

There was a brief statement made by John Vourderis, a Special Agent with the FBI who apparently was the man in charge of this FBI "sting", and who CW-1 reported to and received his direction from - and who apparently was the man who typed out the case document I'm getting all this from - states that "from discussions with CW-1", Evans arranged for Munish Sood to meet with Player-3's mom on or around June 2017.

Since CW-1 was not present, there was no recordings of what took place in that meeting - whether money passed hands, or if Player-3 was present. But if the Player-3 was PJ Dozier, he had already announced April 17 that he was signing with an agent and forgoing his remaining two years of college eligibility. By then Dozier - AND his family - were free to talk and accept money from ANYONE, as they were no longer amateur status athletes.

So what took place that was damaging to Frank Martin and USC's MBB? A lot of phone convos and even face-to-face meetings mean absolutely nothing. The act of money being passed, or at least where college coaches bring student-athletes to meetings with agents and advisors have to happen. But even THAT is not violations with the NCAA as long as its only talk. No contracts signed, no money passed.

In the documents, during that drive back to Atlanta after the initial sit-down meeting with Evans, Dawkins claimed that he himself has paid Evans in the past - some $2,500 per month for two months. He never stated what it was for, and its not known if it even took place or if it was just Dawkins boasting.

But pretty much all of the discussions after Evans moves on to Oklahoma State start revolving around OSU and OSU players. Money in the thousands was documented to have been passed to Evans from CW-1 and Sood, but those instances were described as mostly involving Evans working his OSU players. Nothing really involving USC from that point on.

Eventually, Sood and Dawkins become wary of Evans per documented discussions, and decide to finish up getting what they can from Evans, and then moving on from him. They make comments that it appears Evans is playing them and others to get money, while not bringing anything to the table in return...

Tanner says we're not the target in the federal investigation, but acknowledges most of Evans' crimes were committed while he was at OK St.

Basically, an NCAA investigation of our basketball program is inevitable, unless this whole thing blows up to the scale of involving every major program in the country, and the NCAA simply doesn't have the resources to investigate everyone.

As this goes on, Evans will spill everything for a reduced sentence. Obviously, best case scenario is nothing actually happened involving our players, but if it did, then our guys need to stay as tight lipped as possible. Evans has no reason to protect anyone, so that's what scares me. The NCAA will use whatever statements he makes as the best evidence possible for punishment.

Now, back to football.