re: Per Brooks - HBO Real Sports Special - 4 ex-AU players admit to being paid

It's obvious that shite went on at Auburn, but hey shite goes on at every school. We should all be holding our breath when this comes on tv.

I am pretty sure it was leaked that the coach was Eddie Gran. HBO probably removed it though to avoid a lawsuit.

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that's Julio Jones and Star Jackson with some Bama girl on their recruiting visit.

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So?

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ThaKaptin

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Winning!!!

I don't even understand why people are trying to spin it like they didn't get paid. These guys got paid.

The part that gets me is that every college, even the crappy ones, are doing this. I knew football players at a crappy school that were getting tons of spending cash and their stadium can only seat about 18 families if they're well oiled up and you have a shoe horn. If bad teams are paying, then SEC teams are paying.

The whole system is dirty. Coaches cannot control the handshakes. NCAA will throw Auburn under the bus at some point to make an example, however they're not going to mess with the system.

Another breakdown of the show, a lot of it's been posted.

The HBO "Real Sports" report -- the first of two on this episode -- opens with Tyrone Prothro. He is profiled as a teller at Regions Bank, the one across the street from the UA Aquatic Center on the corner of Bryant and Hackberry.

This segment is about how much college programs make vs. players not getting a cut (of course it barely mentions scholarships), and Prothro is the centerpiece.

The segment says after his injury that Prothro "would never play here again," showing Bryant-Denny Stadium. Actually, if I'm not mistaken he played a snap or two against Mississippi State as a sort of farewell appearance at the end of a game. Am I imagining that? Or did HBO just not do its homework?

Prothro is asked how much money he got paid at Alabama:

"Not a dime ... not a dime," is his answer.

We'll juxtapose that with answers from another instate player (or is it players) in a little while when that part comes up.

Also of note, on the panel of experts is the commissioner of the Ivy League. Next, I guess we'll hear from the SWAC commissioner on the BCS?

Former UCLA basketball player Ed O'Bannon is also part of the segment.

He raises an interesting question -- more interesting, IMHO, than the question about paying players while they are in college:

To use the highlight of Prothro's catch against Southern Miss, HBO had to pay several hundred dollars in rights fees (I think now it goes to XOS, which inked a multi-million dollar deal with the SEC for such things). Prothro, of course, doesn't receive a penny.

Now that's an important distinction from paying players for play -- if Prothro makes an all-time catch playing for Alabama, should he get a cut in later use of that clip?

The NCAA -- the same people who brought you the "loophole" explanation on the Cam Newton case (don't get me started) and the "clarification" on the Ohio State guys playing in the bowl -- declined to send a representative to HBO's panel disussion.

Second segment (the one you've been waiting for) starts out with the focus squarely on former Auburn player Stanley McClover.

Andrea Kremer goes through a stack of envelopes with recruiting letters to McClover. N.C. State, Kentucky, Memphis, I think Oklahoma.

No Alabama letter mentioned nor visable to my eyes. The Auburn letter with the big AU logo is prominent right on top.

McClover talks about getting his first $500 handshake at a camp at LSU. Says he didn't know the guy who gave it to him.

"Thank you and I'm seriously thinking about coming to LSU," McClover said he told the booster.

Of note, and you will hear about this tomorrow for sure:

Kremer says McClover said he got what he termed "money handshakes" at Auburn ("for a couple hundred dollars") and Michigan State. She also talks about him getting "about a thousand dollars" in handshakes at Ohio State -- but we never see McClover say this on campus.

He does talk on camera about committing to Ohio State after a party where he was offered his choice of girls for sexual services on an offial visit. He committed to THE Ohio State University right after that visit.

After committing to OSU, McClover says Auburn reps contacted him:

"I rememer it like it was yesterday. 'What do we have to do to have you come to Auburn University?' ... I gave them an answer," he said.

Once again, we don't get McClover on camera saying the important words, we get Kremer saying McClover said he got money "delivered in a book bag, exact amount unknown."

Then McClover goes on camera to answer the question, "What were you thinking?"

McClover: "I almost passed out. ... I couldn't believe it was true."

Kremer: "You felt obligated to them ..."

McClover: "I felt totally obligated."

Kremer: "Because of the money?"

McClover: "Yeah."

Kremer notes there is no documentation of the payoff -- email, receipts, ect.

The $200,000 Cam question is raised: Kremer notes that on signing day, he signed with Auburn and not Ohio State.

Troy Reddick, another former Auburn player, is brought into the segment.

He says, with no specifics, that he "wasn't surprised" by anything that went on in the recruiting process.

Reddick said Auburn wasn't among his top five school choices, but then: "I was contacted by a representative of a local alumni and offered a large sum of money."

Reddick said his thought was that people were trying to take advantage of him and he wasn't going to give anybody any power over him whatsoever.

Kremer says (again without Reddick saying so on camera) that Reddick said he turned down the offer but went to Auburn anyway.

Reddick says, according to Kremer, that Auburn coaches asked him to change his major because his class schedule conflicted with football.

Reddick, on camera, says he changed his major but "didn't go" (to class, presumably) "because I knew I was only there to play football."

Reddick said he started complaining, saying me might want to leave. A coach (unnamed, but this would have been on Tommy Tuberville's staff, obvioulsy) invited him up to the office saying he had mail for Reddick and gave him an envelope.

Reddick said he found "about $500" in the envelope. Says it happened "two or three more times" that season and "six or seven times" his senior season.

Back to McClover, and back to Kremer speaking without McClover saying it on camera:

She says McClover said he was also paid while at Auburn, "paid by boosters," she says.

McClover goes on camera: Said he wanted a 1973 Chevy Impala. The seller wanted $7,000 in cash, McClover says, "So I went to my booster who I knew and he gave me the money the next day in a book bag."

Now we get into the specific incentive plan:

Asked how much a sack was worth, McClover says: "Anywhere between 3 to 400 dollars, for one, so my goal was always to get multiple (sacks)."

For four sacks against Alabama (Brodie), he says he was paid: "$4000, against Alabama. ... Don't no other game matter but Auburn-Alabama," attributing the higher per sack rate to the rivalry,.

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Prothro is asked how much money he got paid at Alabama: "Not a dime ... not a dime," is his answer.

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time to sit back and watch the mayhem unfold.