NCAA investigation: Internship hours, ties between YMCA and Syracuse athletes part of inquiry

[MSOrange]

You gotta be kidding me with this. Posted by, in the comments section.

Nate Mink | nmink@syracuse.com9 minutes ago


Hey all, we're still following a lot of leads on this story. If you have any information you wish to share with us, I encourage you to contact John, Chris or I.

Here is our contact info:

John O'Brien: jobrien@syracuse.com ; phone 315-470-2187

Chris Carlson: ccarlson@syracuse.com ; phone: 315-412-1639

Nate Mink: nmink@syracuse.com ; phone: 315-430-8253

Soliciting leads publicly like that? Oh give me strength.

Chris Carlson: "Well thanks for this lead. And what did you say your name was again?"
Source: "John Thompson"

 

[MSOrange]

while football players R.J. Anderson and Kyle Johnson participated in a reading event at the Oneida YMCA in 2001.

I find this utterly repulsive and disgusting, how could they?

I know! It's behavior like that which is ruining college athletics!

 

[cusetown1]

So apparently they really are using a dart board for this investigation.

 

[hungrychuck]

Would the local Journalists and media of Kentucky Athletics. Be doing the same ?

For example, or name another University Athletics.

Do you really want Kentucky to be our benchmark?

No thanks.

 

[MaxwellCuse]

while football players R.J. Anderson and Kyle Johnson participated in a reading event at the Oneida YMCA in 2001.

I find this utterly repulsive and disgusting, how could they?

Yep. Bad enough they were stupid enough to be consorting with used car salesmen back in the 90s. So what do they do next?? Get involved with the freakin' YMCA!

 

[Jamesvillecuse]

unnamed source is writer lingo for I don't have to have actual proof just say from an unnamed source.

 

[Noexcuse]

SO when does the ncaa investigate every other program that won a championship in the last 15 years back 10 plus years??

Stop showing favortism and get off our backs. Go investigate WHY CALIPARI IN HIS FIRST YEAR AT KENTUCKY COMING OFF A NIT GOT THE TWO BEST BASKETBALL PLAYERS IN TEH COUNTRY IN THE MATTER OF 4 MONTHS INSTEAD WOUDL YOU?

Because it's unclear whether all Kentucky recruits get the $200,000 payday or just certain ones.

 

[72Cuse]

This whole thing has the smell of an Emmert witch hunt. This jerk (nicest term I can use about him) was once affiliated with SU I think. Does he have an ax to grind? When investigators are going back 10+ years and turning over rocks they are desperate. Total BS. I would love to arrive at the day the P5 leave the NCAA and give it the middle finger.

I believe he got a Phd at Maxwell.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Lawrinson14 any chance you can get some photoshop action on this SU hoops/YMCA connection?

 

[TheCusian]

It's been my thought since the beginning that a lot of this stuff is someone in the NCAA thinking JB got away with what Paterno went down with.

We don't have much - but someone's gonna pay!

 

[orangefan13]

It's been my thought since the beginning that a lot of this stuff is someone in the NCAA thinking JB got away with what Paterno went down with.

We don't have much - but someone's gonna pay!

My understanding of the situation was 100 percent of davis and langs allegations happened off campus and 99% near bernie fines house. The other 1 percent during a final four run in 87, where they expressed they were to young to come forward and bernie had his own room while davis was to young to sya anything. That really wouldn't make much sense.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I'm going to miss the beginning of the Mike Waters chat but I'm curious why he and Donna are never on these stories. Aren't they the ones who write about the basketball team. Pretty soon JB is going to go in total shut down mode or flip out. Not sure in which order.

 

[Col. Bleep]

Exactly. A lot of young reporters looking to make a name for themselves.

I think pretty much anyone in any job wants to "make a name for himself.

And news outlets tend to cover the stories they think will interest and grow an audience.
Don't see any great surprise there.

Reporters certainly didn't make up this investigation.
And as far as the substance of the investigation goes...it appears the storm clouds are gathering over two major issues:

Were the internships legit?

and:

The presence of a dubious character with plenty of cash in proximity to college athletes.

However, an arcane point in the article is very interesting:
"Whitaker said he could not answer questions related to the NCAA investigation because he and Leo are bound by a confidentiality agreement..."

An attorney bound by a confidentiality agreement?
Not unheard of...but unusual.
That generally indicates some litigation was resolved.
But litigation relaed to THIS NCAA INVESTIGATION???
Really???

 

[cusetown1]

I wish Johnsyracuse was here to settle us all down.

 

[cuseguy]

I think pretty much anyone in any job wants to "make a name for himself. And news outlets tend to cover the stories they think will interest and grow an audience. Don't see any great surprise there. Reporters certainly didn't make up this investigation. And as far as the substance of the investigation goes...it appears the storm clouds are gathering over two major issues: Were the internships legit? and: The presence of a dubious character with plenty of cash in proximity to college athletes. However, an arcane point in the article is very interesting: "Whitaker said he could not answer questions related to the NCAA investigation because he and Leo are bound by a confidentiality agreement..." An attorney bound by a confidentiality agreement? Not unheard of...but unusual. That generally indicates some litigation was resolved. But litigation relaed to THIS NCAA INVESTIGATION??? Really???

These young reporters think there's a story there when there isn't much of one.

They just don't know yet.

 

[cuseguy]

I wish Johnsyracuse was here to settle us all down.

How about a substitute?

 

[orange79]

How about a substitute?

OK. Calm us down.

 

[dasher]

M

My point is that unless we know that the money did not go to athletes we are possibly vulnerable to lack of insititutional constrol should it eventually leak out that there was a slush fund. look at N Carolina; it takes time for these things to unravel. I am not saying that a slush fund existed. I am saying that we need to do our own documented investigation. A $350,000 embezzelment by a free lance Cuse booster has a rotten smell.

First, what $350,000 embezzelment? Have charges been filed? Doesn't appear so. Is there any proof that if there was a $350,000 embezzelment any Syracuse athletes recieved $$ from that? It doesn't appear so. I guess they are saying that this guy, with the Syracuse connections, recieved $$ from syracuse boosters, put it in a special account named YMCA, then shipped some of that $$ to Syracuse athletes. Oh, and with no paper trail because if there was , syracuse would have accepted whatever punishment the ncaa wanted to dish out. A lot of smoke and mirrors it seems to me. No wonder we are fighting this tooth and nail

 

[anomander]

What a joke article by Carlson. I kept reading waiting for what the violation was, but all I got from that story was there is $300k that isn't accounted for. Ok, so what? If there isn't any proof that went to the players then he should be fired for even writing this article. He uncovered absolutely nothing, other then what the players majors were. Talk about trolling for clicks, and trying to make a name for yourself. You either have proof, or you don't write the article.

And the $100 to Wright...who cares, he worked for it? He probably sat at that AAU tournament for 8 hours. What college athletes can't have a job now?

I assume this is the extra benefits part of the investigation that caught a lot of people off guard, but if this is it, and they have no proof where that $300k went, then it's a BFD.

 

[cuseguy]

OK. Calm us down.

I just did.

 

[CuseHulk]

I just did.

or, He must have missed your post earlier in the thread. "Much ado about nothing. A lot of little stuff. Carry on."

 

[Mareiniss]

First, what $350,000 embezzelment? Have charges been filed? Doesn't appear so. Is there any proof that if there was a $350,000 embezzelment any Syracuse athletes recieved $$ from that? It doesn't appear so. I guess they are saying that this guy, with the Syracuse connections, recieved $$ from syracuse boosters, put it in a special account named YMCA, then shipped some of that $$ to Syracuse athletes. Oh, and with no paper trail because if there was , syracuse would have accepted whatever punishment the ncaa wanted to dish out. A lot of smoke and mirrors it seems to me. No wonder we are fighting this tooth and nail

I agree with this. Also, I wonder how this guy got a $90,000/year job with the NYS Department of Transportation, and still has it, if he was so shaky.

 

[Jamesvillecuse]

Lawrinson14 any chance you can get some photoshop action on this SU hoops/YMCA connection?

View attachment 30254

is that a picture of the post standard sport writers? lol

 

[rrlbees]

I wouldn't be wringing my hands about this yet BUT, I wouldn't be mocking everything about it either. SU certainly didn't.

We brought a boatload of SU people and lawyers to the meeting including the new chancellor. SU took it very seriously considering they have been classified as major and not minor. And anytime an outside entity is named, or brought along, or has a lawyer, you have to be concerned.

Fingers crossed there was nothing there and it's some minor stuff resulting in some minor penalties not including a tourney ban.

 

[RF2044]

I wouldn't be wringing my hands about this yet BUT, I wouldn't be mocking everything about it either. SU certainly didn't.

We brought a boatload of SU people and lawyers to the meeting including the new chancellor. SU took it very seriously considering they have been classified as major and not minor. And anytime an outside entity is named, or brought along, or has a lawyer, you have to be concerned.

Fingers crossed there was nothing there and it's some minor stuff resulting in some minor penalties not including a tourney ban.

No doubt they're taking it seriously. But the presence of layers does not imply that these allegations are true or indicate that major [versus minor] infractions actually occurred--bringing lawyers and taking this type of hearing seriously is all about protecting yourself.