College basketball's FBI probe gets specific

[AU64 10,122]

"paper" is a generic term for news sources.....so where do you get the information on which you base you views?   

Like 'em or not, newspapers and their affiliated internet sites are the primary source of news to everyone...even those who deny it.   There is a wide variety of them.....so you can believe what you want....or choose not to believe them.....but skepticism about the source does not always mean the source is incorrect...which is why we are short two players and 3 coaches at the moment. .  

So...time will tell if your skepticism is well founded....or not.  

 

[aufan57 922]

 

[AU64 10,122]

This investigation is grist for the mill of creative fans.....gonna be a lot of stuff like this the next month or two.   But if you can't take it, don't dish it out because we probably have only heard a small portion or what's out there. 

Does anyone really believe that what we have seen thus far is all of the players, coaches and schools taking advantage of the flow of money from sports agents and apparel manufacturers?  

Me? ....I'm glad that the AU portion of this mess has been made public and perhaps we are done with it for the rest of the season. . 

[doverstutts 1,643]

5 hours ago, AU64 said:

so where do you get the information on which you base you views?

........he pulls it out of his butt

[AU64 10,122]

27 minutes ago, doverstutts said:

........he pulls it out of his butt

Totally necessary for this kind of forum....JMO..

[aufan57 922]

More clickbait garbage from Thamel. No facts. Personifies sports "journalism".

 

[Mikey 16,587]

Funniest joke on Pete Thamel: While trying to dig up dirt on Cam Newton, he was trolling some south Lee County bar where he had been told AU football players hung out. He went there, did a bunch of interviews with some really, really big guys and towards the end found out he was dealing with Tuskegee players. If I ever learn who sent Thamel there, I'll buy him a beer or two. I had an office in Macon County back then and my secretary at the time had a brother who was a walk-on at Tuskegee. He brought the tale to her, complete with complimentary copies of a couple of pictures Thamel took to "prove" AU football players were engaged in underage drinking. LMAO!

[triangletiger 1,599]

13 hours ago, Mikey said:

Funniest joke on Pete Thamel: While trying to dig up dirt on Cam Newton, he was trolling some south Lee County bar where he had been told AU football players hung out. He went there, did a bunch of interviews with some really, really big guys and towards the end found out he was dealing with Tuskegee players. If I ever learn who sent Thamel there, I'll buy him a beer or two. I had an office in Macon County back then and my secretary at the time had a brother who was a walk-on at Tuskegee. He brought the tale to her, complete with complimentary copies of a couple of pictures Thamel took to "prove" AU football players were engaged in underage drinking. LMAO!

 Did anybody ask to dance with his date?

 

[AU64 10,122]

14 hours ago, Mikey said:

Funniest joke on Pete Thamel: While trying to dig up dirt on Cam Newton, he was trolling some south Lee County bar where he had been told AU football players hung out. He went there, did a bunch of interviews with some really, really big guys and towards the end found out he was dealing with Tuskegee players. If I ever learn who sent Thamel there, I'll buy him a beer or two. I had an office in Macon County back then and my secretary at the time had a brother who was a walk-on at Tuskegee. He brought the tale to her, complete with complimentary copies of a couple of pictures Thamel took to "prove" AU football players were engaged in underage drinking. LMAO!

  Cool.....'he should have been suspicious..... because we know that AU football players would never engage in underage drinking..

.

[TigerOne 1,140]

don't worry emmeret is in charge

[aufan57 922]

Quote

The college basketball world has been turned upside down over the last six months — and the drama continued this weekend.

On Friday, ESPN reported that FBI wiretaps intercepted calls between Arizona head coach Sean Miller and former ASM sports associate Christian Dawkins, “in which Miller discussed paying $100,000 to ensure star freshman DeAndre Ayton signed with the Wildcats.” During a TV report, ESPN said that the phone call took place in the spring of 2017. The network then issued a correction, stating that the phone call between Miller and Dawkins took place in the spring of 2016. ESPN then corrected its first correction, stating that the phone call between Miller and Dawkins took place in the year 2016, removing the "spring" designation. 

But the timeline doesn't add up. 

A source told 247Sports that Dawkins (who had his phone tapped by the FBI) and Miller had calls intercepted between the timeframe of June 19 of 2017, through Sept. 25.  

Sources say that the U.S. Attorney's office notified multiple parties who had conversations with Dawkins that their phone calls had been recorded specifically during the dates of June 19, 2017 and Sept. 25, 2017.

The fourth-ranked player in the 247Sports Composite, Ayton signed with Arizona on Nov. 10 of 2016. He arrived on campus on June 10 of 2017, according to a source. Ayton began orientation on June 19.

 

(Photo: Getty)

Reached by 247Sports on Monday afternoon, an ESPN spokesperson reaffirmed that the network stands by its 2016 timeline.

The weekend’s news has left No. 19 Arizona reeling. Miller did not coach in Saturday night’s overtime loss at Oregon. Ayton did play, recording 28 points,18 rebounds and four blocks. 

Further twisting the plot is that Dawkins has never been associated — to anyone’s knowledge — with Ayton. Ayton has had mentors/handlers involved in his process at different stages of his basketball career, but Dawkins has never been one of them.

Dawkins was working as a “runner” for NBA agent Andy Miller’s ASM Sports Group, whose records were seized as part of the FBI investigation.

Murkiness of the timelines aside, it does not rule out that compromising information was possibly found on the wiretaps, though those familiar with the conversations are highly dubious that it involved a $100,000 tag for Ayton to specifically sign with Arizona. Ayton was already on campus by the time any June 19-Sept. 25 Dawkins-Miller conversation occurred.

Paul Kelly, a Boston-based attorney who’s conducting Arizona’s investigation into the FBI probe, released a statement Sunday night saying Ayton had voluntarily agreed to several interviews over the past several months — with the federal prosecutors and the FBI, UA and Pac-12 compliance officials, the NCAA and an independent law firm on behalf of the university.

“Mr. Ayton has credibly and consistently maintained that neither he nor any member of his family, nor any representative thereof, received any money or extra benefit to influence his decision to attend the University of Arizona,” Kelly said. “Not a shred of evidence has ben adduced suggesting otherwise, which federal investigators and NCAA officials have acknowledged.

“… I can say with confidence that DeAndre Ayton has abided by all applicable rules and regulations and is fully eligible.”

Miller has a 242-73 record at Arizona since the 2009-10 season, with four Elite Eight appearances. Ayton is No. 1 in 247Sports' NBA Draft Big Board and is enjoying a tremendous freshman season, averaging 19.9 points, 11.2 rebounds and two blocks per game. 

Author

Evan Daniels, Brian Snow & Josh Gershon  @247Sports

https://247sports.com/Article/Sources-Conflicting-information-in-ESPNs-report-involving-Arizona-star-DeAndre-Ayton-coach-Sean-Miller-115594868

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

23 hours ago, AU64 said:

  Cool.....'he should have been suspicious..... because we know that AU football players would never engage in underage drinking..

.

Yeah.....cause they are college kids who are known worldwide to abide by all underage drinking laws.  If a player at AU did happen to engage in underage drinking he is the only one ever in the whole world to stoop so low....

 

[Randman5000 4,228]

On ‎2‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 7:38 AM, aufan57 said:

https://247sports.com/Article/Sources-Conflicting-information-in-ESPNs-report-involving-Arizona-star-DeAndre-Ayton-coach-Sean-Miller-115594868

1 minute ago, Randman5000 said:

https://www.diehards.com/arizona/yahoos-pat-forde-theres-lot-dispute-espns-report-sean-miller-Arizona

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach dropped a bomb on the college basketball world last Friday with his report that Arizona coach Sean Miller allegedly was caught on tape discussing a $100,000 payment to secure the commitment of prized recruit Deandre Ayton.

Ayton’s representation and family have strongly denied any involvement in such a payment, and the freshman continued playing (and playing well), winning CBS Sports’ freshman of the week honor. Miller hasn’t coached since the report was published.

 

While there seems to be smoke in the fact that Miller hasn’t been around the program since the report, more than one outlet has questioned ESPN’s reporting. The latest to raise an issue is Yahoo’s Pat Forde, who helped break the majority of the news related to the FBI’s investigation into college basketball corruption.

Being associated with wrongdoing can cost a coach his job, as Forde pointed out with the Pitino example (Pitino was fired by Louisville in October). But we’ve yet to receive concrete proof specifically condemning Miller. The alleged tape of Miller discussing a payment to Ayton hasn’t been released. Meanwhile, his former assistant (who’s since been fired), Emanuel “Book” Richardson, is facing federal bribery and fraud charges.

Using their own sources, 247Sports’ Evan Daniels, Brian Snow and Josh Gershon attempted to piece together the details of the ESPN report, according to a timeline provided to them by sources with knowledge of U.S. Attorney’s office actions, and came to the conclusion that things didn’t match up.

 

The discrepancy in 247Sports’ report was this: Per their sources, ASM sports runner Christian Dawkins’ phone was tapped on June 19, 2017, and Sept. 25, 2017. Ayton signed with Arizona on Nov. 10, 2016, well before the reported wiretaps took place.

Perhaps Forde said it best about where we are with Miller’s role in this seemingly massive issue in college basketball.

“Was he involved or not? I don’t know,” Forde said during an appearance on ESPN 680-AM, via KNXV-TV’s Shane Dale. “We’re going to find out. But from an NCAA standpoint, as Rick Pitino can tell you, it doesn’t matter. If your assistants are involved, you by de facto responsibility are involved.”

Yahoo is disputing the story as well. It seems ballsy for Miller to dispute the story IF he knew there was a tape, knowing its release would be the end. He must know that that he didn't do it, or there's no tape. I think ESPN rushed to judgment on the smoke part.

 

[GwillMac6 20,671]

 

[GwillMac6 20,671]

 

[AU64 10,122]

IF ESPN  can't produce the tape it's possible Miller may own a substantial part of that network with the help of a good lawyer. 

[Mikey 16,587]

Same ol' lies from the same ol' sources. No Auburn fan who lived through the Cam Newton fiasco should be the least bit surprised.

[AU64 10,122]

18 minutes ago, Mikey said:

Same ol' lies from the same ol' sources. No Auburn fan who lived through the Cam Newton fiasco should be the least bit surprised.

Who was Bear Bryant's lawyer when he sued some newspaper or magazine over the story about how he threw a football game to Georgia?   

[Mikey 16,587]

3 hours ago, AU64 said:

Who was Bear Bryant's lawyer when he sued some newspaper or magazine over the story about how he threw a football game to Georgia?   

He sued and won against Sports Illustrated. The article was "The story of a college football fix". Some telephone person claimed they heard Bryant and the Georgia coach, I think it was Wally Butts at the time, on the phone and Butts was giving Bryant their signals and play calls. The telephone person called a writer he/she knew. A few days later UAT beat UGA something like 30-0 and the Georgia players were saying it seemed like the UAT players knew their signals. SI ran with the story. Nobody much believed it, UAT was a heavy favorite anyway. I think Bryant won $500,000 in the lawsuit. If memory serves, Wally Butts got a significant amount as well.

I remember reading the story right after it came out and thinking "This doesn't make any sense".

[AU64 10,122]

10 minutes ago, Mikey said:

He sued and won against Sports Illustrated. The article was "The story of a college football fix". Some telephone person claimed they heard Bryant and the Georgia coach, I think it was Wally Butts at the time, on the phone and Butts was giving Bryant their signals and play calls. The telephone person called a writer he/she knew. A few days later UAT beat UGA something like 30-0 and the Georgia players were saying it seemed like the UAT players knew their signals. SI ran with the story. Nobody much believed it, UAT was a heavy favorite anyway. I think Bryant won $500,000 in the lawsuit. If memory serves, Wally Butts got a significant amount as well.

I remember reading the story right after it came out and thinking "This doesn't make any sense".

Thanks...that is about what I recall.....so maybe there is hope for Miller too.....?   meanwhile he was back at courtside tonight 

[80Tiger 899]

12 hours ago, Mikey said:

He sued and won against Sports Illustrated. The article was "The story of a college football fix". Some telephone person claimed they heard Bryant and the Georgia coach, I think it was Wally Butts at the time, on the phone and Butts was giving Bryant their signals and play calls. The telephone person called a writer he/she knew. A few days later UAT beat UGA something like 30-0 and the Georgia players were saying it seemed like the UAT players knew their signals. SI ran with the story. Nobody much believed it, UAT was a heavy favorite anyway. I think Bryant won $500,000 in the lawsuit. If memory serves, Wally Butts got a significant amount as well.

I remember reading the story right after it came out and thinking "This doesn't make any sense".

I believe it was actually the Saturday Evening Post who ran the article.

[AU64 10,122]

1 hour ago, 80Tiger said:

I believe it was actually the Saturday Evening Post who ran the article.

right.....here is a link to a summary of the issues....http://blog.al.com/bn/2008/03/story_ruins_magazine_not_bryan.html  

Basically helped put SEP out of business.....

[Mikey 16,587]

3 hours ago, 80Tiger said:

I believe it was actually the Saturday Evening Post who ran the article.

Correct. It appears that the years have clouded my memory.

[AU64 10,122]

On ‎3‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 6:48 PM, Mikey said:

 (Same ol' lies from the same ol' sources. No Auburn fan who lived through the Cam Newton fiasco should be the least bit surprised.

Was listening to some basketball talk this morning on Sirius and the Arizona thing was the main topic.  Guys on there basically called Miller a liar and said essentially that if Schlabaugh printed it you can take it to the bank....spent a couple minutes saying that MS was the best around, always had his facts, etc. etc. 

And I thinking....were these guys around in 2010...Bilas, Schulman and a couple others?  .....then it dawned on me (getting slow in my older age)...all of these guys are ESPN and they NEVER gave up trying to nail Cam....and to this day I expect they would swear on their mother's grave that Thamel and Schalbaugh had it right about Cam.

Thus, no matter if facts never come out to convict Miller, they (ESPN's talking heads) will swear that Schalbaugh got it right...or at worst, that he made an honest error no matter how much pain it has caused the coach.    They even defended the fact that MS's only comment on Arizona since it was published last week was to give (read)  what sounded (to me) like a prepared statement his lawyer wrote..."stick by the facts of  my story".     

I understand that MS has apparently turned down several opportunities to be on one or more of those talk shows to expound on what he has.     Guess that's to protect him from libel since he might not want to be on record repeating something that turns out to be erroneous.   

[Tiger 8,823]

Anytime the media is questioned or somebody says something negative about the media all the analysts and pundits circle the wagons and try to protect their fellow journalist. It's a joke really as they don't care about accuracy at all