Bryant's Involvement in AU's Investigations

[kingfish 73]

I don't believe this has been posted ... read it all the way ... there are some skeltons coming out of the closet.

Bryant was the architect behind several investigations into the Auburn program that led to probation, while his own team was spared . . .

Pickens County (Ala.) Herald

By: Kevin Strickland

http://theherald.pickens.net/sports/side072705.htm

Where there's smoke, there's...smoke

July 27, 2005 -- For the better part of two years, Tommy Gallion has been telling us to wait for the fireworks. He promised spectacular explosions when he finally got his clients -- former Alabama football assistant coaches Ronnie Cottrell and Ivy Williams -- into a courtroom. He vowed to expose information that would drive the NCAA to its knees. He hinted at bombshells that could all but exonerate the University of Alabama of the NCAA charges that led to its most recent probation. The Montgomery attorney once famously promised that he could conclusively prove that “85 percent” of the charges against Alabama were fabricated. Gallion contended that there was a clear conspiracy between Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer, former SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer and the NCAA to “get” Alabama.

With all the flair of a carnival barker, Gallion tried his case first in the court of public opinion. In newspapers and on talk radio, Gallion issued daily updates on a case that seemingly had all the drama and intrigue of an episode of Alias. There were secret witnesses, stolen files, subterfuge, alleged incidents of physical violence and subplots that included everybody from former Auburn football coach Terry Bowden to talk show host Paul Finebaum. Of the 36 interview clips available on Finebaum’s website 20 of them relate to Gallion and the Cottrell case. Gallion’s much publicized efforts to get a deposition from Fulmer led to the Tennessee coach’s decision to skip SEC media days last year in Birmingham.

As Gallion fanned the flames of the conspiracy he alleged, there was plenty of smoke. But when the case finally got its day in court, Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court Judge Steven Wilson blew away all the smoke and what was left wasn’t the raging conflagration Gallion promised. In fact it was barely the flicker of a candle.

In a series of sweeping rulings, Wilson tossed out the vast majority of Gallion’s case, leaving the lawyer with a handful of nothing. Gone were the charges against the NCAA as a whole. Gone were the individual charges against NCAA personnel Tom Yeager and Rich Johanningmeier. Gone was the entire branch of Williams’ case. The massive oak Gallion touted was trimmed to one spindly twig -- a defamation claim by Cottrell against recruiting analyst Tom Culpepper. From mountain to molehill by judicial decree.

Ever the showman, Gallion was unbowed, vowing appeals and at various times comparing himself to mythological Greeks and bloodsucking parasites.

"I could see it coming," Gallion said. "I feel like the mythical Greek character Prometheus, who was chained to a rock and an eagle continued to peck him until he died. It's just something we'll have to appeal. We'll keep fighting and I'll fight as hard as I can.

"I'm like a tick on a Collie dog. You've got to remove the hair and then burn me off. I ain't going anywhere."

Gallion might not be going anywhere, but only the Alabama fans with their heads buried deepest in the sand have any expectation of getting any measure of relief -- tangible or perceptually -- from the various legal wranglings that grew out of the NCAA probation with which the Tide was stung. Dennis Franchione left. Logan Young was found guilty in federal court. And Gallion’s case was tossed out on its ear. When you survey the scorched landscape, there’s not much left.

Most of those without a crimson tint expected these outcomes. For all Gallion’s bluster, most independent analysts saw little merit in the claims his suit attempted to bring. Their analysis was verified by Judge Wilson.

There are still a rabid few who are buying Gallion’s latest veiled allegations of a conspiracy between the judge and the University of Alabama to make his case go away. But even those are only half-heartedly endorsing this charge at a mocking windmill.

While Gallion’s case did flop, it did at least expose Fulmer as the instigator who made the NCAA aware of improprieties in Alabama’s recruiting efforts. Gallion did show that Fulmer may have been overly zealous in his assault. Tide fans have some justification in feelings of rancor toward Fulmer.

A powerful coach who has influence with the NCAA points a finger at an opposing program while his own program escapes scrutiny. It’s a scenario Alabama fans should be familiar with. The rage they feel toward Fulmer was once directed toward their own legend, Bear Bryant.

As long-time sports columnist Bill Lumpkin notes, Bryant was the architect behind several investigations into the Auburn program that led to probation, while his own team was spared.

“In 1980, an NCAA agent, again investigating Auburn, showed up on the Alabama campus with a prepared list of nine players, players who had been reported to the NCAA as being illegally recruited by Auburn,” Lumpkin wrote.

“It was obvious that the only school who could have given that list to the NCAA was Alabama,” the writer followed up in an interview on the Finebaum radio show. “In that 1980 investigation, the NCAA interviewed a player Alabama had signed and who had dropped out of school. His question to the NCAA agent was: why ask about Auburn when he signed with Alabama? The reply: the NCAA wasn't investigating Alabama.”

Lumpkin also pointed out Alabama’s culpability in other investigations into Auburn including one in the late 50s and another in the 60s.

Maybe turnabout is (un)fair play. If Lumpkin’s version of events is true, Bama is now getting a bitter dose of its own medicine.

For all Gallion’s grandstanding, any fleeting hopes for public exoneration, if not reduction of penalties, is now gone. Now that his fire turned into a great big puff of smoke, we can get back to talking about Alabama and football without mention of Young, Cottrell, Gallion, Williams or any of the other shady characters associated with the now three year old probation story. If it’s any consolation, kickoff is just 38 days away.

Note: This column was written two days before the jury in the Cottrell case thumbed its nose at the judge's instructions and took a symbolic shot at the NCAA in awarding a $30 million verdict against Culppepper. The verdict will almost surely be set aside..

[SouthLink02 8]

Did Bear get the NCAA off his back by doing this or was he trying to keep them busy while he cleaned his own program up?

[AUloggerhead 2,253]

Did Bear get the NCAA off his back by doing this or was he trying to keep them busy while he cleaned his own program up?

171714[/snapback]

1st part of your question: YES!

2nd part of your question: provide conclusive evidence that he "cleaned his own program up."

Another great article by Kevin Strickland, btw. I couldn't escape the irony of Gallion referring to himself as a blood-sucking parasite, either.

[WarTim 3,457]

This will set the uat world on it's ears. Comparisons w/ FULMER are certain to follow.

[AFTiger 282]

Alabama fans complain about selective enforcement in addition to Fulmer's attention.

Here is their reasoning:

First: If the the SEC and NCAA had told us that they knew we were cheating then we could have stopped before we got caught.

Second: Coach Fulmer should not have told the SEC and NCAA that we were cheating.

Third: We weren't the only ones cheating and should not be the only ones punished.

The circular logic is numbing.

About the time Bear Bryant came to Alabama, paying extra benefits to recruits was common and Bryant had done it a Kentucky and Texas A&M and their is no reason to beleive that he changed at Alabama. Also at this time, the NCAA had just formed its enforcement division and began investigating 25 programs. In 1956, the NCAA put Auburn and Texas A&M on probation along with several other programs. It has long been felt by old Auburn fans who were connected with the Auburn athletic program that somehow Bear gained the protection of the SEC office and continued to operate under their umbrella. They believed the SEC office with staffed with pro Alabama people who worked with Bear to return Alabama to its Rose Bowl hey days. Bear felt that the state of Alabama could not field two quality programs and he had to keep Auburn at bay while Alabama resumed its annoited role. This was in the days of 150 scholarships plus Bear's use of academic scholorships and baseball scholarships to stock his pond with quality players. This could never be proven of course but was firmly believed. It seemed to many of us that every time that Auburn would begin to gain some prominence or domination over Alabama, that the NCAA would come nosing in and Auburn would be knocked down again.

In those days, alumni were allowed to recruit and were part and parcel to the recruiting process so there is no doubt that the process could and did go awry. Auburn did give the Beube twins money and admitted it. But Auburn tried to explain that Alabama was also offering the twins money but the SEC was not interested. The Fuell affair was totaly bogus and Auburn was railroaded.

Alabama fans are right in one regard. The NCAA is selective in its enforcement. It always has been and Auburn fans have always said so. Only when Alabama is caught up in the NCAA net does it become an issue. The NCAA is corrupt, arrogant and often terribly misguided.

[DKW 86 7,440]

Please read from the Classics Forum

Great read that backs up everything being said here today.

[BamaGrad03 0]

AFTiger, you are misled in your logic.

Bama fans are mad because the SEC told EVERYBODY ELSE that was illegally recruiting means (UT, UGA, Ole Miss, Arkansas) that the NCAA was watching and they let us hang ourselves. Its not Kramers job to keep his favorites out of trouble...its his job to keep all the member instiutions aware of the situation. Who knows..if Kramer didnt give everyone else a heads up...the bid might have been higher from another school...

2nd...we arent mad that Fulmer told the ncaa strictly based on ratting us out...we are mad that he told the NCAA to keep them from hammering UT. And he told them things that were LIES and the NCAA took them as GOLD without investigating them thoroughly. We are mad that EVERY SINGLE TIME since then, when UT has done things that were OBVIOUSLY against the rules...the NCAA has turned a blind eye.

You guys always leave out important stuff.

[BamaJay 0]

AFTiger, you are misled in your logic.

Bama fans are mad because the SEC told EVERYBODY ELSE that was illegally recruiting means (UT, UGA, Ole Miss, Arkansas) that the NCAA was watching and they let us hang ourselves.

171803[/snapback]

Bingo!

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

As I have written here several times, bama's cheating didn't begin with Bryant. He just continued the "tradition.". A few notes:

1. For starters , read the Colliers Magazine article by William Bradford Huie, noted bama alumni and Pulitzer Prize winner about bama cheating in the 1940s.

2. Read all the posts here about the Don Fuell case circa 1957 as DKW86 references above.

3. Note that the author of the article in the original post in this thread is Bill Lumpkin, long time sports reporter for the B'ham Post herald. Not mentioned is that Bill is a bama grad. He is a long time friend of mine. We played ball together in our younger days. Bill told me a lot of this stuff and more years ago.

I call to you attention that it is bama grads writing these articles, not whining Auburn or Tennessee grads. And if you really want to hear stories, get to be friends with a former bama player and get him to talk. One of my best friends is a former team captain under bryant and you wouldn't believe what was going on.

bama fans can spin it all they want but it is just pure simple fact that Bryant did to Auburn exactly the same thing Fulmer did to bama. He just did it a little differently.

BG03 and BamaJay.......it's not that we leave out the important stuff........it's that some of us know the facts. You guys are way to young to know a lot of what has happened.

[AFTiger 282]

Bamagrad

My logic is not wrong.

Bama fans are mad because the SEC told EVERYBODY ELSE that was illegally recruiting means (UT, UGA, Ole Miss, Arkansas) that the NCAA was watching and they let us hang ourselves

You are mad that Kramer didn't tell Alabama what it already knew. Was Alabama illegally recruiting Means or not?

We are mad that EVERY SINGLE TIME since then, when UT has done things that were OBVIOUSLY against the rules...the NCAA has turned a blind eye.

You are going to have a hard time getting Auburn fans worked up on this one. That is exactly what the SEC and the NCAA did with Alabama under Bryant.

Look, you are now discovering what Auburn knew fifty years ago. Times have changed and lawyers can attack. That option was not available in 1958. The NCAA was ruled to be a private organization and the courts had no jurisdiction so Auburn was never given its day in court.

Frankly, I am glad Gallion did was he did. He has exposed the NCAA for what it is. But Bamagrad, it didn't start with the recruiting of Albert Means. Alabama knew it was under the microscope after 1992 and didn't change its ways because Alabama thought the rules didn't apply to them. To be fair, the rules had not applied to Alabama before so you guys didn't understand when the landscape had changed.

All Kramer did was to allow Alabama to throw its own noose over the tree and pull on the rope.

[WarTim 3,457]

AfTiger and PT have told this "story" as best as it can be told. The only question remaining is "will the story be understood or will it be ignored"? Those that will not learn from the past are destined to repeat it.

[Bama My Heart 5]

As I have written here several times, bama's cheating didn't begin with Bryant. He just continued the "tradition.". A few notes:

1. For starters , read the Colliers Magazine article by William Bradford Huie, noted bama alumni and Pulitzer Prize winner about bama cheating in the 1940s.

2. Read all the posts here about the Don Fuell case circa 1957 as DKW86 references above.

3. Note that the author of the article in the original post in this thread is Bill Lumpkin, long time sports reporter for the B'ham Post herald. Not mentioned is that Bill is a bama grad. He is a long time friend of mine. We played ball together in our younger days. Bill told me a lot of this stuff and more years ago.

I call to you attention that it is bama grads writing these articles, not whining Auburn or Tennessee grads. And if you really want to hear stories, get to be friends with a former bama player and get him to talk. One of my best friends is a former team captain under bryant and you wouldn't believe what was going on.

I don't understand, and I just want to ask a question, because of the fact that I am totally confused.  If Auburn was placed on probation  in 1957 why is Bryant being blamed, and he did not come to Bama until 1958?  For what was said that he did in 1980-1981,does that really seem possible since he retired in 1982, and died in 1983.  Would he really have been that interested at that time.  I don't know these things...just asking.

bama fans can spin it all they want but it is just pure simple fact that Bryant did to Auburn exactly the same thing Fulmer did to bama. He just did it a little differently.

BG03 and BamaJay.......it's not that we leave out the important stuff........it's that some of us know the facts. You guys are way to young to know a lot of what has happened.

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[kingfish 73]

AfTiger and PT have told this "story" as best as it can be told. The only question remaining is "will the story be understood or will it be ignored"? Those that will not learn from the past are destined to repeat it.

171816[/snapback]

UA has seen the light at the end of the tunnel ... they are just having are hard realizing that it is attached to a freight train.

WAR EAGLE!!!

[Bama Bo 0]

You are mad that Kramer didn't tell Alabama what it already knew. Was Alabama illegally recruiting Means or not?

171813[/snapback]

No Alabama employee was charged with anything regarding the Albert Means issue. Basically, Logan Young was recruiting Means illegally

[DKW 86 7,440]

My family was involved with illegal payments to Bama players going back to 74-80.

I saw it first hand. The only thing you have to realize is that Bama has been doing it for so long, according to Huie 1929-1941 that they are not stupid about it. They keep the plausible deniability factor there.

Rarely will you ever see a Coach/Administrator named by a NCAA probe, almost never. But When LY is brought up, he was a Bryant associate for years. He was known by Moore for years. He was a huge donor and booster for years!! Friends still say he is at games even now. So what is the difference?

The two books/articles I have linked to this thread will show that the cheating was going on for years. Only difference now? is now the protected one, not !

The rest of us try and do it best as we can staqy competitive. As Donnan said: " Bama was doing 70 in a 55 MPH zone."

Bill Lumpkins, close friend of Bear's and lifetime Bama Fan admits it goes back decades and we have him corroboirating the stories fans have known for years.

[WarTim 3,457]

Funny. I thought I read somewhere that a uat COACH delivered $$$$$$ in a briefcase.

[AFTiger 282]

BamaBo:

No Alabama employee was charged with anything regarding the Albert Means issue. Basically, Logan Young was recruiting Means illegally

Oh? OK. I guess that makes all the difference.

[BamaGrad03 0]

AFTiger...the problem is selective prosecution.

Roy Kramer KNEW other member institutions were ILLEGALLY pursuing Means...and he TOLD them to back off...he didnt tell bama because he WANTED us to hang ourselves. Im not mad that we got in trouble for breaking the rules...My argument is that you cant SELECTIVELY protect some of your institutions and not others.

Did bama/ly KNOW that means recruitment was illegal? Sure...so did UT, UGA, Ole Miss, Arkansas when THEY were doing the same thing. Again, how do we know that the purse wouldnt have been larger from say, UT, had they not been told to back off? We dont...because UA was the ONLY one allowed to hang themselves.

Dont just go out and speak for all bama fans and make it sound like we are just full of sour grapes without basis. We are mad due to selective treatment...

And to say it happened 50 years ago so doesnt make it right.

[TrueBlue72 0]

BamaGrad, you are not going to get any sympathy or agreement on this subject from any true Auburn man. You might as well be trying to defend Charles Manson as just a misunderstood guy as trying to justify what Bama has done in recruiting. Your beloved institution ADMITTED they cheated!!!! We know they've been doing it for decades and were allowed to get away with it. Go cry yourself a river!!!!

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

AFTiger...the problem is selective prosecution.

Roy Kramer KNEW other member institutions were ILLEGALLY pursuing Means...and he TOLD them to back off...he didnt tell bama because he WANTED us to hang ourselves. Im not mad that we got in trouble for breaking the rules...My argument is that you cant SELECTIVELY protect some of your institutions and not others.

Did bama/ly KNOW that means recruitment was illegal? Sure...so did UT, UGA, Ole Miss, Arkansas when THEY were doing the same thing. Again, how do we know that the purse wouldnt have been larger from say, UT, had they not been told to back off? We dont...because UA was the ONLY one allowed to hang themselves.

Dont just go out and speak for all bama fans and make it sound like we are just full of sour grapes without basis. We are mad due to selective treatment...

And to say it happened 50 years ago so doesnt make it right.

171841[/snapback]

Can you not accept that for years bama was the protected one and SEC officials, the NCAA, etc., turned their heads and ignored things. What we are trying to tell you is that was the case with untouchables such as Bear Bryant at bama, Bud Wilkinson (and his successors) at Oklahoma, Notre Dame over the years, Joe Paterno at Penn St., Fulmer at Tenn. and on and on. There is really nothing new in bama's dilema over the past few years except thye are now the whipping boy rather than the protected one. That's why most old timers like me have no sympathy for bama right now. Pure and simple it just fulfills the old adage "what goes around comes around." The only good thing bama fans can enjoy is that Tenn. will get it it one day after Fulmer is gone.

[AURainman 6]

AFTiger...the problem is selective prosecution.

Roy Kramer KNEW other member institutions were ILLEGALLY pursuing Means...and he TOLD them to back off...he didnt tell bama because he WANTED us to hang ourselves. Im not mad that we got in trouble for breaking the rules...My argument is that you cant SELECTIVELY protect some of your institutions and not others.

Did bama/ly KNOW that means recruitment was illegal? Sure...so did UT, UGA, Ole Miss, Arkansas when THEY were doing the same thing. Again, how do we know that the purse wouldnt have been larger from say, UT, had they not been told to back off? We dont...because UA was the ONLY one allowed to hang themselves.

Dont just go out and speak for all bama fans and make it sound like we are just full of sour grapes without basis. We are mad due to selective treatment...

And to say it happened 50 years ago so doesnt make it right.

171841[/snapback]

Take Phat Phil's head and put a Houndstooth hat on him. Now can you imagine why so many Auburn fans HATE Bear Bryant. It's not because we're jealous. We've just always been sick of those deep pockets and years of protection.

Bama got their just desserts. I, for one, am thankful Kramer told 11/12 institutions to back off. Maybe YOU should be thinking, "What would drive a man to do that?"

[AUesquire 1]

I will admit the whole situation with Means, Kramer, Fulmer etc. stinks with hypocracy. While I had no love for Gallion and the whole Cotrell/Williams case, I do hope it shook up the NCAA at least a little. The problem is that outside of this state and Tennessee, I doubt 10 people knew about or even cared what was going on with this case.

The point of this thread; however, is that those Alabama fans that keep rehashing this thing over and over and over, need to take note that this is how many around this league have felt for years. Alabama has been a part of the "Selective enforcement" process numerous times and the tables are now turned. I would think that most rational Bama fans would just say, "I'm glad this mess is over, we're out from under probation and let's play some football". The more you bring up (Or respond to) this issue, the worse it looks for Alabama.

[AFTiger 282]

AFTiger...the problem is selective prosecution.

BamaGrad I AGREE with you.

The NCAA has always practiced selective procecution. It kept selecting Auburn and as long as it was Auburn, you didn't care. Now that it is Alabama that has been selected, Alabama fans think it is the crime of the century.

Now that you have discovered that the NCAA is courrupt, what changes would you like to see?

[BamaGrad03 0]

well, repeating/perpetuating the selective prosecution cycle is bad. just because bama may have benefitted from the past doesnt make it right now. And until the cycle is broken, it WONT change.

Look at the common thread in all of these: the NCAA. teams and names change...the ncaa is still playing favorites.

Id like to see a more open prosecution environment. I would like to see the NCAA have to SHARE information with its member institutions of who is prosecuting them and what they are saying. Currently, the NCAAs investigative staff has the job of disproving the allegations...not proving them. ANd in their process, it is a conflict of interest to actually disprove them. They dont WANT truth, they want whatever inuendo SUPPORTS their beef.

I want them to be forced to be more consistent. I want them to have to be more accountable. I want them to HAVE to follow precident of prior rulings: You cant rule Diane stanford ISNT a booster but rule that the guy who gave kenny smith money is...

Accountability is really all i ask for.

[MrMoJo 0]

Let see....there are 10 Mexicans on the south side of the Rio Grande. They make a raft out of empty Corona bottles and float over to the USA side. When they land, a border patrol Jeep pulls up and puts the floodlight on Hector. The other nine run away and disappear in a Wal-Mart parking lot. The border patrol puts Hector into custody. Hector says, " Senor, everyone else did the same thing I did and didn't get caught. Why should I be punished?"

Verdict?

No hablo inglish Bama?