Should ‘rogue booster’ Charles Barkley be punished?

[aubiefifty 16,803]

al.com

Goodman: Should ‘rogue booster’ Charles Barkley be punished?

Published: Apr. 18, 2024, 7:50 a.m.

6–8 minutes

This is an opinion column.

_____________________

Pat Dye resigned at Auburn as athletics director and then as the football coach after Eric Ramsey said he was paid to play and had the voice recordings to prove it.

Alabama thought the death penalty was coming after booster Logan Young was busted for paying a high school coach to pay player Albert Means. Young was later convicted in federal court for racketeering.

The life of Auburn legend Chuck Person was upended in recent years when he was set up by the FBI for accepting a bribe from an informant posing as financial advisor.

Now comes Charles Barkley, the Auburn legend and national TV personality. In a recent interview, Barkley announced to the world that he tried to pay future Basketball Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitski to enroll at Auburn and play for the Tigers. It raises a simple question. Should Barkley be banned from Auburn athletics for illegally recruiting a player?

I’m not being serious, of course, but based on the long history of NCAA enforcement, a lifetime ban for Barkley would not have been out of the question had his relationship with a young Nowitski come out just a few years ago.

Now? In the era of NIL collectives, Barkley’s bombshell means next to nothing.

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Times have changed for the NCAA. The governing bodies ability to enforce its recruiting rules — in an ironic twist, ruled illegal in federal court — are all but gone. Meanwhile, the perception of what it means to pay a player in college is changing by the day.

What’s wrong with paying players after all? Turns out, nothing. Maybe the NCAA was just gaslighting the American public for years in order to violate antitrust laws that apply to all other businesses.

Sure seems that way now.

Here’s the real truth behind the anecdote Barkley shared during an interview with Pat McAfee. To begin with, Barkley has been telling that story for years and it gets better every time. Barkley and a collection of NBA stars played against a group of internationals in 1998 as part of an exhibition sponsored by Nike. An 18-year-old Nowitski dropped 52 on the NBA players, or so the story goes. Not bad considering Scottie Pippen and Barkley were trying to guard the 7-foot German.

Barkley asked Nowitski after the game about his future. Nowitzki said he was headed to the German army.

Barkley says he felt an urge to intervene. Ain’t no 7-footers in the army, he said, and Auburn’s greatest cheerleader then tried to entice Nowitski to Auburn. Barkley offered to pay, or so he has claimed as far back as 2021. Nowitski entered the NBA Draft the next year.

There was a time when Auburn would have been in big trouble had the NCAA learned of Barkley trying to pay a player. At the very least, the NCAA would have forced Auburn to disassociate itself with arguably its most cherished alum. Ridiculous? Just a few years ago, the NCAA forced LSU to ban former player Odell Beckham, Jr., from the Tigers’ facilities for two years. Beckham, an NFL receiver, was handing out cash to LSU players after the 2019 national championship game.

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Beckham was openly mocking the NCAA’s rules on amateurism, but he was right. Those players needed to be paid. In reality, the NCAA probably needs more former players giving back to their alma maters.

Barkley’s unique ability as a truth teller should make everyone reconsider the past punishments laid down by the NCAA for so-called illegal recruiting. SMU’s death penalty? Garbage. Alabama’s punishment for the Albert Means case? A travesty.

Is the NCAA going to punish Auburn for Barkley’s role as a “rogue booster?” It’s laughable to even think about it in those terms anymore, but 10 years ago being labeled a rogue booster meant instant status as a school pariah.

Here’s what the NCAA said in its report about the Ramsey investigation back in 1994:

“This case is a very unfortunate one. The violations of NCAA rules that were committed at Auburn are indicative of what can occur when, in the minds of members of the university’s athletic department staff and representatives of its athletic interests, the athletic program becomes more important than the university.”

Most blue-chip players were paid under the table back in the day. It happened at every school. The NCAA’s self-righteous charade ended in 2021 when it was forced to allow players to receive money for their name, image and likeness.

These days, Auburn’s NIL collective represents the most important funding-raising arm of the athletics department. The day basketball coach Bruce Pearl and football coach Hugh Freeze lose their abilities to raise money for those collectives is the day they lose their jobs. Hopefully that day never comes and Auburn finds a way to remain competitive in this new era of collegiate athletics.

It’s going to take more devoted boosters like Sir Charles.

Barkley is universally loved for his ability to cut through the nonsense. His positive influence on college sports is worth 10 times more to the NCAA than the NCAA’s president. As for wanting to pay Nowitzki, Barkley was ahead of the times. Now he’s rightly celebrated for the passion he has for collegiate athletics.

SOUND OFF

Got a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what’s on your mind for the weekly mailbag. Let your voice be heard. Ask him anything.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the most controversial sports book ever written, “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”

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Email him and tell him what you think...................

[JerryAU 1,674]

I see where Goodman mentions, "The day basketball coach Bruce Pearl and football coach Hugh Freeze lose their abilities to raise money for those collectives is the day they lose their jobs."  which made me recall Calipari celebrating in the last week his NOT having to raise NIL funds at Arkansas, so that he can now 100% focus on his HC responsibilities. 

Calipari had to get on his soapbox, glad hand Kentucky boosters and pass the offering plate at UK alumni functions to raise NIL $$.  Apparently, the Arkansas Administration knew he despised do that and they assured him they already had $10million in NIL for Hog Basketball and he wouldn't have to raise a dime for their NIL.  

I'm wondering how many head coaches actually like not only selling their program to prospective athletes, but also selling it to boosters, donors, and begging a fan base to pony up $$ to pay the players?  

[zeroforwinger 443]

Is Goodman’s shtick that he’s an absolute moron?

[Randman5000 4,229]

What is this Garbage?? Someone let him publish that?

[CCTAU 3,327]

In 1986, a rogue booster took me to AU to see the coaches. He paid for gas and food. I told no one. I think I'll try to get that guy excommunicated from AU now...

Wait. How many years until the statute of limitations runs out?

I think I flushed a more valid subject earlier today.

[boisnumber1 2,819]

Amazing how Goodman can constantly one up himself on dumbassery. He's cornered the market on it. 

[aubiefifty 16,803]

3 hours ago, zeroforwinger said:

Is Goodman’s shtick that he’s an absolute moron?

i am pretty sure he likes to get auburn folks whining. i think  it is funny because there not anything i can think of to make me dis charles. but when we read articles we laugh and we cry and sometimes it is good to get lily hacked so you do not take any aggression the day throws on ya home. check with me later for tips.........smiles

[TigerOne 1,146]

5 hours ago, JerryAU said:

I see where Goodman mentions, "The day basketball coach Bruce Pearl and football coach Hugh Freeze lose their abilities to raise money for those collectives is the day they lose their jobs."  which made me recall Calipari celebrating in the last week his NOT having to raise NIL funds at Arkansas, so that he can now 100% focus on his HC responsibilities. 

Calipari had to get on his soapbox, glad hand Kentucky boosters and pass the offering plate at UK alumni functions to raise NIL $$.  Apparently, the Arkansas Administration knew he despised do that and they assured him they already had $10million in NIL for Hog Basketball and he wouldn't have to raise a dime for their NIL.  

I'm wondering how many head coaches actually like not only selling their program to prospective athletes, but also selling it to boosters, donors, and begging a fan base to pony up $$ to pay the players?  

It’s a 24/7 job now for universities/coaches etc to shake down their supporters for ransom money 

[Chaotic_zx 1,044]

Nothing stopping Barkley from doing it now. He could absolutely go out and pay players to enroll at Auburn. As a matter of fact, Jerry Jones has stated the he is willing to pay double that of Kentucky for freshmen. I see no reason Barkley couldn't be more involved if he chose to.

 

 

[Chaotic_zx 1,044]

 

 

At the writer of the article.

Edited April 19 by Chaotic_zx

[JerryAU 1,674]

15 hours ago, Chaotic_zx said:

Nothing stopping Barkley from doing it now. He could absolutely go out and pay players to enroll at Auburn. As a matter of fact, Jerry Jones has stated the he is willing to pay double that of Kentucky for freshmen. I see no reason Barkley couldn't be more involved if he chose to.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the Chad Morris experiment at Arkansas at Jerry Jones behest? 

Chad's 2-year stint leading the Hogs to a 4-18 record would've been enough to make me want him disbanded from Arkansas Athletics for life. 🤬

[aubiefifty 16,803]

i love sir charles. did you guys know he was an aspiring bass player? i have a couple of friends that met him in a club in leeds. he was super nice and he asked if he could play on one song. i do not remember how he did but he impressed a lot of folks including bama fans..........

[Tiger 8,827]

he couldn't even spell Nowitzki right lol

[Auburn93 542]

On 4/18/2024 at 3:25 PM, zeroforwinger said:

Is Goodman’s shtick that he’s an absolute moron?

You get paid to write so many articles a week. When you lack talent, you pull from anything you can.