Hoover Council President: Take action now...

[DKW 86 7,429]

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/inde...&thispage=1

Three pages long...

[CircleDrill 178]

This whole thing is pure B.S.

The State of Alabama is being duped by uat. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! We have a pseudo- "investigation" into illegal grade changing for players at uat, and we come out with a report about Rush Propst having affairs and a secret family???? What the heck? Now.....we have Hoover school officials making noise about firing Rush Propst??

HOW DID RUSH PROPST EVEN GET INTO THIS???? Did Rush Propst change the grades?

This is about changing grades for a kid named Chapman to play at uat, people!!! WAKE UP!

I want to see a real investigation by someone under age 95 where Kevin Steele and Hoover officials are put under oath and interviewed about this.

This Hoover report is NOT acceptable. This could be the greatest cover-up and spin by the bammer media in history right before our very eyes.

Rush Propst having a weird sex life and illegal changing of grades for uat players are TWO SEPARATE ISSUES.

[AUChizad 0]

This whole thing is pure B.S.

The State of Alabama is being duped by uat. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! We have a pseudo- "investigation" into illegal grade changing for players at uat, and we come out with a report about Rush Propst having affairs and a secret family???? What the heck? Now.....we have Hoover school officials making noise about firing Rush Propst??

HOW DID RUSH PROPST EVEN GET INTO THIS???? Did Rush Propst change the grades?

This is about changing grades for a kid named Chapman to play at uat, people!!! WAKE UP!

I want to see a real investigation by someone under age 95 where Kevin Steele and Hoover officials are put under oath and interviewed about this.

This Hoover report is NOT acceptable. This could be the greatest cover-up and spin by the bammer media in history right before our very eyes.

Rush Propst having a weird sex life and illegal changing of grades for uat players are TWO SEPARATE ISSUES.

I'm with you. "Innocent human error" my ass. It's unbelievable that this is getting filed in the "Move along, nothing to see here" category.

[BamaGrad03 0]

Yeah, uh, this is sort of like the Ole Miss fans (and AU fans) crying about the refs saturday.

You can make a big deal out of it, but at the end of the day, aint nuthin gonna happen.

[auburnu008 4]

[AUChizad 0]

Yeah, uh, this is sort of like the Ole Miss fans (and AU fans) crying about the refs saturday.

You can make a big deal out of it, but at the end of the day, aint nuthin gonna happen.

You said it. It's exactly like that. Cheatin' (and somehow getting away with it): a bammer tradishun.

[80Tiger 899]

Radio is reporting that one of the "participants" (assisitant principal) mentioned in the report has resigned today. They are also reporting a new conference is scheduled for this afternoon @ Hoover board of educ.

The question that is not being asked is "why" were these people so involved and over zealous in these players grades. From a high school perspective, once you are grade eligible at the start of the football season you are elgilbe for the complete year. So why were they so concerned and involved with these players after their senior season had started and even after their senior season was completed. Why risk their careers on this "over-zealusness" that the report mentions. From a high school football perspective it was doing the high school no benefit to keep them elgible.

[AFTiger 282]

Propst lawyer says he is innocent

Attorney: Propst cleared of grade changing

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

KEVIN SCARBINSKY AND JON SOLOMON

News staff writers

The attorney for football coach Rush Propst said Tuesday that Sam Pointer Jr.'s investigation into Hoover High clears Propst of allegations of grade changing, and he questioned why the report delved into so many areas of Propst's job and personal life.

Russ Campbell, Propst's attorney, said his client disputes that he put pressure on a teacher to change a grade, denies having an affair with Assistant Principal Carol Martin, and doesn't understand why his outside income and a violation of Alabama High School Athletic Association rules are in the report.

"We're pleased that the report exonerates him of the core charge of grade-changing," Campbell said. "That's what this report is about."

The report said former assistant coach Casey Macke, a computer science teacher, felt pressured when Propst suggested changing standout football player Kerry Murphy's failing grade to an incomplete, pending completion of work during the summer. Murphy would fail if he didn't do the summer work, the report states.

"(Propst) made it clear to the teacher, if the student doesn't do the work, he should fail," Campbell said. "They call it pressure. Coach Propst disputes that."

The report states that accusations that Propst and Martin were having an affair were "hardly baseless."

"It is baseless," Campbell said. "It's not true. It didn't happen. That's where they went beyond fact-finding and engaged in conjecture."

Campbell said it is fair to question Propst about alleged indiscretions with school employees, but was "shocked" Pointer's report discussed allegations of a second family. The report said bank records provided by Propst show he supports another family in Pell City.

"He told them (Pointer's lawyers), and they didn't put this in the report, that he doesn't have any secrets from his wife," Campbell said. "How he's performed as a husband is to be judged by his wife and not by the Hoover school board, not by the public and not by Judge Pointer, as much respect as I have for him."

Campbell said mentioning Hoover's use of ineligible junior varsity players in a game is "recasting a minor violation as a major violation." The report said Propst admitted to being responsible for having the ineligible players in uniform, and that he gave multiple explanations for it.

"These issues are a great example of the report telling us nothing that we didn't know before they spent $150,000," Campbell said.

Campbell said the report does not call into question Propst's fitness to continue as coach, and Propst's "hope and expectation" is that he will coach Hoover next season.

Propst has not spoken publicly since the report was released last Saturday. Campbell said it might be best to wait until after the season, noting school board President Donna Frazier's willingness to address Propst's future then.

"They took their time in preparing the report," Campbell said. "We should be given time to react to it." kscarbinsky@bhamnews.com jsolomon@bhamnews.com

Ron Ingram agrees. Ingrams column is not available online. Ingram buys hook, line and sinker. He buys the human error line and says it was not Propst's fault and student 2 was a special ed sutdent and should have been allowed to take the test three times. After all how many times does a student take the SAT or ACT to pass?

Finally, "And the last item concerning Propst's 'second family' should be a concern to the school system only if it hurts the team."

I think the Apocalypse is coming any day now.

[AUChizad 0]

Radio is reporting that one of the "participants" (assisitant principal) mentioned in the report has resigned today. They are also reporting a new conference is scheduled for this afternoon @ Hoover board of educ.

The question that is not being asked is "why" were these people so involved and over zealous in these players grades. From a high school perspective, once you are grade eligible at the start of the football season you are elgilbe for the complete year. So why were they so concerned and involved with these players after their senior season had started and even after their senior season was completed. Why risk their careers on this "over-zealusness" that the report mentions. From a high school football perspective it was doing the high school no benefit to keep them elgible.

Hmmmm...I have no idea...

[CircleDrill 178]

I could not care less abou Rush Propst's weird alter-ego sex life. STOP SPINNING THIS CRAP off topic.

Kevin Steele needs to be put under oath and interviewed. Hoover HS officials need to be put under oath and interviewed. The way this thing has been conducted is NONSENSE.

Where the heck is the NCAA in all of this????

Kevin Steele calls Hoover HS to question a grade for an ineligible player.

Hoover HS changes the grade to make said player eligible using some weird fuzzy math techniques.

Put everyone involved under oath, including the teachers who assigned the grades in the first place, and find out what the heck is going on.

And leave Rush Propst out of it. Just because he does weird things behind closed doors has nothing to do with Kevin Steele cheating.

TWO. SEPARATE. ISSUES.

[quietfan 233]

Kevin Steele needs to be put under oath and interviewed. Hoover HS officials need to be put under oath and interviewed.

Thing is, in what court and for what reason could they be forced to testify under oath? Unlike Memphis, where Logan Young was convicted of breaking federal laws, does grade changing actually violate any state or federal laws? The only way to get the key Hoover parties into court might by a civil suit from someone (not out of the question, of course, if some of the fired/terminated employees decide to do so). Even the NCAA doesn't have subpeano power and lying to the NCAA doesn't constitute legal perjury.

[BamaGrad03 0]

Where the heck is the NCAA in all of this????

Yeah, they've shown that they are all about giving us a free pass.

[Tigermike 3,039]

Where the heck is the NCAA in all of this????

Yeah, they've shown that they are all about giving us a free pass.

It seems in this instance you are correct.

[auburnu008 4]

It is kind of hard for them not to give you a free pass when you pay a lineman $150,000 to come to your school. I guess they were out of line on that one, huh?

[CircleDrill 178]

Look... we start with an investigation about grade changing for uat players, at the request of Kevin Steele. We end up with a report that outlines the weird sex life of Rush Propst in significantly greater detail than it explains anything about the grades where were changed.

Why are the two things (weird sex life and grade changing) being lumped together? It's because one carries significantly more media power to cover up the other one.

[BamaGrad03 0]

Look... we start with an investigation about grade changing for uat players, at the request of Kevin Steele. We end up with a report that outlines the weird sex life of Rush Propst in significantly greater detail than it explains anything about the grades where were changed.

Why are the two things (weird sex life and grade changing) being lumped together? It's because one carries significantly more media power to cover up the other one.

No, because Hoover requested an exhaustive report on what's wrong with the system.

[DKW 86 7,429]

Anybody want to do a headcount on Hoovergate so far?

AD, Principal, Asst Principal Martin, anymore?

Heard a rumor my girl Frazier resigned as well.

[WAR-MATT 2]

Caution ahead.

Link

Also on Wednesday, Hoover High Peer Helping Coordinator Terri Borie said she wants to be exonerated from wrongdoing implied in Pointer's report. Earlier this week she sent a letter to school and city leaders saying the information in the report about her came from a single person's account and wasn't evidence-based.

Borie said she oversaw Hoover's academic support classes for five years and stressed that students were assigned to the class by administrators above her.

"I want my good name and character restored," Borie said. "I've done nothing wrong. I try to help all students."

The report said Assistant Principal Carol Martin and Borie "lost their objectivity and restraint" by becoming so engrossed in football player Kerry Murphy's academic challenges.

"Carol Martin and I aren't the same person and don't have the same jobs or responsibility or authority," Borie said. Asked why she believes the report targets her, Borie responded: "I was the academic support teacher of the student who was the star of the report."

On Wednesday, Craig said the district will review the academic support classes while considering:

Why credit should be granted for the classes.

Whether the classes effectively serve at-risk students.

Who assigns students to the classes and by what criteria.

Why there is a seemingly disproportionate assignment of athletes.

What role, if any, peer assistants should play in these classes.

Asked to be removed:

Borie, who at one time asked to be removed from academic support, said she handled all students appropriately.

"I had been with Kerry (Murphy) for four years and he had a lot of accommodations that had to be met," Borie said. "I followed appropriate protocol in handling that. But I follow up on all of my students."

Borie confirmed her claim in the report that she felt pressured by Martin, but declined to elaborate. Martin has not returned phone messages seeking comment.

Most specific mentions of Borie in the report focus on pressure former English teacher Nikki Townsend reported feeling from Borie regarding Murphy. Townsend believed her contract was not renewed because she would not give Murphy a certain grade.

"I think Nikki realized long ago she was going to be let go and worried about it, and I was going to be an easy target for her," Borie said. Wednesday.

Replied Townsend: "I wasn't concerned for any reason other than that I felt I was being asked to compromise my integrity, and I wouldn't do that."

Craig's preliminary plan includes confining all university communications about an athlete's eligibility to the principal, athletics director or college specialist.

Borie told investigators she received a call on her cell phone from University of Alabama defensive coordinator Kevin Steele inquiring about Josh Chapman being just shy of qualifying for college athletic eligibility. A grade of Chapman's was later changed incorrectly, allowing him to be eligible.

The report considered the change human error, adding it was not suggesting Steele asked for the grade change.

Borie said Wednesday that Steele had her phone number because they exchanged business cards at the school earlier.

"He could not get in touch with the college and career specialist, and he had my number, and after that I washed my hands of it," Borie said.

Borie acknowledged she is an Alabama fan, and her husband, Kevin, said he is an Alabama booster. Borie said she did not help any student because of her passion for Alabama. Kevin Borie said for four years he intentionally avoided meeting Murphy, who signed with Alabama but did not qualify.

E-mail: jsolomon@bhamnews.com estock@bhamnews.com

[WarTiger 3,909]

Yeah, uh, this is sort of like the Ole Miss fans (and AU fans) crying about the refs saturday.

You can make a big deal out of it, but at the end of the day, aint nuthin gonna happen.

And the only reason you weren't complaining about it is because it went it uat's favor. If that call had stood, you'd be all up in arms over it and you know it. Not because the call was right or wrong, but because it went against uat. don't come here and pretend you have never complained about the officiating. You know as well as the rest of us that isn't true.

As far as hoovergate: We are making a big deal out of it, because it IS a big deal. It's called academic fraud, and yes you are probably right, TODAY nothing will happen, but 6 months, 12 months down the road, it very well could happen. This kind of cockiness and arrogance has bitten you in the ass before, so i wouldn't be to quick to assume this is over. It's not over, no matter how badly you want it to go away. Believe me we know why you want it to go away.

[BamaGrad03 0]

As far as hoovergate: We are making a big deal out of it, because it IS a big deal. It's called academic fraud, and yes you are probably right, TODAY nothing will happen, but 6 months, 12 months down the road, it very well could happen. This kind of cockiness and arrogance has bitten you in the ass before, so i wouldn't be to quick to assume this is over. It's not over, no matter how badly you want it to go away. Believe me we know why you want it to go away.

It's only a big deal, to you, because you want Alabama back on probation. But just because you WANT us on probation, doesn't mean you can WILL there to be anything of substance here.

Again, why does no one answer my question? What makes you people more qualified to comment on what's really there...than the people who ACTUALLY did the investigation and subsequent report?

Are you so arrogant that you think you know more than investigators, just because you read about it in the newspaper?

[CircleDrill 178]

Again, why does no one answer my question? What makes you people more qualified to comment on what's really there...than the people who ACTUALLY did the investigation and subsequent report?

Are you so arrogant that you think you know more than investigators, just because you read about it in the newspaper?

I'm not commenting on what is there, except that it is meant as a diversion to cover up the truth.

The whole Rush Propst thing is the spin machine working overtime to take everyone's focus away from where it SHOULD be, and that is uat getting player grades changed so they could be eligible.

The problem is they have done this for YEARS at Hoover, and there has never been a problem. But this one time, they almost got caught, so they bring up this weird sex life story to get everybody talking about whether Propst should be fired. Instead of talking about cheating at uat.

[AURainman 6]

As far as hoovergate: We are making a big deal out of it, because it IS a big deal. It's called academic fraud, and yes you are probably right, TODAY nothing will happen, but 6 months, 12 months down the road, it very well could happen. This kind of cockiness and arrogance has bitten you in the ass before, so i wouldn't be to quick to assume this is over. It's not over, no matter how badly you want it to go away. Believe me we know why you want it to go away.

It's only a big deal, to you, because you want Alabama back on probation. But just because you WANT us on probation, doesn't mean you can WILL there to be anything of substance here.

Again, why does no one answer my question? What makes you people more qualified to comment on what's really there...than the people who ACTUALLY did the investigation and subsequent report?

Are you so arrogant that you think you know more than investigators, just because you read about it in the newspaper?

BG. This is a huge deal. Just because it implicates Bama doesn't mean it isn't true.

The facts:

1. Chapman was ruled ineligible.

2. Coach Steele calls a high school administrator (who happens to be a BIG Bama fan) on her personal time, on her cell phone.

3. Chapman's grade was changed to make him eligible.

The speculation (from anyone's perspective):

1. Something fishy is going on at Hoover.

2. Something fishy is going on at Bama.

The speculation from Aubies:

1. The Hoover "pipeline" to Bama is not coincidental.

2. Bama cheated.

3. Chapman, likely, switched his commitment from Auburn to Bama because of a promise from the Bama boosters to make sure he was eligible.

I could go on. The circumstantial evidence is overwhelming to point out to even a neutral observer that something fishy is happening. Is it contained only to Hoover? Is it coincidence that Steele caught the "mistake" when a staff of at least 20 administrators didn't catch the mistake? Administrators whose JOB is to manage transcripts and determine eligibility, I might add. How many other borderline athletes have found "mistakes" on their respective transcripts at Bama?

The fact that this report doesn't directly implicate the Tide doesn't mean it can't cast a long shadow of circumstantial evidence their way.

Either way, something REALLY stinks.

[WarTiger 3,909]

As far as hoovergate: We are making a big deal out of it, because it IS a big deal. It's called academic fraud, and yes you are probably right, TODAY nothing will happen, but 6 months, 12 months down the road, it very well could happen. This kind of cockiness and arrogance has bitten you in the ass before, so i wouldn't be to quick to assume this is over. It's not over, no matter how badly you want it to go away. Believe me we know why you want it to go away.

It's only a big deal, to you, because you want Alabama back on probation. But just because you WANT us on probation, doesn't mean you can WILL there to be anything of substance here.

Again, why does no one answer my question? What makes you people more qualified to comment on what's really there...than the people who ACTUALLY did the investigation and subsequent report?

Are you so arrogant that you think you know more than investigators, just because you read about it in the newspaper?

Yes, I do want uat on probation again... absolutely. I would actually prefer the university just went up in flames, but that's another topic. speaking for myself here, i want uat on probation because of fans like yourself. Your constant arrogant attitude that uat does nothing wrong and you defend everything to the hilt that happens at uat. EVERYTHING. You act like your some grand ambassador to uat here, and that what you say is going to change our opinions. It isn't. We don't like uat and we want to see them taken down because of all the crap they've perpetrated on us over the years.

And are you so arrogant that you think that uat is above the rules?? yes you are. You are the most arrogant egotistical poster on this board. You always think uat is squeaky clean and can do no wrong.

I'll answer your question. nobody here is claiming to know more on what's there, but we are intelligent people. I know you think you are smarter than anybody else here. Newsflash: you aren't. Any idiot can put the pieces together here. We also know, from what's in the report, that everybody hasn't been talked too yet. We also know they were not able to issue subpoena's and bring people in for questioning. That alone should tell even you that this thing isn't over. Again, we know how badly you want this to go away, and we know why.

[bellefay1 1]

My sources are telling me if the school district fires Propst, all the players are going to cut off their bangs in protest.

[BamaGrad03 0]

Any idiot can put the pieces together here.

Except the people who did the exhaustive report, I guess.

nobody here is claiming to know more on what's there,

Then why not accept the report at face value. Especially considering those who did the report were allowed more information on the case than anyone here.

And are you so arrogant that you think that uat is above the rules??

No. We got in trouble for cheating with a booster 8 years ago. And rightfully so. But I'm taking the report at face value. I'm taking the fact that the NCAA hasn't issued an LOI at face value. You only want to believe reports and the NCAA when they incriminate Alabama.

Again, we know how badly you want this to go away, and we know why

It will go away, because the report found N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

The fact that this report doesn't directly implicate the Tide doesn't mean it can't cast a long shadow of circumstantial evidence their way.

No more than the eyebrows raised Auburns way over their recruits getting grades changed. Why is it that Auburn isn't implicated in that, but Alabama is in theirs? The Hoover situation was investigated, at length, and nothing came up. You guys are now saying basically "well, that report doesn't mean anything, I know more than those people...because I hate Alabama"

This report was supposed to be the smoking gun. For WEEEEEEKS we heard how it was the credible source that was going to bring Bama to it's knees. Now that it doesn't implicate Alabama AT ALL, it's worthless?