quietfan 233 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Back to the book issue: http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/birmingh....xml&coll=2 5 players suspended as UA investigates textbook violationSunday, October 21, 2007 IAN R. RAPOPORT News staff writer TUSCALOOSA - The University of Alabama announced Saturday it has launched a sweeping investigation into a "violation of institutional policy involving impermissible receipt of textbooks" that left five players suspended for the Crimson Tide's 41-17 win over Tennessee. Starting guards Antoine Caldwell and Marlon Davis, backup running back Glen Coffee, reserve cornerback Marquis Johnson and special teamer Chris Rogers did not play. Their future status has not been announced. The school discovered the infraction Thursday night and began an inquiry that continues, according to a written statement. The team was informed Friday night. The "fact-finding phase" will including looking into all athletes in all sports, not just football players. Alabama coach Nick Saban said he doesn't "know what the extent of this will be in the future, and the consequences relative to it." Asked if the players will continue to practice, he said: "I have no idea. I don't think anybody knows." While Saban said he supports his players, he was clear that "they obviously made a mistake. "There were some players who didn't use good judgment in what they did ... and we can't tolerate poor judgment," Saban said. "You need to do what's right, and when you don't do what's right, most of the time there are serious consequences. There's nobody that feels worse about it than them. Hopefully, there's some lesson in this." Still, he criticized the system, too, saying it "shouldn't allow this to happen. It obviously didn't work." This is not the first time textbooks have made news in the past week. Ball State was penalized by the NCAA for major violations, including athletes who used $27,000 in scholarship money to provide non-athletes with books at the university bookstore. Athletes receive an allotment of money to spend for books, and those who did not use up their stipend bought books for friends not on aid. The nature of the Alabama violation appears similar to Ball State's, although it also may include other violations. Alabama officials would not discuss details. "These suspensions are a measure aimed at dealing with the facts as we know them at this time," Athletics Director Mal Moore said in the statement. Obviously we don't know if the UAT offenses are identical to Ball State's, but Ball State at least demonstrates that the NCAA takes this seriously and could come down with major violation sanctions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaGrad03 0 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Obviously we don't know if the UAT offenses are identical to Ball State's, but Ball State at least demonstrates that the NCAA takes this seriously and could come down with major violation sanctions. I don't think it will lead to anything like sanctions. Ball St had a ton of transgressions that led to their punishment. What does concern me, is that those 5 players could very well be suspended for the remainder of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaFanOnBeach 4 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 NCAA rules state that if the amount was less than $100 then the players can repay it back and that is the end of it. If it is greater than $100 the players are suspended for a percentage of the season up to a full season depending on the amount of money. The players must also request to regain eligibility in writing which could delay the process of regaining eligibility.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarolinaTiger 0 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 NCAA rules state that if the amount was less than $100 then the players can repay it back and that is the end of it. If it is greater than $100 the players are suspended for a percentage of the season up to a full season depending on the amount of money. The players must also request to regain eligibility in writing which could delay the process of regaining eligibility.... $100 is about 80% of 1 textbook these days, unfortunately. let's hope they got caught on the first attempt to do this and the $$s are not grotesquely large. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaGrad03 0 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Yeah CT I was thinking the same thing. Textbooks are super expensive. If any of them bought book(s) plural...it will exceed that 100 bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WDE1313 0 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Yeah CT I was thinking the same thing. Textbooks are super expensive. If any of them bought book(s) plural...it will exceed that 100 bucks. My USED Statistical Methods book was 125.00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUartlady 19 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 I agree. It makes no sense. They get books for free. There has to be somethig else. They had to make money to help pay Saban's contract somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runswithscissors 33 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 I agree. It makes no sense. They get books for free. There has to be somethig else. They had to make money to help pay Saban's contract somehow. yeah, because the university OBVIOUSLY can't afford it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prowler 1 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 The nature of the Alabama violation appears similar to Ball State's, although it also may include other violations. Alabama officials would not discuss details. "These suspensions are a measure aimed at dealing with the facts as we know them at this time," Athletics Director Mal Moore said in the statement. Obviously we don't know if the UAT offenses are identical to Ball State's, but Ball State at least demonstrates that the NCAA takes this seriously and could come down with major violation sanctions. Other Violations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GalensGhost 0 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Mal Moore, Saban and the entire Alabama "brain trust" must think they're Criss Angel. How many times can they come up with "nothing up our sleeve" and truly expect people to believe it? Impermissible contacts? Nothing to see here. Kitchens and cars? Don't look there, nothing to see. Illegal plane rides? Watch us make a plane disappear from the sky. Grades changed after pressure from boosters? Hey look! Rush Propst is an adulterer! And now.... Book filching? No, nothing to see here either. We're building a bigger stadium! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrnfanatc 6 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Obviously we don't know if the UAT offenses are identical to Ball State's, but Ball State at least demonstrates that the NCAA takes this seriously and could come down with major violation sanctions. I don't think it will lead to anything like sanctions. Ball St had a ton of transgressions that led to their punishment. What does concern me, is that those 5 players could very well be suspended for the remainder of the season. Good thing Alabama doesn't have anything like previous transgressions with the NCAA to sour their relationship or anything. Oh wait... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AU alum 2 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Wow, who would've thunk it! Headbutt a cop - no punishment. Start a drunken ruckus on the strip and threaten passersby - no punishment. Get caught speeding down the interstate with some jailbait, a handgun with questionable registeration, and pot in the seat next to you - no punishment. Steal a textbook - get hammered. Unbelievable. There were only suspensions because someone other than Nick Saban suspended them. Would they have been suspended if it were up to him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarTim 3,456 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Any NEW news on bookgate? Surely the idiot from the tuscaloser news has given it the proper spin by now............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuburnChopper1 0 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Oh man... On the road, and am JUST NOW seeing all this for the first time. Updates BG????? Give us the scoop man? What now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaGrad03 0 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Essentially nothing new at this point. It looks like these players were buying (with vouchers) books that they didn't need and hooking their friends up with the books. The University caught it quick, reported it, and is investigating. I think the worst case scenario will be these 5 guys get suspended for the rest of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
townhallsavoy 2 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I think the worst case scenario will be these 5 guys get suspended for the rest of the season. Saban will handle it internally. And that's ok, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuburnChopper1 0 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Saban commented yet, or is this being handled by the "peer council"? Man.... Is Saban going to have to put the Tide players on "restriction" like high school kids??? Just sayin man...not trying to flame, but geez... It's been a long year already for the Tide and newspaper clippings.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GalensGhost 0 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Saban commented yet, or is this being handled by the "peer council"? Man.... Is Saban going to have to put the Tide players on "restriction" like high school kids??? Just sayin man...not trying to flame, but geez... It's been a long year already for the Tide and newspaper clippings.... Wow. I just saw a clip of his press conference. What an ASS. Slamming around screaming "It's not a problem, OKAY? You understand? We're gonna coach the ones who are here. It's not a problem, just like it wasn't a problem out there today (referring to the UT game). Understand? We could have gone belly up and like all of you wish we would (referring to the reporters) but we didn't. Because it's NOT A PROBLEM. You're going to try to make it a problem, but it 's not one for me." Wow. That guy is waaaaaaay closer to the edge than I am. I bet he's got shovels in his trunk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaGrad03 0 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Saban commented yet, or is this being handled by the "peer council"? Man.... Is Saban going to have to put the Tide players on "restriction" like high school kids??? Just sayin man...not trying to flame, but geez... It's been a long year already for the Tide and newspaper clippings.... This is more departmental and institutional level. Not Saban level. I doubt he will have much of a say on how much these guys can play. They have to request to have their eligibility reinstated in writing...to the NCAA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
townhallsavoy 2 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Saban commented yet, or is this being handled by the "peer council"? Man.... Is Saban going to have to put the Tide players on "restriction" like high school kids??? Just sayin man...not trying to flame, but geez... It's been a long year already for the Tide and newspaper clippings.... This is more departmental and institutional level. Not Saban level. I doubt he will have much of a say on how much these guys can play. They have to request to have their eligibility reinstated in writing...to the NCAA. Yeah Lester had a similar problem - getting reinstated in writing by the NCAA - and we've only had him for three games this season. Good luck having them back by the start of next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwagoner 214 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Back to the book issue: http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/birmingh....xml&coll=2 5 players suspended as UA investigates textbook violationSunday, October 21, 2007 IAN R. RAPOPORT News staff writer TUSCALOOSA - The University of Alabama announced Saturday it has launched a sweeping investigation into a "violation of institutional policy involving impermissible receipt of textbooks" that left five players suspended for the Crimson Tide's 41-17 win over Tennessee. Starting guards Antoine Caldwell and Marlon Davis, backup running back Glen Coffee, reserve cornerback Marquis Johnson and special teamer Chris Rogers did not play. Their future status has not been announced. The school discovered the infraction Thursday night and began an inquiry that continues, according to a written statement. The team was informed Friday night. The "fact-finding phase" will including looking into all athletes in all sports, not just football players. Alabama coach Nick Saban said he doesn't "know what the extent of this will be in the future, and the consequences relative to it." Asked if the players will continue to practice, he said: "I have no idea. I don't think anybody knows." While Saban said he supports his players, he was clear that "they obviously made a mistake. "There were some players who didn't use good judgment in what they did ... and we can't tolerate poor judgment," Saban said. "You need to do what's right, and when you don't do what's right, most of the time there are serious consequences. There's nobody that feels worse about it than them. Hopefully, there's some lesson in this." Still, he criticized the system, too, saying it "shouldn't allow this to happen. It obviously didn't work." This is not the first time textbooks have made news in the past week. Ball State was penalized by the NCAA for major violations, including athletes who used $27,000 in scholarship money to provide non-athletes with books at the university bookstore. Athletes receive an allotment of money to spend for books, and those who did not use up their stipend bought books for friends not on aid. The nature of the Alabama violation appears similar to Ball State's, although it also may include other violations. Alabama officials would not discuss details. "These suspensions are a measure aimed at dealing with the facts as we know them at this time," Athletics Director Mal Moore said in the statement. Obviously we don't know if the UAT offenses are identical to Ball State's, but Ball State at least demonstrates that the NCAA takes this seriously and could come down with major violation sanctions. From the explanations I heard today this could be either a minor infraction, like Saban's illegal contact, or major. The deciding factor will be whether this is an isolated event or not. In Ball State's case, they found it to be pretty deep yielding the probation. If during the "fact finding stage" other cases pop up, this could be ugly for the Tide. If it is only these five, they should rule it a minor infraction and take no serious action. I am concerned that several minors may be a major in a year or so......... recruiting woes, this (if not bigger), and if anything turns up at Hoover. The water is muddy from several angles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumbo 0 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 2 year probation on the horizon for the Bammers? that would break my heart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietfan 233 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 OH MY GOD--NOW IT'S "THE SYSTEM'S" FAULT ! http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/birmingh...&thispage=2 Saban: System of textbook distribution failed playersTuesday, October 23, 2007 IAN R. RAPOPORT News staff writer TUSCALOOSA - While he is clear that five University of Alabama football players used "poor judgment," coach Nick Saban said the system of textbook distribution for athletes failed the players, too "No one at the university wants me to say it," Saban told the crowd in a speech to the Monday Morning Quarterback Club in Birmingham, "but it's true." As part of a thorough review of how athletes receive textbooks, the school released a statement Monday that said its overall goal will be to "strengthen those procedures so as to eliminate future problems of this nature." The internal review, which began Friday, turned up a violation of institutional policy involving impermissible receipt of textbooks and led to the suspension of five football players - starting guards Antoine Caldwell and Marlon Davis, backup running back Glen Coffee, reserve cornerback Marquis Johnson and special teamer Chris Rogers - for the Crimson Tide's 41-17 win over Tennessee Saturday. The length of the suspensions has not been determined, the release said. The players will, however, be allowed to practice with the team, which has a bye this week and hosts LSU on Nov. 3. There have been no other suspensions announced of athletes from other sports, or when the review will be completed. "We had some guys use poor judgment in how they did it," Saban said. "Now, the NCAA might see it as an extra benefit. When we saw it, we reported it. But the system failed the players, too. If we call a bad play and it doesn't work, we're responsible." The release does not say how the improprieties were discovered. Questions to officials at the bookstore that distributed the textbooks were deflected to the university's media relations staff. The loss of Caldwell, a junior who had made 32 consecutive starts, was the most significant. Davis is also a starter and Coffee is the second-leading rusher. None of the five players has been made available for comment. Coffee's mother said her son, "didn't do anything malicious or intentional, nothing to try to do anything wrong. Just a 20-year-old using bad judgment." The ongoing internal review is a "cooperative effort" by the UA athletics compliance office, run by Chris King, and the UA Office of Financial Affairs, which is run by vice president Lynda Gilbert. They will coordinate their findings with the Center of Athletic Student Services led by Jon Dever and the University Supply Store, whose director is Teresa Shreve. If the players used scholarship funds to obtain textbooks for anyone other than themselves, they will have violated an NCAA bylaw that states they can only use such funds for classes in which they are enrolled. Should the "extra benefits" total less than $100, they can regain their eligibility by repaying the amount to a charity. If it is more than $100, the punishment becomes more complicated. The UA release does not mention whether athletes may have sold books they obtained by using scholarship funds. The school listed its review goals: Offer a thorough examination into textbook distribution for UA athletes on scholarship. Resolve any "discrepancies" between textbooks distributed and textbooks needed for scholarship athletes. Provide a "clear and complete" look into exactly how athletes receive textbooks. Learn if the current system failed and work to eliminate such issues in the future. Also, a group from the NCAA's Committee on Athletics Certification was on campus last week to "verify UA's athletics certification self-study." The release said this process, performed every 10 years, is not related to the textbook situation. What, did the system force unauthorized textbooks into their hands? Fine, Nick, then go tell the NCAA that uat has a system in place that forces players to accept extra benefits.Any kid that is intelligent to get accepted to university is intelligent enough to understand one simple rule: "Your scholarship entitles you ONLY to the actual books you need for your specific classes, nothing more." I'm not so sure Saban is that intelligent, however. Nick Saban.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaGrad03 0 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Nick also put equal responsibility on the players for poor judgement. I know you read that part. And yes, the system is partly at fault, because it shouldn't be an option for them to do this. When I was down there, my football friends didn't have money on their student ID to buy their books. They had a designated person in the bookstore who would get their books for them. It was a different line and everything. They didn't "buy" the books. They received the books based on their schedule of classes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SupperClub 0 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Here's an excerpt from the B'ham News article this morning: BY THE BOOK Here is the process by which scholarship athletes obtain textbooks. - Athlete's name and school ID are sent to the bookstore - Athlete's schedule is obtained through the registration system - A store worker bags the textbooks for the athlete to pick up - Athlete picks up the books - A store employee reviews the contents with the athlete - Athlete signs a form confirming receipt of the books - Should an athlete need more books (for a class change, etc.), the process is repeated Source: UA media relations department Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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