Keller-NCAA trial

[quietfan 233]

Here's something that worries me, but I suspect it's inevitable:

If the jury rules in favor of Ray Keller, Bammers are going to seize on that as proof that all their conspiracy claims are true and that Bama was innocent of everything, even though that is not the question in this trial. The only question in this trial is whether Keller was slandered by the NCAA's description of him.

As Ray Melick points out:

http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/rm....xml&coll=2

...

One side argued that the jury could send a message to the NCAA by punishing that organization for the way it found Keller, a now-disassociated Alabama booster from Stevenson, guilty of being a "rogue booster," a "parasite" and a "pariah."

The other side argued that the jury could send a message to all fans of college football that they are expected to obey the rules and keep the game "clean" - or as clean as any game in which millions and millions of dollars are at stake every weekend can be.

Somehow, I doubt it will do either.

...

Through three trials that have come out of the NCAA's findings against Alabama in 2002, this much has become increasingly clear: No one seems interested in disputing what the NCAA accused Alabama boosters Logan Young, Keller and Wendell Smith of doing.

At the Young trial, it was pretty much a given that the late Memphis millionaire shelled out an enormous amount of money for Albert Means; his attorneys argued that doing so did not violate federal law.

In this trial, no one seems to deny most of what Keller was accused of doing; the disagreement seems mostly over either his motive, or that his actions really didn't amount to enough to be called names.

Keller's "violations" - helping arrange for former prospect Kenny Smith and his family to move to Stevenson to play for North Jackson High; buying Smith some meals after high school football games; giving out $100 handshakes to former Alabama player Travis Carroll; introducing then-Alabama prospect Eric Locke around during an A-Day game - hardly seem to rise to the level of the infractions attributed to Young and Wendell Smith.

In fact, Keller argues his actions were "humanitarian," helping out college kids. (so he doesn't deny them.) Indeed, those who know Keller don't usually describe him as evil, but just a big fan interested in being as close as possible to his beloved Crimson Tide.

The problem, of course, is that whatever Keller's motives, the actions violated NCAA rules.

Meanwhile, in actual trial news:

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/birmingh....xml&coll=2

SCOTTSBORO - Jurors in the $35.5 million lawsuit against the NCAA brought by a former University of Alabama booster were deadlocked Wednesday night and will resume deliberations this morning.

Jurors informed Judge William Gordon of the situation after approximately an hour of closed-door discussion.