Uh oh
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/college-r...grades-report/
Auburn’s football program is facing blockbuster allegations of paying players, racism, and changing grades to keep players eligible after a website story on Wednesday.It was posted on Roopstigo.com by Selena Roberts, a former senior writer at Sports Illustrated and former columnist at the New York Times.
You can read the full version by clicking HERE.
In March 2011, four Auburn football players, including former Booker T. Washington star Antonio Goodwin, were arrested and charged with armed robbery. Former Auburn safety Mike McNeil decided to open up about his version of events, and the history behind, before his trial later this month:
Here are a couple of excerpts that are related to recruiting:
- The NCAA allows less than $50 a day to be spent by student-athlete recruiters on visiting prospects but McNeil recalls coaches giving him $500 to entertain blue-chip player Dre Kirkpatrick, one of the top prep players in the country in 2008. “This is how it goes: Coaches have certain players that they trust. And when I say trust I mean on the field and off the field,” says McNeil. “It’s within the family. It’s within the system. If I’m a star player and I’m a likable person, and a recruit comes in at my position, then, of course, I’m going to take him under my wing. … If a star recruit was in town, you would get a lot more than the NCAA limit.” As (current Kansas City Chiefs defensive Nieko) Thorpe said, “A special recruit was treated like a king.”
- McNeil recalls having a difficult day at practice in 2007 and then-defensive coordinator, Will Muschamp, calling him into his office. “I had no clue what it was about because I’d never directly asked him for anything,” says McNeil. “He slid about $400 over to me. He went into a drawer and gave me money and said, ‘Is this enough? Is this good?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I’m good.’” Muschamp, now the head football coach at the University of Florida, denied the payment through a spokesperson.