Posted by Chip Patterson

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports joins Gregg Doyel and Will Brinson to talk about the Miami Hurricanes scandal, how long it took him to investigate "the U," whether there are more scandals coming down the pipe, what he thinks of the reaction to his report, Y!'s increased focus on investigative reporting, the process that goes into investigating a huge story like this and much. much more.

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Posted by Chip Patterson

The college football world was rocked on Tuesday with Yahoo! report regarding former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro providing "thousands of impermissible benefits to at least 72 athletes" between 2002 and 2010. While the long-term damage of this report will likely not be settled anytime soon, there are some potential eligibility issues facing the 2011 Hurricanes.

Twelve current Miami players were listed in the report with varying levels of involvement with Shapiro. Among them include quarterback Jacory Harris and three members of the CBSSports.com Preseason All-ACC Team. The school has no comment, and the NCAA is already on campus in Coral Gables, so all we can do is look at the players involved and their alleged associations with NCAA violations.

S Ray-Ray Armstrong, Jr., Sanford, Fla.
Projected 2011 Role: Armstrong finished 2010 as a 2nd Team All-ACC defensive back, and is expected to start at safety along with Vaugh Telamaque. He was named to the CBSSports.com Preseason All-ACC Team and should be a vital piece of the Hurricanes defense.
Allegations: Armstrong, Andre Debose, and Dyron Dye were brought to Shaprio's $6 million mansion on a Friday night for a recruiting pitch that included a tour of the home and a ride in Shapiro's Mercedes. The booster then gave an equipment manager "approximately $2,000 to $3,000 in cash" to show the trio a good time. Booster said he paid for food, drinks, and entertainment for the group on a Sunday, and gave Armstrong one of Sean Taylor's game-worn Miami jerseys.

WR Travis Benjamin, Sr., Belle Glade, Fla.
Projected 2011 Role: As the leading returning receiver, Benjamin is just one of the players looking to step up into Leonard Hankerson's role (1156 yards, 13 TDs) as the go-to Hurricanes receiver. Benjamin pulled in 43 catches for 743 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2010.
Allegations: Shapiro told federal agents on the record that he provided "benefits to an array of Miami players from 2002 to 2010." Benjamin was one of the players named, with Shapiro claiming that the wide receiver visited his home "25 times or more" and received cash "more than one time."

DE/LB Dyron Dye, rSoph., Sanford, Fla.
Projected 2011 Role: Backup defensive end. Saw six games of action as a redshirt freshman in 2010. Al Golden had recently asked Dye to switch to tight end because of depth concerns.
Allegations: Dye was a part of the recruiting pitch with Armstrong and Debose. Shapiro said he came to the house several times, but never received cash or saw the yacht. Only that he received drinks and VIP access at nightclubs with Shapiro.

DT Marcus Forston, Jr., Miami, Fla.
Projected 2011 Role: The anchor of the defensive line. Forston has received praise from teammates and coaches for his effective and speedy recovery after a spring knee injury threatened the start of his 2011 season. When healthy Forston is a force to be reckoned with in the trenches, and was named to the CBSSports.com Preseason All-ACC team.
Allegations: Shapiro alleges Forston and several other Miami players received a dinner at Japanese steakhouse Benihana in 2008, which was followed by drinks, VIP access, and entertainment at The Cheetah strip club.

QB Jacory Harris, Sr., Miami, Fla.
Projected 2011 Role: Where to begin here? Considered a potential Heisman candidate earlier in his career, Harris could have been the face of this rejuvenated Miami team. There was no guarantee he would, in fact he still has to beat out Stephen Morris for the starting quarterback job. Harris' main criticism on the field is his decision making (15 INTs in 2010), and it might end up being his biggest off-field criticism as well.
Allegations: Harris was also named in Shapiro's interviews with federal agents. He alleges Harris came by the house "a number of times" and played in pool tournaments for cash. He also claims Harris benefited from drinks and VIP access at nightclubs on a handful of occasions.

Miami report fallout

Miami booster details widespread illegal benefits  Dodd: Ex-AD new poster boy for hypocrisy Former Miami staffers mum on allegations  Jacobi: What if NCAA allowed booster gifts?  12 current Hurricanes implicated Two Kansas State players named  RapidReports: Latest updates on Miami

WR Aldarius Johnson, Sr., Miami, Fla.
Projected 2011 Role: Johnson's best season at Miami was his freshman year in 2008, pulling in 31 catches for 332 yards and 3 touchdowns. Johnson has been outspoken about using his senior year to recapture that kind of performance. Johnson was limited during spring practice by injury and passed over on the depth chart by LaRon Byrd, but was still hoping to reclaim his spot as a primary member of the Hurricanes receiving corps.
Allegations: Johnson was one of the players involved in the aforementioned evening at Benihana's and The Cheetah strip club, as well as the pool tournaments for cash. Shapiro claims he gifted Johnson money "at least 10 times" ranging from $50 to $300-$400. "I'd say he took a couple grand from me over the course of time," Shapiro told Yahoo! Sports.

CB JoJo Nicolas, Sr., Homestead, Fla.
Projected 2011 Role: After 10 starts and 36 tackles in 2010, Nicolas has changed positions and is expected to be the starting cornerback heading into the season. Miami has several talented youngsters in the secondary, but Nicolas has received praise for adapting to the team's needs in the offseason.
Allegations: Nicolas does not play a big role in Shapiro's allegations, with the booster claiming the defensive back benefited from drinks and VIP access at nightclubs on multiple occasions and was in the booster's mansion "anywhere from 15, 20, 25 times."

DE Adewale Ojomo, rJr., Homestead, Fla.
Projected 2011 Role: Expected to be a reserve defensive lineman this season. Recorded 38 tackles and finished third on the team in sacks (5) in 2010.
Allegations: Shapiro lists Ojomo as another player that benefited from food, drinks, and VIP treatment at clubs as well as a visitor at the booster's home. He also recounted one specific time when Ojomo and a female companion met Shapiro a dinner at Smith & Wollensky, which was provided.

DE/LB Marcus Robinson, Sr., Homestead, Fla.
Projected 2011 Role: Robinson suffered an injury during spring practice, and was also asked to move positions this fall. Robinson was moved from the defensive line (19 tackles, 2.5 sacks in 2010) to linebacker.
Allegations: According to Shapiro, Robinson was also present for the evening at Benihana and The Cheetah strip club. Not considered as close to the booster as others, but Shapiro did say he was in the mansion "once or twice"

LB Sean Spence, Sr., Miami, Fla.
Projected 2011 Role: Spence was 1st Team All-ACC in 2010, and was also named to the CBSSports.com Preseason All-ACC team this week. Head coach Al Golden has frequently complimented the leadership of the seniors, and nearly every time he makes a point to mention Sean's name. Of all the players listed in the report, Spence is arguably one of the most valuable to the 2011 roster.
Allegations: Spence was also listed as a player for the Benihana-to-The Cheetah evening. However, Shapiro listed Spence as "one of the regular guys at my house." He also says the all-conference linebacker took part in bowling outings, where Shaprio "gave him some money."

S Vaughn Telemaque, rJr., Long Beach, Calif.
Projected 2011 Role: Telemaque started 13 games for the Hurricanes in 2010, and is the third leading tackler returning for 2011. Expected to start and play a major role in the Miami defense this season.
Allegations: Shapiro called the one out-of-state product in this group a "laid back" and "chill dude." Telemaque allegedly came by the house and to the clubs "a number of times" and took part in pool games for money.

DE Oliver Vernon, Jr., Miami, Fla.
Projected 2011 Role: The 2010 sack leader among returnees was expected to start on the defensive line. Vernon started 11 games last season, totaling 39 tackles and 6 sacks.
Allegations: In addition to many of the same food, drinks, and entertainment allegations, Shaprio alleges he played a significant role in Vernon's recruitment. The booster claims he hosted Vernon and his parents in his luxury suite for the Miami-FSU game in 2008. Shapiro also made a $1,000 donation to the booster club of Vernon's high school at the solicitation of Vernon's father.

Details of the allegations levied against all current and former Miami student-athletes and staff can be found here, courtesy of Yahoo! Sports

Posted by Tom Fornelli

Yesterday LSU head coach Les Miles talked about how important it is to cooperate with the NCAA in any investigation, saying that it was "fundamental" and "necessary." Miles said that when asked about LSU's recent discussion with the NCAA regarding its relationship with Will Lyles. While that's a situation that likely won't be resolved for some time, LSU may find out shortly how cooperating with the NCAA can be beneficial to a program when it comes to possible penalties.

In 2010 LSU self-reported recruiting violations that took place in 2009 to the NCAA and had a hearing in front of the Committee on Infractions this past April. Now, according to a tweet from Yahoo's Charles Robinson, the NCAA has a conference call this afternoon to discuss the committee's decision in regards to LSU's case.



The violations LSU reported stem from the recruitment of former defensive tackle signee Akiem Hicks and former assistant coach D.J. McCarthy.  LSU found that McCarthy's recruitment of Hicks included improper phone contact, transportation and housing. Hicks never attended LSU and McCarthy was relieved of his duties after the violations were found. LSU also self-imposed recruiting sanctions on the program by docking two scholarships in its 2011 recruiting class along with its 2012 class.

Whether the NCAA will impose any further sanctions against LSU, well, we'll find out soon enough it seems. Though since LSU self-reported the issue, imposed its own sanctions and cooperated with the NCAA, I wouldn't expect any possible further punishment to be too severe.

Posted by Tom Fornelli

If you're an Oregon fan you may want to pour yourself a drink and sit down before you continue reading any further.

In a report released by Yahoo on Friday, Will Lyles -- the "street agent" who has been the subject of an NCAA investigation at Oregon in recent months -- detailed his relationship with Oregon in helping the school land recruits like LaMichael James and Lache Seastrunk amongst others with Yahoo's Charles Robinson and Dan Wetzel. Amongst the things talked about is the $25,000 the school paid Lyles for recruiting reports that eventually turned out to be a few years old, and things don't look good for Oregon if Lyles' side of the story is true.

Embattled scouting service owner Will Lyles told Yahoo! Sports that University of Oregon coach Chip Kelly personally approved a controversial $25,000 fee that sparked an ongoing NCAA investigation and was in constant contact as Lyles provided the Ducks with recruiting assistance that may have violated NCAA rules.

In a wide-ranging, multi-day interview, Lyles said Kelly "scrambled" in late February and asked Lyles to submit retroactive player profiles to justify the $25,000 payment to his company, just days before the transaction was revealed in a March 3 Yahoo! Sports report. Lyles also provided details of his fledgling company – Complete Scouting Services (CSS) – as well as the extent of his relationship with numerous Texas high school stars and his role in Ducks' recruitment of certain prospects.

Lyles insists Oregon did not make a direct request or payment to steer recruits to Eugene. However, he now says Oregon did not pay him for his work as a traditional scout, but for his influence with top recruits and their families and his ability to usher prospects through the signing and eligibility process. That dual role as mentor to prospects and paid contractor to Oregon is believed to be a focus of the NCAA probe.

"I look back at it now and they paid for what they saw as my access and influence with recruits," Lyles said. "The service I provided went beyond what a scouting service should … I made a mistake and I'm big enough of a man to admit I was wrong."

While Chip Kelly declined to comment on the story, Oregon spokesman Dave Williford said that the school's stance "hasn't changed from our original statement" and the the school believes "it did nothing wrong." A statement that is contradicted by Lyles saying that Oregon's assistant director of football operations Josh Gibson played a role in bringing Lache Seastrunk to Eugene.

Lyles said Oregon's assistant director of football operations, Josh Gibson, had direct knowledge – and played an ancillary role – in Lyles helping Temple (Texas) High School star Lache Seastrunk petition to have his grandmother, rather than his mother, sign his national letter of intent with the Ducks in February 2010. Seastrunk's mother, who expressed opposition to her son about attending Oregon, otherwise could have blocked the signing.

"Indirectly I played a pivotal role in [Seastrunk signing with Oregon]," Lyles said.

The report then goes on to detail how Lyles helped a number of players make their way to Oregon, including having LaMichael James transfer to a school in Arkansas during his final semester of high school so that he wouldn't have to take a standardized test that could have affected his eligibility to play college football. Lyles also said that Chip Kelly, who was then Oregon's offensive coordinator, believed the transfer was a "great idea."

All in all, there's a whole lot in the Yahoo report that does not shine a good light on Oregon and it's relationship with Lyles. I recommend heading over there to read the entire thing. That is, unless you're an Oregon fan. If that's the case you should probably just pour yourself another drink. 

As for the school's reaction to the story, athletic director Rob Mullens released a statement on Friday night.

“The University of Oregon athletic department has and will continue to fully cooperate with the NCAA inquiry,” said Mullens. “Our department is committed to helping the NCAA in any way possible and until their work is complete, we are unable to comment further.

“Oregon athletics remains committed to operating a program of integrity.” 

Posted by Tom Fornelli

Gene Chizik is coming off of the longest, most memorable season of his coaching career. The Auburn head coach led the Tigers to a national title, but he also had to spend just about the entire season dealing with the Cam Newton saga. In fact, since the NCAA hasn't officially concluded its investigation into Cam Newton's recruitment at Auburn, there's a good chance he'll have to deal with more questions about him in 2011 even though Newton has moved on to the NFL.

Not that Chizik plans on letting any of it be a distraction, or to let it all drag him and his team down. No, Chizik has no time for those "energy vampires."

“Whatever people want to say or whatever somebody is comfortable talking about in terms of talk radio or other places, we have absolutely no control over that,” Chizik told ESPN.com. “But here’s what we know: We are the national champions, and we were the best football team in the United States last year. There’s nothing I have to do to defend our honor for that. 

“They’re going to say what they’re going to say and discuss what they’re going to discuss, and you have absolutely no control over that. I call those energy vampires. They’re not going to suck my energy out worrying about that. That’s how we work.” 

This is where I wish I had Photoshop so I could produce a Twilight poster with Gene Chizik surrounded by Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans. Since there are werewolves in Twilight, as well, I'd have Dan Wetzel and Charles Robinson in the background in wolf form. I tried to do this in Paint, but frankly, I just don't have the talent to pull it off.

Which is a shame for all of us, really.

As for Chizik, while dealing with the energy vampires for another season may be a problem, I don't think it's going to be as big a problem as trying to replace Cam Newton.