What is going in the athletic deparment

[PonySnob]

First, our best tailback supposedly gets arrested, and now this..........

SMU looking into men's basketball allegation
Copeland says NCAA has been informed of possible violation



08:26 PM CST on Friday, February 17, 2006
By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News


UNIVERSITY PARK – SMU officials said they are investigating an allegation regarding the men's basketball program that could lead to a rules violation.

Athletic director Jim Copeland said the school informed the NCAA about the allegations, which he declined to address.

"We're internally looking into it right now," Copeland said on Friday.

"I hope people know we take everything seriously. I'm not going to talk about any allegations until we know everything."

Several players have been interviewed about the allegations with more scheduled in the coming weeks.

Coach Jimmy Tubbs referred all questions to Copeland.

School officials said there isn't a timetable to complete the investigation, however it comes at a difficult time for the team.

SMU (11-12, 3-7 in Conference USA) has lost five of six games and three straight heading into today's 7 p.m. game against Central Florida at Moody Coliseum.

It's the second time under Tubbs that SMU has looked into the basketball program.

In October 2004, the NCAA ruled that leading scorer Bryan Hopkins wouldn't miss any games after he participated in a nonsanctioned NCAA summer league tournament.

SMU officials reported the secondary rules violation to the NCAA, which said Hopkins didn't intentionally break rules..

[couch 'em]

The Demyron thing is nothing - we wouldn't even know about it if not for an insider posting it. The possible violation sounds like something minor and accidental, like the Bhop thing mentioned in the article.

Or, it could be major violations by Tubbs in the recruitment of Bamba or Arthur, and Copeland is trying to get revenge for being forced out. The latter wouldn't be so bad - at least we'd know SOMEONE at SMU wants to win.

[McClown27]

Or, it could be major violations by Tubbs in the recruitment of Bamba or Arthur, and Copeland is trying to get revenge for being forced out. The latter wouldn't be so bad - at least we'd know SOMEONE at SMU wants to win.

Let's hope it is like the BHop thing. I doubt Copeland would torpedo his own guy.

[Mexmustang]

First, I don't know anything about any investigation. But, we seem to have a number of minor investigations going on all the time. Isn't it time to stop beating ourselves up and also tell the NCAA that until the rules are enforced at Alabama and Ohio St. they are no longer relevant?

[Flatlander]

I agree with my Mexican friend. Also, allegations are just that-allegations. The NCAA investigates and then they get to play God. Of course, the NCAA's hammered SMU before while letting other schools go away relatively unscathed (how 'bout ya, Alabama?) for repeated offenses.

Martin's offense is nothing. Just a kid being a kid, except this kid is really big, fast and plats for the local team.

I will say that you guys need to learn how to cover up and blow these incidents off instead of flashing them everywhere and worrying about them! Come on! If you want to play with the big boys, ya gotta act like the big boys! Remember the whole Cedric Benson breaking and entering to repo his 'alleged;y stolen plasma TV'? Remember how many games he missed? That's right, zero!

[couch 'em]

Remember the whole Cedric Benson breaking and entering to repo his 'alleged;y stolen plasma TV'? Remember how many games he missed? That's right, zero!

Speaking of, did they ever cover where he got the money to buy such a TV? I guess his family just happened to have thousands of dollars laying around for a TV.....

[Flatlander]

Benson, like Ricky Williams, was a baseball player also. He was drafted in the 12th round by the Dodgers, and had the wonderful deal of 'sign with the pros, and have them guarantee your college education'. This way, the kid plays for them (the minor league team) in the summer and in the off season, plays football and trains with the university. It works even more to the school's advantage as the kid doesn't count as a scholarship and has some walking around money.

And to answer the next trivia question, Ricky Williams was drafted by the Phillies, I think. Of course, Ricky might have to lean on that cash now that he's been busted by the NFL's substance abuse policy for the 4th time.....

[Stallion]

well yeah-Cedric Benson signed a significant large signing bonus to play minor league baseball which he did for several years during the summer.

[abezontar]

How does that work exactly, is being paid to play minor league ball not considered being professional? Wasn't there a kid that played for Colorado's football team that accepted an endorsement so that he could ski professionally and they told him he could no longer play any NCAA sport? What's up with this? If my memory is correct and the kid does exist, then how can the NCAA remain a credible enforcement agency with such glaring hypocrisys?

[couch 'em]

I thought an athlete could not have a job at all? Wouldn't minor league ball be a job?

And come on, we all know the TV came from boosters.

[Flatlander]

athletes can have jobs, but they are limited in scope to those jobs.

That being said, the NCAA doesn't hammer the minor league baseball signee quite as much. There are plenty of examples, but the biggest couple will be the previously mentioned football players (as well as Drew Henson by the Yankees when he was at Michigan). Also, the NCAA considers signed professional baseball players as amatuer football players since they have yet to sign with the NFL/CFL/Arena/Etc. This is the reason why there are a many numbers of baseball players that don't make the cut and then move on to return to college football (Chris Rix, Quincy Carter).

As for Jeremy Bloom at Colorado, yes, he tried this same theory, but the NCAA slammed the idea. Not a big suprise for anyone, since the NCAA can find ways to contradict itself on just about any subject.

[The Stampede]

Couch - his signing bonus was well over $100k. He could afford the TV.

[abezontar]

Being unfamilair with the status of the NCAA and the member institutions, do schools have any recourse against inequitable enforcement other than to pray for a rules change? How does the NCAA work, is it regulated by the members?

[EastStang]

Yes its regulated by members. But remember the members consist of college administrators who have high minded ideas of amatuerism and they set the rules. The problem comes down to enforcement. As the NCAA has discovered enforcement of any rule is problematic. Even a rule as simple as not using nicknames that are racially inflammatory has been a nightmare for the NCAA with inconsistent exceptions to the rules. The ND State Sioux are out but the Seminoles are in. Does anyone for a moment believe there are not economics involved even in this small example. Now take the rules about not paying players. When Michigan and Alabama do it, bad boys. When an SMU does it, the book get thrown. Not too much different from how a poor criminal is treated vs. a rich one. The NCAA speaks of lofty ideals, but it acts in the interest of its richest members.

[DiamondM]

Jeremy Bloom was not getting paid by a team, like minor league signees, his money in that sport comes from product endorsements, which is a no no. The fact that he was a walking billboard on the world ski tour is why the NCAA differentiated between that and having a job with a salary, signing bonus, etc. It was a stupid ruling, but there was a bright line differentiation that the NCAA could and did rely on.

Trajan Langdon is another example of a college athlete with a baseball gig on the side. It's like me working at Degolyer Library while in school or being a lifeguard during the summer, just much more lucrative. What is strange is why those baseball teams continue to give big signing bonuses to 2 sport athletes, when, to my knowledge, they always choose the one they played in college.