Reasons for the Memphis Article

Posted by BBA on June 10, 2005 at 08:53:22:

I have put this together from at least 3 sources.

Apparently, Don Yeager was doing a big SI article on cheating in the SEC. He/SI had contracted Gary Parrish and possibly Geoff Caulkins to work with Yeager gathering info.

This SI story was to run NEXT week.

What did Gary Parrish do? He wanted to get his shots in ahead of time. So he ran with the story on the same day of Logan's sentencing, trying to look big.
Yesterday, Parrish was in the courtroom when Jim Neal told the judge he wanted put Gary Parrish on the witness stand and question him about the accuracy of Lynn Lang's statements. Reportedly, PArrish got up and left the courtroom.

Well, he got outside the door of the courtroom and Don Yeager was waiting on him. Yeager lit into him. It seems that Parrish printed most of Yeager's SI story in the Memphis COmmercial Appeal. That story is now on the AP wires. So it ruined Yeager's story for next week.

Don't know exactly what was said, but reportedly, Yeager began shouting at Parrish, so much so that Bailiffs had to come out and remove them from the courthouse.

Here's hoping that Don Yeager takes Gary Parrish down a couple of notches. At a minimum, word will get around in the journalism profession that Parrish is a shark and can't be trusted. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
ScottO, you can let your breath our now.(vbg)

BUT a post by by L.B. Jefferies looked at it different.

BBA's information exposes why they did it. If SI had broken that story it would have had much more national bang to it. Now, the story is running on the AP wires, but the bomb has been defused.

At first I thought that the MCA was just trying to salvage some sort of integrity in journalism. Considering they knew all of this information 3 years ago and didn't report anything.

It is the perfect time to do it. There is much attention because of the Young sentencing. There is not threat of the NCAA opening the book back up against Tennessee, as for the other schools, why should they care?

All they have to say is the NCAA investigated this and didn't find it worthy of any punishment. Pat Washington can come out and be as indignant as he wants to be knowing nothing will happen to him. It must be nice to have the NCAA there back you up when the heat is on.

The stuff about Danny Nutt and Fritz Hill won't even make a ripple. Everyone knew when they were pontificating a few years ago they were the biggest hypocrites on the planet.

The MCA (Parrish and Calkins) knew all along what was going on. They participated in the entrapment, conviction, and sentencing of the U of A. Basically, now they are gloating to a certain extent. They are arrogant enough to think that nothing will come of it anyway. It is all over now, so why not put out the whole truth?

AND a Post by Pond Creek has yet another view.

I have been reluctant to post it is the manner of business that the NCAA is and has been willing to accept and that which won't fly. To wit:Coaches pay the money.
All this goobledegook about boosters is for the most part nonsense. Most staffs in the SEC have young coaches who run the roads and find the birds. Then they have older, experienced members of the staff who have contacts and know everybody. They take over the recruiting when it is time for the deal to go down. They, in many cases know the HS coach. Who in turn puts the deal in front of the parent or parents and the preacher. Boosters don't even know or wouldn't recognize a player if he walked by them for the most part. The coach then goes to his booster or boosters (UGA was trying to "get up the money")at the end of Means recruitiment. Typical.

What pizzed the NCAA at UA was LY's direct involvement to the degree it was. And was the genesis of the wide spread hard on that other schools had for UA.

The coaches felt out of control of the situation and frustrated. The NCAA knows all about the cheating, the methodology and the whys and wherefores. Their inaction toward others is an admission of two things.
(A) They can't control it.
(B) Their wish to contain it.

The truth is this. The NCAA is trying to protect their product. They know all about the payola thing.

Have none of you snapped as to why UA got into trouble and others didn't?

Who was dealing?
About eight coaches and one big time booster.

And who went down. The anger and contempt at UA was directed toward LY and had been for a while. Contempt at UA was directed toward LY. And had been.

What usually happens is this. Five coaches offer $10000. The player then picks the school he would have went too anyway. In 90% of the cases. And in the other 10% other things happen.

LY had gotten too big with his perceived hiring and control of RC. And all the dominoes that were supposedly falling UA's way. Fool's gold most of it was.

Now you know why UA was persecuted.

Along with Spurrier blaming our OL coach for his failure to sign Britt, Smiley and the B'ham center he thought he was entitled too to restock his OL in two recruiting classes.

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My take on the article in the MCA(Memphis Commercial Appeal) BBA talkes about some of the reasons, as does PondCreek, and a few others.

My take on it is that the UT Folks knowing that this was coming out in SI next week decided to get most of it out in the MCA and on the ap news wire. Granted the AP news wire is bad but I think a big "LARRY Eustacey" or "Mike Price" type article in SI would be a lot worse.

I don't know if SI will still run the story or not. I do think that by bringing it out - UT was able to control the SPIN to some extent. This is just the start of what should be a very interesting summer.

I hope all of the UT folks choke on it.
Roll Tide.
Clay