Wow. I hope there is no truth to this.
https://www.aseaofblue.com/2018/10/1...rruption-trial
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Wow. I hope there is no truth to this.
https://www.aseaofblue.com/2018/10/1...rruption-trial
Here is the source.
Bold type is mine.Quote:
In a taped conversation that was not allowed into evidence today, Adidas' Merl Code and Kansas asst Kurtis Townsend discuss the recruitment of Zion Williamson, who wound up at Duke. In arguing for admission, a transcript was read by Code defense atty Mark Moore. (thread)
link https://twitter.com/DanWetzel/status...23887621578752
I mean, even assuming the sleazy sneaker exec Merl Code is telling the truth here on that tape as opposed to putting words in Zion's mouth in order to brag / signal to others that Code is an important guy to whom important recruits make important demands, there's no need to assume that (A) Zion made the same alleged demands to Duke via Nike and that (B) Duke acquiesced to Zion's demands, leading to his commitment.
Pretty cool we got him for free. #blessed
Seems obvious to me. Williamson and K will be asked about it all season. It’s an annoyance at the least. Many sports writers will st least imply that Williamson and Duke are guilty. I can’t say how big a damage to reputation it will be but it will have some effect. K’s recent statement that he knows nothing of cheating in college BB isn’t playing so well already. We all know there’s been some degree of cheating. We just don’t know how widespread it has been. I hope Nike is clean but I’m far from certain of it.
K isn’t a moron. Forget the moral aspect of it, K isn’t going gubeba Guy $$ or benefits in the middle of all of these investigations
This sounds like a similar scenario to the one Oregon was associated with last week. An Adidas agent or exec claims that the school wants to pay money for a player. There’s no proof that the school actually said this, it could just be the agent trying to up the price for the player. And there’s certainly no evidence that money actually changed hands. I hate that Zion’s name has gotten dragged into this, but it’s not really a shock considered we have recruited numerous top players every year. I’ll assume he’s clean until I see proof otherwise (and hold the same attitude towards players from other schools).
I hope this isn't a case of the GM giving his MGR/HC the vote of confidence - then next week all hell breaks loose. I'm getting a little edgy about this entire process. Here's hoping there is nothing to be found.
Putting Duke and Coach K's reputation aside for just a second, if the program gave something improper to Zion in the midst of this entire scandal, it would be (to me) a new level of idiocy the likes of which I would not be able to ever understand.
Now layering back in Duke and Coach K's reputation, it seems next to impossible that Duke did anything significantly improper.
- Chillin
Was Capel out the door when Duke got Zion?
I hope we do all due diligence here quickly and ensure clearance with the NCAA so K doesn’t feel obligated to hold him out of games.
I'd like to emphasize that Capel was not let go at Oklahoma because he had personally broken NCAA rules. Capel's firing was the result of an assistant trying to help a recruit with moving costs to OU. Capel was left in the dark.
But if you want to know the real reason Capel was let go, look no further than the former OU head coach, Kelvin Sampson, who had been investigated for breaking some NCAA recruitment rules. As a result, OU basketball ended up in the NCAA crosshairs for the better part of three years.
Oklahoma fired Capel, because they had committed to a zero-tolerance type policy. Firing Capel was a way of showing the NCAA that they were committed to steer clear of any rules violations. In my opinion, Capel was punished for Kelvin Sampson's legacy.
Capel was mostly let go because after one Elite 8 appearance (with Mr. Griffin) and a large contract extension, Capel had back-to-back losing seasons at OK with no major recruits signed. I think it was more about on-court performance...and in this day and age, ADs are quick to pull the trigger and try somebody new. If he had continued to deliver Elite 8-type level results, no way he would have been fired.
Hope he didn't end up taking any benefits because it would suck for him to be ineligible for the year.
Kentucky fans are gonna hop on the Bus of Criticism, but a couple of cheaters talking about cheating to get the most famous high school recruit of the year doesn’t mean the recruit participated. Much less that one of our coaches—all of whom played for K—would cheat.
This seems especially unlikely given our visibility, the coaches own bright futures, and our endless stream of recruiting successes. If you can get anyone to come with you to the prom, you don’t need to rent a date.
Kentucky was recruiting Zion very heavily too, so they should be careful before slinging mud. But the assumption being made here by many is simply that Kansas was willing to pay him, and he ended up at Duke, so why would he have come to Duke for free? It’s circumstantial but understandable that rival fan bases would be quick to jump to such conclusions.
Honestly, this sounds like BS to me. This guy sounds like a sales guy talking himself up. I may be wrong but I have known guys like that and it's so similar.