The neverending saga of the CHeaters

[UrinalCake]

I wonder if this will amount to anything. Five years ago, Tydreke Powell called into a local radio show and explained that the entire football team was instructed to intentionally fail a screen for learning disabilities so they could be diagnosed with ADHD and therefore given adderall and also afforded extra time to take tests and given tutors. He went on to explain that the entire AFAM scam was created for basketball players, and that everyone on the football team knew it, as did Roy.

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[arnie]

I wonder if this will amount to anything. Five years ago, Tydreke Powell called into a local radio show and explained that the entire football team was instructed to intentionally fail a screen for learning disabilities so they could be diagnosed with ADHD and therefore given adderall and also afforded extra time to take tests and given tutors. He went on to explain that the entire AFAM scam was created for basketball players, and that everyone on the football team knew it, as did Roy.

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Even if the Athletic concludes Roy was personally involved in developing, implementing and covering up the scam, Swofford and NCAA look the other way.

[Duke79UNLV77]

#typo

[left_hook_lacey]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is prevalent throughout education today. My wife is a teacher at a military leadership School, and they have to constantly deal with over-entitled parents who constantly try to get their kids on a "list" for ADHD, autism, etc., because it gets them extra benefits, and special provisions. It's out of control.

[roywhite]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is prevalent throughout education today. My wife is a teacher at a military leadership School, and they have to constantly deal with over-entitled parents who constantly try to get their kids on a "list" for ADHD, autism, etc., because it gets them extra benefits, and special provisions. It's out of control.

That does sound like a problem. But is it relevant in the context of major college athletics and what UNC is alleged to have done? Does it excuse the Cheats cheating?

[devildeac]

That does sound like a problem. But is it relevant in the context of major college athletics and what UNC is alleged to have done? Does it excuse the Cheats cheating?

C'mon, roy, you know by now that *anything* excuses the cheats cheating .

[devildeac]

This ish will never stick as somewhere on the "u"nc campus, there will be at least one other student who took/takes this drug, therefore proving it's available to the student body, meaning, no case.

9F 'em.

[DU82]

That does sound like a problem. But is it relevant in the context of major college athletics and what UNC is alleged to have done? Does it excuse the Cheats cheating?

It is my understanding that the prescribed drugs are considered performance enhancers and otherwise those taking them would be banned/suspended.

I note from the tweet that the article is in FRONT of the paywall, so they want a big audience.

[JimBD]

Proposed new UNC mascot--the cheetah:

Cheetahs, cheetahs, you know what you did.

Cheetahs, cheetahs, you know what you are.

Cheetahs

[moonpie23]

just stop...they have better lawyers...nothing will happen to them....it's useless...

[bedeviled]

That does sound like a problem. But is it relevant in the context of major college athletics and what UNC is alleged to have done? Does it excuse the Cheats cheating?

It is not related to what UNC did. I rambled on about some of UNC's faulty actions that were evidenced in the data dumps of yore (disregarding DSM-IV diagnostic criteria attested to by UNC, disregarding patient report, using the wrong clinical tools in evaluation, grossly misinterpreting collected data, wrong people doing the clinical decision-making, etc). Their ADHD assessments were fraught with substantial errors. However, I continue to believe that they were mistakes rather than intentional deceit. After all, they had wanted to publish the findings for all to see, in hopes of "helping" athletes across the US. Looks like we'll all get to see more now, I guess.

[left_hook_lacey]

That does sound like a problem. But is it relevant in the context of major college athletics and what UNC is alleged to have done? Does it excuse the Cheats cheating?

No absolutely not it doesn't excuse it, I'm just pointing out that these kids are being raised in a world where it's completely acceptable to pretend like you have a very real condition to "get stuff".

I guess I'm filing it under, "everybody is doing it and it doesn't surprise me". Add it to UNC's VERY long list of similar items.

[BLPOG]

No absolutely not it doesn't excuse it, I'm just pointing out that these kids are being raised in a world where it's completely acceptable to pretend like you have a very real condition to "get stuff".

I guess I'm filing it under, "everybody is doing it and it doesn't surprise me". Add it to UNC's VERY long list of similar items.

The two important distinctions here being that (1) UNC's numbers are so far out of the ordinary that they can only be the result of fraudulent diagnoses, rather than just gaming the system and (2) in UNC's case it could have a major impact on medical research because of the concussion studies and that's a serious problem.

I read through parts of the document dump related to the ADD/ADHD/LD testing a few years back and it was just astounding what they were doing.

[Owen Meany]

This is something I posted years back on this board.

The learning disabilities angle is something that has always bothered me due to something I learned a few years ago from a family friend. I briefly mentioned this in a past post (I believe on TDD) well over a year ago (maybe two) before there was any mention of the abuse of the LD designation, but I am unable to find posts from that far back.

The family is, understandably, a very pro-UNC family - parent is a UNC grad, child a UNC grad (and very good student who, deservedly, received a full ride to UNC). Naturally, they are also fans of the sports teams. The younger child was being recruited by UNC for football, and independently as a student (and, at the time, in consideration for same scholarship as sibling). The parent was supportive of UNC the university, but wanted no part of the football team due to what they knew from their older child. Eventually it was agreed that the child could visit with the football team and see how things went.

The son visited. On the visit, the son was shown around by a football player. The player (not a coach) bragged that if he (the son, an excellent student) came to UNC he would "not have to do anything". He explained the many things you did not have to do (talk about classes, tutors, etc) and added (paraphrasing) - "They will say you have a learning disorder and then you don't even have to take tests. They can't give you timed tests, so you get to take the test home and someone will take the test for you." He went on to explain that the players are given prescriptions that they turn around and sell for extra money.

The LD aspect bothered me a great deal because it involved a doctor (I assumed at that time, perhaps incorrectly) abusing his or her position. Also, at the time I was unaware that an AD/HD drug (adderol specifically) would be something that a non-AD/HD person would want. I looked it up and found that it was, in fact, commonly used on college campuses. So you have meds being prescribed that aren't needed, which are then being sold to to other students.

Again, this involved a player, not a coach, telling this to a recruit. But the player spoke openly and it was clear that this was part of the UNC experience. And the fact that this was being told to an excellent student was ridiculous. So I have no doubt that UNC has, in the past, incorrectly labelled students as having a learning disorder.

Because of this, the LD angle has been on my radar long before it became of public interest. At some point in the past, I noticed that UNC or one of its defenders gave some information and specifically qualified their statement by adding "when you remove LD students" (paraphrasing). I do not remember specifically what the comment was, but I believe it may have been when Willingham's study was being debated. The exclusion of LD students from their comment/statistics didn't raise any public questions at that time. But I believed then, as I do now, that UNC used the LD designation to hide damaging information (ex. the number of players reading below high school level, etc).

Someone either within or outside of the university needs to look closely at the system UNC has in place to identify athletes with LDs. I believe they are absolutely abusing the system in a most cynical way.

[PackMan97]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is prevalent throughout education today. My wife is a teacher at a military leadership School, and they have to constantly deal with over-entitled parents who constantly try to get their kids on a "list" for ADHD, autism, etc., because it gets them extra benefits, and special provisions. It's out of control.

I have a kid that is most likely on the spectrum, and we fight hard not to get him labeled with something. It's out of control how much places want to label him so they'll get extra $$$ and resources.

[-jk]

I have a kid that is most likely on the spectrum, and we fight hard not to get him labeled with something. It's out of control how much places want to label him so they'll get extra $$$ and resources.

Please do be thoughtful about it. He may actually need extra resources, and those get $$$ really fast...

-jk

[left_hook_lacey]

Please do be thoughtful about it. He may actually need extra resources, and those get $$$ really fast...

-jk

I agree, and that's what makes it so maddingly frustrating for my wife. She has come home in tears before because she has so many "EC" students in her class that get extra attention, extra test time etc., that she feels like the ones that really need it aren't getting the attention they need.

The parents are learning which Dr's have a high probability of giving your kid a label and are flocking to them and demanding their kid be labeled with something.

One of our daughter's best friends lives in our neighborhood. They have been in the same grade, played sports together, the whole nine since they were five years old. They are both straight A students, active in the community, and outgoing, sociable kids.

The girls mom has since learned about the extra benefits(especially being a military family) that she can receive for having a child that is considered "EC" whether it is autism, ADD, whatever. That woman has fought tooth and nail and now all 3 of her kids are "EC" labeled.

[DU82]

It’s past 6AM EDT, and nothing on the web page.

[-jk]

It’s past 6AM EDT, and nothing on the web page.

Anyone seen where Manalishi got to?

-jk

[DU82]

Anyone seen where Manalishi got to?

-jk

Update at 8AM. There is an article on their app. (haven’t read it yet.). Headline is about data missing from their “reknown” concussion study.