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Rod Gilmore, More ESPN Lovin'

Dryden

Sober as Sarkisian
Staff member
Tech Admin
Another article, posted Wednesday on ESPN Insider

By Rod Gilmore
ESPN Insider

Phantom jobs allegedly have existed in college football for decades, long before Maurice Clarett ever arrived on the Ohio State campus. A friend of mine, an Ohio State booster who requested anonymity, told me about a Buckeyes player in the 1950s whose job – supposedly arranged for by coaches – was to turn off the lights in the football stadium.

There were no lights in the football stadium.

According to Clarett, phantom jobs still exist at Ohio State. That, among other things, is what the former Buckeyes running back told ESPN The Magazine. Clarett alleges he and other players received cash from phantom jobs, cash from boosters and the use of free cars. Most of the public focus in Clarett's case has been on these alleged "extra benefits."

However, lost in the headlines about cars and cash is the part about the student-athletes. Clarett, and others, also have alleged a number of academic improprieties, including academic advisers steering players to football-friendly professors, Mickey Mouse classes and testing assistance. According to Clarett, this was all about keeping him and other players eligible to play football.

Clarett's allegations raise questions about the true arrangement between a university and its student-athletes. It is commonly understood that the bargain works like this: The student receives a free education and, in exchange, the university receives a talented athlete who helps the school win football games – and as a result, generate money to pay for non-revenue sports, administrators and million-dollar football coaches.

If Ohio State is not delivering the education, it is not living up to its end of the bargain – and the bargain becomes a sham. And if it is a sham, the cries for student-athletes to be paid become more reasonable. If universities don't take seriously their obligation to educate student-athletes they should simply pay the players.

Maurice Clarett alleges that Ohio State didn't hold up its end of the student-athlete bargain.
Some observers will say, in reality, many players attend Ohio State in order to pursue a career in the NFL, not to receive an education. Naturally, Ohio State coaches, like coaches at many other universities, do sell the NFL when they recruit players.

The fact that college football is the feeder program for professional football is the conundrum that confounds the NCAA's amateurism ideal. It often leads to student-athletes buying into a college coach's sales pitch about the NFL and ignoring the academic compact.

Is Ohio State delivering on its educational promise? That's one of the questions raised by Clarett's allegations, and the university should not be defensive about such an inquiry. In fact, it should welcome the scrutiny. It might be impossible for a university to be perfect on this issue, and Ohio State should listen to the claims of Clarett and other players.

For example, B.J. Barre, a defensive back in 2000, claimed he was steered into a learning disabilities program without his knowledge. According to Barre, this allowed him extra time and assistance on tests. Ohio State Athletic Director Andy Geiger vehemently denies this allegation. Geiger stated that learning disabilities are not determined or handled by the athletic department.

There are other examples. Sammy Maldonado, a former Buckeye running back, told ESPN The Magazine that after spending two years at Ohio State, only one year of credits was allowed when he transferred to Maryland. Maldonado said that while at Ohio State, he was advised to take those very classes that Maryland later disallowed.

Another player alleged an academic adviser steered him to a class on Yiddish Culture where approximately 10 other football players were enrolled. It seems unlikely, at best, that so many football players would have such an interest in Yiddish Culture.

Clarett and Marco Cooper, another former Buckeye, claim they were steered to African-American Studies classes that were populated with other football players. Geiger said "only 19 percent," or approximately 10 students, in the class of 50 were football players. That's still quite a few football players in a single class on a campus with approximately 35,000 undergraduates.

According to players interviewed by The Magazine, there are several notorious Mickey Mouse classes football players can take in order to help them remain eligible. Six officiating courses – baseball, basketball, football, softball, volleyball and wrestling – are available for three credits each.

A class on Coaching Football is available – taught by Jim Tressel, Ohio State's football coach. According to one player, the course teaches a basic version of the Buckeyes' playbook. According to Ohio State, football players do not generally take that course.

Ohio State is rightfully proud of the fact graduation rates have improved under Tressel. There are claims that under former coach John Cooper, only about 15 percent of football players graduated. The NCAA's 2004 report now pegs Ohio State's graduation rate for football at approximately 53 percent. Tressel also has encouraged former players such as linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer, who lasted only a short time in the NFL, to return to Ohio State to pursue his degree.

The increase in graduation rates is commendable. However, Ohio State's commitment to the student-athlete cannot be measured solely by those rates. The quality of those degrees also matters.

If football players are being steered to easy courses, then Ohio State is not living up to its obligation. The Buckeyes would not be alone – there probably are Mickey Mouse courses at most universities, especially those with major football programs.

But this should be an opportunity for Ohio State to solve these problems and steer football players in a different direction – in the right direction.

The headlines will continue to focus on whether Clarett and others received "extra benefits." However, the NCAA (not Ohio State officials) should investigate whether Ohio State football players are getting the basic academic benefits the school has promised.

And that can only be determined by listening to the student-athletes, regardless of whether you like what they have to say.

Rod Gilmore is an ESPN college football analyst and a regular contributor to Insider.
 
That guy's actually a lawyer that played football at Stanford. And he's quoting a friend (who doesn't want his named revealed) repeating a story from a guy who supposedly played 50 years ago. How old is that story, and maybe the guy was joking when he first told it.

You'd think he'd understand the concept of 'hearsay evidence'. But I guess that doesn't matter in the court of public opinion.

And he throws that article together as part of the 'fair and balanced' assault.

Maybe the NCAA will investigate tOSU's jobs in the 1950's now.
I wonder if our 1954 or 1957 titles are in jeopardy?? What a joke.
 
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The part of Ohio State having phatom jobs in the 50's is true. Ohio State was placed on probation for some players being paid for work not being done. Howard 'Hopalong' Cassady was paid to turn on the sprinklers at the Ohio Union. Ohio State paid for that violation. Woody was partially responsible for the players being given cash. What is not said (was told in the WOSU video on Woody) that black players in the 50's were given less money as their stipend vs the white players. Woody believed that was wrong and did not give a damm and ensured that they were treated equally (gave out of his own pocket).

To equate what happened in the 50's to today is plain wrong. I remember when Doug Donley (late 70's) was being paid to run a bulldozer in eastern ohio on rehabing strip mined land. I also remember the stories of OSU football players in the 60's painting Galbreath's fence around his property on the westside. They were being paid around $5 an hour from what I was told. Ohio State players always got good summer jobs but the fact is they had to work. It was not show up and get paid but actually peform services for pay. This was all because of what happened in the 50's.
 
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NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970, 2002
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
1916, 1917, 1920, 1935, 1939, 1942, 1944, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2002
in light of bspn's fantastic research, please remove the following years from your sig:

1949, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1961, 2002

49 and 61 count as years in the 50's. players obviously overlapped those years.
 
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I am Mr. Such & Such. After the scUM victory I will be loaded with vCash. Send the vBoys around to see me.

Seriously, Mr Such & Such is evil incarnate. The fact that ESPN is not going after him reveals this whole story as a sham to paint Tressel black. Mr Such & Such hates Coach Tressel and his integrity. Mr Such & Such hates Coach Tressel because he's cut off his access to the players. Mr Such & Such thinks the OSU football program belongs to him. Mr Such & Such will bring Coach Tressel down if he can. If he is not "outed" now, he will rear his ugly head again.

ESPN--bring us Mr Such & Such
 
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The comment about the player from 50 years ago aside, this is the most fair and balanced article that has come from ESPN on this issue. He never says he believes the allegations. He is just taking the opportunity to point out that academic fraud is even worse than the improper benefits for athletes. I don't disagree with him at all on that point.

He is the first to make the point that the graduation rate for the football team under Tressel has increased from an unbelievable 15% to 53%. Also, I'm sure not many people know that Tressel influenced Katz to go back to school to finish up his degree. I actually appreciate that he took the time to report those things.

The only agenda Gilmore seems to have in this article is to encourage the university to look at how it educates the athletes and see how they can improve, because there is always room for improvement. The same is true at every school in the country.
 
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At least that didn't appear to be as bitter as other espn articles. It appeared to be more of a knock on cfb.

STEERED ?

When I was at school, we picked our own classes. How can tOSU help it if some turds would rather take cake classes than take major-related classes that will truly help them ? Does steered imply that the advisor held a gun to their head and made them sign up for that course ? Thats such b.s.

At least he noted the increase in the grad rate with JT as opposed to JC.
 
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To Paraphrase Rod G:


Lost in all these reports is the fact that Clarett graduated early from high school. This means that when he wants to do so Clarett can study.

The fact that he chose cake courses at tOSU shows only that Clarett was willing to do less while demanding more for himself.
 
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That light story is funny because I work with a Purdue alum from back in the days when Griese played. He told me the exact same thing happened there. He had a friend on PU's football team that got paid to turn the lights on every day. He also drove the team bus that took them to and from their practice fields to locker rooms every day and said he'd never seen so many $100 bills flying around.
 
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