Category: College Football (Page 98 of 296)

      Jeff Fisher criticizes Lane Kiffin for his lack of professionalism

      July 25, 2010 /

      After Lane Kiffin hired Tennessee running backs coach Kennedy Pola to be his new offensive coordinator at USC, Titans’ head coach Jeff Fisher was a little ticked off that Kiffin didn’t call him first.

      From ESPN.com:

      “I am very disappointed in Lane Kiffin’s approach to this,” Fisher told The Tennessean on Saturday. “Typically speaking, when coaches are interested in hiring or discussing potential employment from coaches on respective staffs there is a courtesy call made from the head coach or athletic director indicating there is an interest in talking to the assistant.

      “So I am very disappointed in the lack of professionalism on behalf of Lane, to call me and leave me a voicemail after Kennedy had informed me he had taken the job. It is just a lack of professionalism.”

      Kiffin claims it was all a matter of timing.

      “We reached out to Kennedy Pola [on Friday] to gauge whether he had any possible interest in returning to USC before we moved forward with the process,” Kiffin said. “Kennedy said he would think about it and get back to us today. Once Kennedy did call back earlier today, out of my great respect for Coach Fisher I immediately reached out to Coach to make him aware of the situation.

      “I have spoken with Coach Fisher and he now has an accurate understanding of the timeline of events.

      “We realize the timing of this isn’t perfect for all parties, but this is a great opportunity and promotion for Kennedy.”

      This wasn’t the first time Kiffin has pissed off a fellow coach and it probably won’t be the last. If it was a matter of timing and therefore, a misunderstanding, then I’m sure Fisher can let the situation go. Then again, Fisher’s main beef was that Kiffin never contacted him when USC was interested in hiring Pola. Kiffin could have picked up the phone as soon as Pola was a serious candidate and this situation could have been avoided.

      Either way, this story is sure to get buried soon. Fisher’s probably more upset that he lost his running backs coach one week before training camp starts than he is about Kiffin’s moral compass. Although I would have loved to hear Fisher drop the line, “Lane Kiffin is a guy that would bend you over and not have the courtesy to give you a reach around.” (I cleaned that line up for the kids viewing at home.)

      College Football, External Sports, NFL

      Is Frank Gore telling the truth about his May 15 party?

      July 23, 2010 /
      GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 13: Running back Frank Gore #21 of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the sidelines during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the Universtity of Phoenix Stadium on September 13, 2009 in Glendale, Arizona. The 49ers defeated the Cardinals 20-16. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

      Frank Gore says he doesn’t know if any of the attendees at his May 15 party at his home in South Florida were college football players. But the NCAA isn’t about to take Gore at his word.

      According to a report by ESPN.com, the NCAA is investigating two separate parties that players had attended in May. One of them was at Club Liv in the Fontainebleau hotel at the end of the month, while the other was held by Gore on May 15.

      If NCAA players were at his party, Gore says he wouldn’t have known. But even if they were, he wants it made public that he paid for the party himself.

      “I don’t even know those guys. There were a lot of people there; it was crazy,” Gore said, according to the Sports Business Journal.

      “I paid for my own party,” Gore said, adding that no agent or financial adviser contributed.

      Call me a cynic, but it seems farfetched that Gore wouldn’t know there were college athletes at his party. I could understand if he didn’t know if I were there, because I’m a nobody (ouch…self-inflicted). But word would have traveled fast if there were college players in attendance and something tells me Gore isn’t telling the whole truth.

      But that doesn’t mean that he or any of the players did anything wrong. As long as nobody paid for the players to attend the party, then everyone is in the clear. If runners or agents paid for the athletes to attend, then NCAA rules were broken and the players could have their eligibility stripped. (Or worse, the NCAA could go USC on another program.)

      Of course, how is the NCAA going to prove whether or not the players paid their own way? If there’s a paper trail of purchases that leads back to a runner or an agent, then the NCAA can nail someone for breaking rules. But other than finding receipts, it’s going to be hard for them to prove that a player was given cash at the party unless the player admits to it. And considering their playing careers are on the line, I highly doubt any of them will admit to any wrongdoing.

      College Football, External Sports, NFL

      2009 Heisman winner Ingram the next player to be probed by NCAA?

      July 22, 2010 /
      PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 07: Running back Mark Ingram #22 of the Alabama Crimson Tide speaks during a press conference after winning the Citi BCS National Championship game over the Texas Longhorns at the Rose Bowl on January 7, 2010 in Pasadena, California. The Crimson Tide defeated the Longhorns 37-21. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

      I’m sorry – I must have missed the memo. When did this become National College Football Players Getting Investigated by the NCAA Week?

      TMZ.com is reporting that Alabama running back and 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram is the latest player to be probed for possible rules violations. According to the report, Ingram attended a party in Washington, D.C. and now the NCAA wants to know if agents paid for anything (his trip there, a new watch, maybe some red plastic cups) at the lavish shindig.

      Alabama says that it checked with the NCAA and they approved the trip as long as Ingram was able to provide receipts for his expenses. But as TMZ notes, it’s unclear at this point whether or not those receipts were submitted. (Although either way, the NCAA obviously still has some unanswered questions that they would like, uh, answered………………stupid.)

      We’ll have to wait and see if this story develops. If Ingram paid for himself to attend the party and has receipts to prove it, then he’s done nothing wrong. But if it’s discovered that an agent hooked him up with so much as a Chewy Granola Bar (even if it was oatmeal raisin, which is the red-headed stepchild in the same variety pack as chocolate chip and peanut butter chocolate chip), then the collective hearts of Tide fans everywhere are going to be in their throats.

      Heading into a new season without the backbone of your offense is a scenario ‘Bama fans don’t even want to imagine.

      College Football, External Sports

      Nothing to worry about? NCAA investigating Georgia over A.J. Green.

      July 22, 2010 /
      ATHENS, GA - OCTOBER 03: A.J. Green #8 of the Georgia Bulldogs pulls in a touchdown reception against Chris Hawkins #29 of the Louisiana State University Tigers at Sanford Stadium on October 3, 2009 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      ESPN.com reports that the NCAA will conduct an inquiry at Georgia over whether or not star receiver A.J. Green was sharing a chips and salsa bowl with Alabama defensive lineman Marcel Dareus at an agent’s party in South Beach earlier this summer.

      But chances are, its not going to find anything.

      Green says he wasn’t at the party. In fact, he says he’s never even been to Miami and given his outstanding character, it isn’t hard to believe him.

      But when probed on the subject at the SEC Media Day on Wednesday, UGA head coach Mark Richt took a more wait-and-see approach.

      “I don’t know if it is [bad news] or not, quite frankly,” Richt said. “By the way you posed the question, you’re saying it’s never good news [when the NCAA investigates]. Then you’re saying it’s bad news. I don’t necessarily think it is bad news.

      “I’m sure they’re gathering information, but we’ll see what they gather.”

      Generally speaking, it’s never good when the NCAA is investigating a program but as Richt points out, just because they’re doing so it doesn’t mean that they’ll uncover something.

      And given Green’s reputation for being a low-key kid, I’m willing to bet they won’t.

      College Football, External Sports

      Nick Saban is being hypocritical when it comes to “pimp” comments

      July 22, 2010 /

      That didn’t take long. Yesterday I was front and center on the Nick Saban-is-right-bandwagon, but this morning I already find myself trying not to break my leg while jumping off it.

      That’s because I remembered who was doing all the talking in this growing discussion about player agents, how they interact with college athletes and what the NFL should do to help remedy the situation.

      It’s Nick Saban. The same Nick Saban who left LSU high and dry to take the NFL’s money in Miami, only to stick it up the Dolphins’ you-know-what when he got home sick for the NCAA. Now he’s blasting the NFL for not taking a more active role in getting agents to stop pestering students? Oh, brother.

      As I wrote yesterday, the NFL should help. College football is where the NFL gets its talent and if its little brother needs assistance dealing with a problem, then big brother should step in. As Saban noted in one of his rants, if an agent breaks a rule that leads to a player losing his eligibility, the NFL could suspend that agent’s license. (Assuming of course that the NFL can even do that, which at this point remains a little unclear.)

      But let’s keep in mind that little brother makes billions of dollars a year and therefore, can deal with its problem on its own if it comes down to it. And the root of the issue isn’t the NFL or even the agents themselves – it’s the players who continue to hold their hands out.

      There’s a simple solution when it comes to this growing problem and that’s for the athletes to stop accepting gifts. Don’t go to parties hosted by these agents, don’t accept gifts of suits, cars or money, and don’t do anything that’s going to threaten your playing career or the future of your program. It shouldn’t be that hard to say no, given the recent developments with Reggie Bush, who single-handedly just made the USC football program irrelevant for the next two years.

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      College Football, External Sports, NFL

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