LSU Suspends Will Wade Indefinitely
Will Wade suspended indefinitely in the wake of FBI wiretaps that show he paid a player to come play basketball at LSU.
From ESPN's breaking story
"Recent media reports regarding Coach Will Wade are without question concerning to us all," read a statement from LSU president/chancellor F. King Alexander and AD Joe Alleva. "As such, we and university officials have taken deliberate and purposeful steps to fairly assess and adequately address the situation. As we have done since media reports first surfaced months ago, we are closely coordinating with the NCAA with every step. They have our full cooperation and we will continue to report to them all facts and information on this matter.
All of us at LSU share the obligation to protect the integrity of this institution, as such we have suspended Head Coach Will Wade indefinitely until such time as we can ensure full compliance with the NCAA, as well as institutional policies and standards. Assistant coach Tony Benford will assume the duties of interim coach."
We all know he's not the only one and I'm sure other coaches who did "business" with Christian Dawkins are sweating pretty hard. Just another time it's great to be a Michigan Wolverine with straight-arrow John Beilein at the helm of our program.
This might help Lester Quinones make up his mind a little bit.
The SEC doesn't cheat dammit!!!!
Not cheating if everyone's doing it.
Edit: /s, because apparently, it's necessary.
Yes it is.
You know what. Because you took my post literally, (was a /s really necessary?) as if I were making a statement of universal truth, I'm now going to set aside my actual opinion and argue that yes, actually, when everyone is cheating, it's not cheating, you just haven't formally changed the rules yet.
First, rules are promulgated to govern the behavior of those that submit to them. In principle, each of the participants agrees to act within the general bounds of the rules. When no one complies with the rules, the rule has no value. The underlying purpose for the rule no longer exist since no one agrees to submit to it. If the rule has no value and there is no expectation that those under it will follow it, it is no longer a rule. The rule itself has been effectively amended by the collective action of the group. The rule itself simply becomes a record of a prior agreement that has yet to undergo the ministerial act of being formally amended. (I won't go into whether a rule is still a rule if there's no way to enforce it or if it's not actually being enforced.) So, in light of the agreement of all involved to forego the original rule in favor of using bagmen to pay recruits, that rule no longer reflects the will of the participants, and thus, cannot be 'broken'. In fact, there is a reasonable argument that you are actually breaking the rules by NOT paying recruits with bagmen. Given that there is a rule that is being not followed on a collective basis, it lacks any force or effect, and cannot, therefore, be broken. Where is not broken, there is no cheating.
Second, the purpose behind this particular rule is to promote a fair playing field. The evil caused by cheating is the inequitable playing field that results from one party imposing a disadvantage on another from which they do not suffer or where one party enjoys an advantage that another does not. Where everyone is 'breaking' the same rule in the same way, again bagmen paying recruits, the landscape has not changed relative to the participants. Where LSU can pay as much or as little as Bama, same goes for Florida, Vandy, Kentucky, SC, and Ole Miss. Because the playing field remains level--different, but still level--the social evil caused by cheating is not realized.
Key Assumption--the SEC is the only conference that matters. All references to the NCAA really only include the SEC. That should be clear since the post I was responding to initially mentioned only the SEC.
/s not /s
you put way too much thought into that. That Red is Blue guy is a mess.
Always trying to prove he is the most moral guy around.
Didn't take long. It's a Friday afternoon and I'm short on patience for fools.
Tennessee is arguably the best team in the SEC without a single player ranked in the top 100 as a recruit. Michigan has 5, by the way.
There's are some teams there that are obviously cheating, but I wonder how many of the others are. It takes both an institutional willingness to cheat and a willing coach. That's why you see some schools cheat in one sport but not in another.
This is garbage thinking. But it's widespread garbage thinking.
Yeah, this virtue signaling means nothing unless LSU publicly states that Will Wade is not under a non-disclosure agreement, and is free to speak to the press on everything he knows.
See above.
I for one am shocked that a program that had Ben Simmons but couldn't make the tournament has now been caught cheating in a year they're going to win the SEC. None of their fans are even denying it, they're all just saying "everyone cheats, look at UNC and Kansas". I generally agree with them, shut down every cheating program until the only ones left are Michigan, Purdue, and I don't know, Washington State, I guess
It's an article of faith these days that many, many programs cheat, but some--including Michigan--are clean. I just can't figure out how a system like that would work in practice. I mean, if many schools are paying $50,000 or more for top quality players, why would ANY player who could make that money come to a school for nothing? Presumably guys like Poole or Brazdeikis or others could have gone elsewhere and made pretty decent cash, so why come to Michigan? I guess I just have trouble envisioning how that would happen.
Unfortunately, one logical conclusion is that they *do* get paid to come to Michigan. Another is that maybe the payments aren't as widespread (or lucrative) as we think, so coming to Michigan is not a huge financial loss. And I'm sure Michigan partisans would say that they come to Michigan in spite of the lack of money because they appreciate the value of the degree, or they think they will develop as players and have a future in the NBA, or they want to play for a contender. But that's true of many of the schools that we assume are paying players.
So I don't know--the conclusion that SEC schools pay and we don't has a hole that I can't quite resolve. I'd be happy to hear any thoughts from the rest of the board.
Probably a mix of only a handful of programs* (so money not available to all high rated D1 players) with the combination that receiving illegal handouts is more than likely tax fraud (if, as I assume, income isn't being reported).
*I bet bagmen exist at every single school - the type of booster who may throw a couple hundreds in the kids' pocket here or there. Large 50k payments, I would imagine, are likely the exception rather than the rule.
Honestly, I think it is just that some people are just honest and believe in the intrinsic value of following rules and laws. A lot of the players who come to play for Beilein, and their families, are probably attracted to Beilein and to Michigan specifically because they don't do this kind of shit.
A have seen quite a few people who are puzzled when Michigan has a highly ranked recruit visit and does not offer. I think this has a lot to do with it. I think it is made clear that Michigan is interested in offering the player a scholarship, and only a scholarship. If those terms are not acceptable than the parties just go their separate ways.
This response and the one above both make sense. I suspect the realization that taking cash is a) unethical, and b) illegal (if it's not reported, which of course it wouldn't be) would give some players pause. They also realize that it violates NCAA rules, but I bet that's not as big a factor (NCAA enforcement is spotty at best). Perhaps by the time a kid is 16 or 17 it's pretty clear--some of them have already made a decision that they are willing to accept perks to play basketball and others haven't. I'm assuming that these practices exist for the AAU programs as well.
If I had to guess you need to be pretty elite to get paid - doubt they are offering cash to kids outside the top 100. Enough schools in the mix willing to pay mean they still get spread out. I don’t think Michignan or the B1G is completely absent from these practices across all sports ( probably far less actual coordination with university staff) but it’s far less widespread
$50K and an LSU degree or a Michigan degree? I know what I would choose. My friend is paying $80K/year for his daughter to attend Northeastern. Let’s not pretend a full-cost of attendance scholarship to the University of Michigan is worthless, even to a scholar-athlete (emphasis on athlete.)
I guess there isn't enough money in the world to persuade an 18 year old to spend a few years in Pullman. You need to be Mike Leach crazy to recruit there.
Good. LSU has to walk on thin ice with how they handle the situation especially if they don't want the NCAA to also perhaps take a look at their football team...
I'm sure their football team has always been and still is as clean as a whistle, right nick, les, and ed.
As a Louisiana native, I can assure you that LSU has never *cough Lester Earl cough* ever in its entire existence *achoo Cecil Collins* paid money for *clears throat Ben Simmons* for any athlete in any sport. Also, no matter what the internet may tell you, Shaq never said they paid very well.
Sleaze pours off Ed Orgeron like sweat in the bayou.
Good. Will Wade is a lying piece of shit.
This will certainly make LSU basketball games pretty awkward for the rest of the season. I believe the alleged recipient of the "care-package" is one of the primary contributors on the team. Will be interesting to hear announcers tight rope that situation.
Yeah, According to the wiretaps it's almost assuredly Javonte Smart, their fourth-leading scorer at 11.5 per game. He had a huge game for LSU in their win over Tennessee.
Seriously, I know there is argument for paying players and there are discussions right now about allowing players to profit from their likeness, but right here right now, an argument could be made to suspend the LSU basketball program for the remainder of the season or until an investigation can be completed.
This is not to say that as bad or worse does not go on at other places, but this on its face appears to be nearly irrefutable evidence of not only serious recruiting violations but possibly criminal activity. They have Wade on tape talking about paying players what unquestionably sounds like 10s, maybe 100s of thousands of dollars. They out of the blue have the #4 recruiting class in the nation and then this tape surfaces. This is a bad situation.
Yup. Until the rules are change, I would nuke LSU. Will Wade is banned for life from the NCAA. LSU gets a 1 year death penalty.
I know this is outlandish and ridiculously harsh. There's just no way this ever stops unless heads start rolling and I'm about done with all of it.
I think it's reasonable to suspend any players and coaches implicated by the evidence as it stands. To my knowledge, the only player currently named is Smart.
But to nuke the entire program on the mere speculation that everyone else is dirty is, in my opinion, going too far.
The NCAA needs to get Roger Goodell as commisioner.....guilty until proven....oh nevermind, just guilty.
Yep. Wade's bullshit is so transparent. This guy came from Chattanooga and VCU and suddenly he's reeling in top classes at freaking LSU? Dude has some stones to sit there and bald-face lie like that.
Wait till he goes to the free throw line every time. Wouldn't be surprised if the opposing fans start throwing quarters onto the floor, you know, just to help him out since the big money spigot is temporarily shut.
You mean the free throw line in the prison yard?
They should throw every book in the library at Wade. Something like this is detrimental to all of collegiate athletics.
Are you still a troll like your short-lived drunken diary post claimed?
I just find it hard that LSU is going to get nailed, but somehow UNC, Arizona, and others will got off with nothing.
So LSU didn't know about the wire taps until yesterday? Oh. OK.
Pisses me off that they can suspend him and act like they are taking action. There is no way the AD had no idea about this, or the cheating that I'm sure goes on with other teams in their program, specifically football. NCAA and LSU will wash their hands with this, pat themselves on the back for decisive action and continue business as usual. When the FBI has to step in to do the NCAA's job....just blow the whole thing up.
The FBI can do a lot of things the NCAA can't. Do we really want the NCAA to have the power to run wiretaps?
Only if they hire Lester Freaman
Not even a little bit. Just seems like they could have acted on...some....any? of the illegal behavior before it got to this point.
Is LSU's president really named F. King
Let's play, "Guess what F stands for?"
I'd guess:
Faux
Fonk
or,
Frank
My guess would have been Fuc
....
It's actually Fieldon though - I suppose I would prefer to go by F. instead of that
Weird, normally you get suspended for NOT doing what your boss told you to.
Right but Tim Izzo was cleared in record time by the NCAA.
Izzo was lucky. Everyone knows he paid more than $400 for Bridges.
Now let's have a look at Duke, etc.
If the NCAA cared they would've placed Duke under investigation the minute Barrett, Zion, and Cam signed
I'm waiting for the day Alabama and Ohio State get busted for this in football. That day will likely never come, though. The NCAA cannot function without a good OSU and Alabama. The NCAA can function just fine without a good LSU basketball team.