Tai Streets Allegedly Paid Brian Bowen Sr
Dan WetzelVerified account @DanWetzel 54m54 minutes ago
Bowen testified while his son played for the Mean Streets AAU team he received $5000 from former NFL player Ty Streets and $1500 from coach Tim Anderson, who is now with DePaul
Dan WetzelVerified account @DanWetzel 17m17 minutes ago
2. Tai Streets, as a former Michigan football player, is a rep of Wolverines so alleged 5K payment is problem even if it was to play for his AAU team not attend U of M.
Tai Streets runs an AAU team, I had no idea.
October 9th, 2018 at 1:57 PM ^
A problem for Tai Streets and Bowen, but I don't see any connection with UM. Did Michigan even recruit Bowen? Just because he graduated from UM doen't mean he is a rep for UM
October 9th, 2018 at 2:00 PM ^
Some media types are saying on twitter that it would get Michigan in trouble because Tai Streets probably donated to the university at some point in his life.
It's very much a stretch.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:07 PM ^
Not because he donated, because he played. The definition of "booster" is pretty loose. Any former player or anyone who ever in their lifetime donated any amount of money to UM, works for UM, went to UM or in a few other ways is connected to UM -- is a booster.
But given it really doesn't involve Michigan at all, I can't imagine this is much of a problem for UM.
October 9th, 2018 at 3:04 PM ^
Yes. Ed Martin -- who was never a Michigan alum, team member, coach, staff member, donor, etc. -- was still defined as a "representative" of the University of Michigan. (The NCAA uses the term "booster" informally but the bylaws deal with "representatives.")
October 9th, 2018 at 3:36 PM ^
Martin had been giving money to those kids long before they got to Michigan. That includes guys like Derrick Coleman who went to Syracuse. They say there were others including players from MSU. Michigan didn't have to fall on that sword.
October 9th, 2018 at 3:56 PM ^
exactly. likely dozens of kids. for sure add iowa to that list.
October 9th, 2018 at 8:26 PM ^
Previous comment already posted, currently thinking of another...
October 9th, 2018 at 5:58 PM ^
....and we get into trouble for stretching!
October 9th, 2018 at 2:32 PM ^
Michigan offered a scholarship to Bowen: https://twitter.com/SamWebb77/status/745028577599492098
October 9th, 2018 at 1:58 PM ^
had to read this four times, to understand your intent...
October 9th, 2018 at 2:00 PM ^
Someone please summarize it for me, I don't care enough to try and decipher what his post is supposed to say.
October 9th, 2018 at 1:59 PM ^
He is an Alum, but this is not a problem that involves U of M. But you can bet the FREEP will run with it and the headline will be "Tia Streets pays all of the football players, in cash and blow!"
October 9th, 2018 at 2:08 PM ^
And in that same article will be words more or less along the following lines:
"Writers for the Detroit Free Press reached out to Michigan State University's Head Football Coach, Mike Dantonio to ask whether any of the school's former players were involved in pay-for-play scams at MSU.
"'Golly, no sir,' Dantonyo responded. 'Nothing like that ever happens around here. We run a very clean program. Our players are much too busy with school work and Bible study to be involved in anything of that nature.'"
October 9th, 2018 at 2:52 PM ^
Now THAT'S funny! But also probably true.
October 9th, 2018 at 3:13 PM ^
B.s.
They're all in jail until the team bus picks them up on the way to the stadium.
October 9th, 2018 at 8:22 PM ^
To be fair, jail is the primary place that they do schoolwork and Bible study.
October 9th, 2018 at 6:45 PM ^
You don't have to pay 2*s
October 9th, 2018 at 8:32 PM ^
Unless you’re trying to convince them to go to MSU.
October 9th, 2018 at 1:59 PM ^
It's unfortunate that Tai Streets was involved in something like this but how is he a "representative" of Michigan?
October 9th, 2018 at 2:03 PM ^
Under NCAA rules, if you've bought season tickets, or played for the school, you're a booster. And you're a booster forever.
From the NCAA's website:
Boosters, referred to by the NCAA as “representatives of the institution’s athletic interests,” include anyone who has:
- Provided a donation in order to obtain season tickets for any sport at the university.
- Participated in or has been a member of an organization promoting the university’s athletics programs.
- Made financial contributions to the athletic department or to a university booster organization.
- Arranged for or provided employment for enrolled student-athletes.
- Assisted or has been requested by university staff to assist in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes.
- Assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student athletes or their families.
- Been involved otherwise in promoting university athletics.
Once an individual is identified as a “representative of the institution’s athletics interests,” the person retains that identity forever.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:22 PM ^
So if I buy ohio state season tickets, and then pay some recruits, I can get them in trouble?
October 9th, 2018 at 2:44 PM ^
The NCAA would come down hard on Cleveland State if you did that
October 9th, 2018 at 3:44 PM ^
Nobody answered that question. If a Michigan fan donates a few bucks to get OSU season tickets and then sets up a Twitter feed with pictures paying cash to every football recruit in Ohio, can they get OSU in trouble?
Or, more realistically, could this happen in reverse?
What if Justin Boren started making it rain cash on football recruits? Would Michigan and/or Ohio State get dinged?
This whole system is a joke. Why is it even a problem for a poor kid to get some pocket cash to play AAU basketball?
October 9th, 2018 at 2:24 PM ^
There's a big difference between being a Michigan booster who paid a kid to play for his AAU team and being a Michigan booster who paid a kid to coerce him into signing to play for Michigan.
While I'm sure rival message boards will have a field day with this for day or two, this is a nothing story as far as U of M goes. Tai Streets might be in a little bit of trouble, though.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:58 PM ^
Hilarious that people would even say Michigan could get in trouble for that, after the NCAA will not even do anything to schools named in the FBI report out there. Have they even announced an investigation? No school can control what their former players do, they all wish they could but they can't.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:58 PM ^
Having a personal connection to a university would not, per se, create a nexus when someone acts in an illegal or violative manner that has nothing to do with the university. It's a bit far fetched, but It would be like blaming U of M for Larry Nassar's heinous acts because Nasser attended Michigan for undergraduate school.
October 9th, 2018 at 3:08 PM ^
Thanks for the explanation, blanx.
So some media outlet could run a headline that says "Top hoops recruit received $5K from Michigan booster" and that would be accurate. Embarrassing.
Fortunately I can't see anything more really coming of this. I guess we'll have to take our lumps for a couple days until this story passes on.
October 9th, 2018 at 4:15 PM ^
Aaron "I'm such a fucking hack I can't write my way out of a paper bag so I wait for good writers to post something online then copy and past it onto MLive" McMann has already done one.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:00 PM ^
That seems like a stretch.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:05 PM ^
October 9th, 2018 at 2:02 PM ^
Based on some other tweets, Tai could be considered a UM Booster and therefore cause issues for UM even if they didn't recruit Bowen. Seems like a stretch to think anything would come of this. (heh, but Michigan has had problems with stretches before!)
October 9th, 2018 at 2:10 PM ^
1+ for the bit of humor....
October 9th, 2018 at 2:03 PM ^
I call BS, due to the fact that Michigan's track level in recruiting top notch high school players is relatively unsuccessful.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:10 PM ^
Belein is clean as a whistle...from what I read, this has more to do with guilty by association. At the most the NCAA will probably just tell the university to disassociate with Streets and probably ban him from campus. Doubt serious sanctions come against the program.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:05 PM ^
Knowing the way the way the NCAA historically treats infractions as "serious" as this one when Michigan is involved I fully expect the following to happen given that Streets went to Michigan even though the player he paid didnt go here nor was he even recruited to go here:
The 1997 football team will be stripped of its national title and have the wins that season vacated (Tai played on that team)
The basketball program will be placed on a four year post-season probation, lose two scholarships annually for the next four years and Beilein will be terminated and placed with a show-cause recommendation (Tai went to Michigan, paid a basketball player and Beilein coaches basketball at Michigan)
Brace for it.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:16 PM ^
But even dumber still, UM won't fight any of that and just eat it.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:37 PM ^
All Michigan needs to do is disavow any notion that Streets ever played for Carr's football team.
But I'll feel bad for Saginaw Valley State University's girls volleyball team...
October 9th, 2018 at 4:43 PM ^
Also, Coach K and Bill Self will not get the tarring and feathering that they deserve.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:06 PM ^
This seems like the ultimate non issue
October 9th, 2018 at 2:07 PM ^
Ofcourse now that Michigan is becoming dangerous, MSU and other shitty fans come out.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:09 PM ^
"could cause problems for UM" is wishful thinking
October 9th, 2018 at 2:10 PM ^
Wetzel is doing good work here. It's a shame that nobody is paying attention.
I saw Stew Mandel note that this seems to not move the needle. But we know why it doesn't move the needle: The major media outlets are burying it. CBS? Can't find this stuff on the front page (in the NCAA Men's BB page, covering a sport that's not playing, it's in the middle of the "other headlines" section). ESPN? Nowhere on the front page anywhere, a place where you can find various items about football, the NBA, even European soccer. Again, on the Men's BB page, it's in the "other headlines" section.
It's buried. Hard not to think that this is on purpose. The major sports media groups could make this a big deal if they wanted to, and people would pay attention.
BTW, regarding Tai coming up: Dan identified today as a day that the defense would cross-examine and try to spread the dirt around. So here's some of the dirt getting spread around.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:17 PM ^
verdict will get the publicity, or any other "shocking revelations" that come up during the trial. At this time of year with all 4 major sports going its hard to get an inch of headline.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:18 PM ^
I heard the podcast with him, Thamel & Fords on this subject. He did say ESPN does have a writer there on this story. Do not recall him mentioning CBS. And let’s face it...none of the sexy names are involved(the Michigan nugget is more semantics than any thing else). If it were Kentucky/Cal, Duke/Coach K, Kansa/Self, or UCLA this story would be getting a lot more traction. Instead outside of Louisville is a lot of mid-teir power 5 schools and their assistant coaches. I am intrigued by it as it sounds like you are too. Yet, I just don’t think most of the nation does...because they think CBB is filthy anyway.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:27 PM ^
Louisville, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma State... Creighton was apparently dangling $100k, that's surprising.
Kansas gets a mention here:
And all of this discusses money coming from the shoe companies, not just boosters. This is pretty big-deal corruption. Or it would be if anyone cared.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:20 PM ^
Stephenrjking gets it.... The media doesn't really want this to be a story because it damages their revenue.
It was news to me that a former player or season ticket holder is a booster forever. I get why - but seems like there must be some steps that can be taken to say "we don't want him anymore" and that process, along with filing a self-report of a minor violation, should be followed immediately. If UM acts swiftly and dissociates from Streets, and truly knew nothing and did not benefit from this, there is really no story.
That rule just has me thinking.... a guy with even just a little bit of $ could very easily buy season tickets to a rivals games to become a booster, give a rival player or recruit any type of improper benefits, and ruin the kid's amateur status without committing a crime or falling into harm's way themselves. The NCAA knows they can't enforce anything so they have to put the onus of the schools. Just another example of why the NCAA truly is a complete joke.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:30 PM ^
So what I heard you just say is that you found a fairly simple loophole to rat fuck Ohio State.
October 10th, 2018 at 9:57 AM ^
Yep. But only a complete douchebag would actually do it. Don't be that douchebag. If this rule is actually enforced, it needs to be changed.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:14 PM ^
I had forgotten Streets coached an AAU team. I seem to remember a quote from Streets a few years back that he basically wasn’t allowed to even mention Michigan as a college destination to his players because his AAU team was sponsored by Nike and at the time Michigan was an Adidas school.
October 9th, 2018 at 2:26 PM ^
Michigan will have to publicly distance itself from Streets, but that's a problem for Tai, not the school. Sorry to the desperate Louisville fans on reddit