Baller Alert Entertainment & Lifestyle One former athlete stated he was given a debit card that had $5,000 on it and when the money ran low more money was put on it. Where is the picture of that bank card? Where is a video of any of the players who accompanied other players to receive their cash from boosters that were taking care of them? If you are wondering why Johnny Manziel got off so easily from his pay-for-sign scandal it is because there was no evidence to show any bank deposits or video of him taking the money from the autograph broker. Stories like these are challenging the NCAA to make a change in the system and punish these universities for their bonus systems but what about the student-athletes? So many of the student-athletes come forward after the fact and not enough are actually speaking up as they see it happening.
This is a five part expose’ that I plan on monitoring because of how extensive and critical it may be to all college football programs. Here is the five part Sports Illustrated breakdown of this investigative report:
Part 1: Money SI finds that OSU used a bonus system orchestrated by an assistant coach whereby players were paid for their performance on the field, with some stars collecting $500 or more per game. In addition, the report finds that OSU boosters and at least two assistant coaches funneled money to players via direct payments and a system of no-show and sham jobs. Some players say they collected more than $10,000 annually in under-the-table payouts.
Part 2: Academics Widespread academic misconduct, which included tutors and other OSU personnel completing coursework for players, and professors giving passing grades for little or no work, all in the interest of keeping top players eligible.
Part 3: Drugs OSU tolerated and at times enabled recreational drug use, primarily through a specious counseling program that allowed some players to continue to use drugs while avoiding penalties. The school’s drug policy was selectively enforced, with some stars going unpunished despite repeated positive tests.
Part 4: Sex OSU’s hostess program, Orange Pride, figured so prominently in the recruitment of prospects that the group more than tripled in size under Miles. Both Miles and Gundy took the unusual step of personally interviewing candidates. Multiple former players and Orange Pride members say that a small subset of the group had sex with recruits, a violation of NCAA rules.
Part 5: The Fallout SI finds that many players who were no longer useful to the football program were cast aside, returning to worlds they had hoped to escape. Some have been incarcerated, others live on the streets, many have battled drug abuse and a few have attempted suicide.
