C'mon, really? You're unwilling to distinguish between what probably happened and what the NCAA can prove?

I appreciate your charity, if that's what it is, and there's nothing wrong with giving people the benefit of the doubt. But do you have to be able to prove that somebody's rotten to have a poor opinion of that person? I suspect that, like most people, JR does not.

That is exactly my point. The NCAA has actually declared Calipari was not involved and was not under investigation. They didn't say or even suggest that he probably was involved but they couldn't prove it.



Take the two situations...

1. How easy would it be for an agent (or a booster) to give Camby money without Calipari knowing it? Probably a lot easier than Calipari actually knowing about it.
2. How easy would it be for Rose to cheat on his test well before being admitted to Memphis without Calapari knowing about it? Do note that the NCAA ruled as they did because Rose didn't respond to a letter they sent to him....and sent to an address where he didn't live. Did rose cheat? I'd say it is probable. But does that mean Calipari had anything to do with it? No. (Possible, but there has been ZERO evidence to even suggest he might be...aside from association).

You can assume the worst (and less likely) conclusions or you can give people the benefit of doubt until there is anything remotely connecting them to the actions.

JR thinks everyone is rotten. He questioned the programs run by others too who have NEVER been connected, even remotely, in any such actions (Pitino, e.g.). Pitino my have a personality that rubs people the wrong way and may be overly egotistical, but it in no way correlates to cheating or running questionable programs.

By the standards being applied here, every NBA ref that worked with Donaghy would be suspect....but we know that is silly.

I'm sure you realize that NCAA couldn't possibly suggest any involvement without being able to prove it, at the risk of a rather large libel or slander judgment. So this fact doesn't count for much.

As you might know, big-time college athletes are heavily managed and supervised by their athletic departments, 24/7, in and out of season. They're too valuable to be left to their own devices. Many schools have special "academic" programs for the athletes so that they don't have to be troubled about going to actual classes with other students. The staff know exactly what's going on, often in pornographic detail.

Calipari might have achieved plausible deniability, but if he didn't actually know what his players were doing he could have found out with a phone call. And, as head coach, he's responsible (ethically if not under NCAA regs) for his team and the behavior of his team's "boosters." Plenty of head coaches manage to keep the "boosters" at bay -- why not Calipari, at multiple programs? Coincidence?

You're determined to extend the benefit of the doubt, Camron, and I admire your charity in doing so. And perhaps you'll think me as cynical as you seem to consider JR. But I know from personal experience the corrupting effects of money from big-time college athletics. The dollar amounts are just so staggeringly vast that it's easy to see how people grab it.

Well thought out analysis imo. The people in Memphis seem to agree also. They have the same opinion of Calipari that I have...and we're hardly alone.

Geoff Calkins: University of Memphis' appeal of NCAA sanctions was doomed from start The Commercial Appeal

Further to this...and something that I wasn't aware of until this morning....Martin was fired in 1988 from being the head coach of Miami Senior High as a result of recruiting and inducement scandal. He was eventually cleared but the firing stood. He was then hired as a recruiting co-ordinator at Northeastern before joining Huggins at both Cincy and KSU doing the same thing.

Y'all know my opinion of Huggins.

Certainly does make you say "hmmmmmmmm".