AAS: Agent bought meals for 2 UT Football Players

[java]

Didnt Gabe Ikard and some other OU player have to pay back the cost of some spaghetti or something>?

For their second serving...absurd.  Then the NCAA allowed 'all they could eat'.

 

[BudreauReye]

Why can't they just give back the spaghetti?

 

[scotas497]

Jordan Hicks & Steve Edmonds are the two in question according to TOS. Not good.

 

[primal defense]

Jordan Hicks & Steve Edmonds are the two in question according to TOS. Not good.

It shouldn't. Anything stronger than missing half the opener from the NCAA is BS. This is nothing compared to the shenanigans from Johnny Football last year.

Last year the aggies decided on the half game punishment. Coach Strong should be able to do the same.

 

[utisdabomb12]

It shouldn't. Anything stronger than missing half the opener from the NCAA is BS. This is nothing compared to the shenanigans from Johnny Football last year.

Last year the aggies decided on the half game punishment. Coach Strong should be able to do the same.

Yep. The biggest suspension I've seen that's somewhat similar is a Bama player from 2010 that got 2 games. Granted, he got over 2K in impermissible benefits (the agent paid for hotels, paid for transportation, paid for meals, and gave him gifts). The two players being questioned here aren't anywhere near that extreme. Generally speaking, it looks like most players have been suspended for a game after taking small amounts of cash from agents. The example I posted here of the Oregon player getting cash and his meals paid for received a 1 game suspension. From what I've seen most of these improper benefits from agents normally end up being 1 game suspensions if they are relatively small (most of these usually involve gifts and cash too not just meals). This will be a half game suspension max, and I doubt it even goes that far since it was self-reported and just a meal. 

 

[Matt Cotcher]

The real intrigue here is how Strong handles this, not what the NCAA does.

Coach Strong is going to get a full taste of his new job next week at Media Day.

 

[utisdabomb12]

Interesting tidbit from 247. The "agent" wasn't even an agent. Just a sleazy dude trying to get two new clients for his future business. They won't be punished at all if the NCAA has this information. The guy essentially broke a law by acting like an agent when he really wasn't. 

"And does anybody find it odd that Justin Bingman did not file/register as an athlete agent in the state of Texas until April 3, 2014 ? two weeks after these heinous meal meet took place? From Texas Secretary of State Statutory Documents: An athlete agent must register with the Secretary of State before the athlete agent may contact an athlete, either directly or indirectly, while the athlete is eligible. Also, an athlete agent must be registered to enter into an agent contract with an athlete, as that term is defined in Chapter 2051, Occupations Code. This includes the time-period after the athlete is no longer eligible to compete in intercollegiate athletics. Only an individual may register as a Texas athlete agent." So, according to Texas state law, this guy wasn't even an agent at the time of the meal. Was he pawning himself off to those guys as just some big-time fan wanting to buy them a burger? Were these actual agent conversations? When he wasn't even an agent?"
 

 

[utisdabomb12]

Any experts on here regarding NCAA rules? 

If so, if this guy wasn't an "agent" is it impermissible for the players to accept a free meal? I hope that's the case because I've personally violated NCAA rules if free meals aren't allowed at all. My girlfriend now wife was an athlete at Baylor when I was in college and I bought her meals all the time. 

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Ugh...there are four players in trouble for this Reed, D. Jackson, J. Hicks, and S. Edmond.  

The UNT game looks like trouble if all four are suspended!  Just a dumbass move by both the agent and the players.

http://blacksportsonline.com/home/2014/07/agent-brags-about-having-dinner-with-texas-players-on-twitter/#.U8aALFAZVzI.twitter

 

[utisdabomb12]

Ugh...there are four players in trouble for this Reed, D. Jackson, J. Hicks, and S. Edmond.  

The UNT game looks like trouble if all four are suspended!  Just a dumbass move by both the agent and the players.

http://blacksportsonline.com/home/2014/07/agent-brags-about-having-dinner-with-texas-players-on-twitter/#.U8aALFAZVzI.twitter

Nah the 4 players had dinner on completely different days. There's one big difference between Hicks/Edmond's meal and Jackson/Reed's meal, Jackson and Reed both had their fathers present. Texas didn't self-report Jackson and Reed because I bet there was no violation. I'm sure Jackson and Reed's father paid for the meal. That's why you should always bring a family member along to these type settings. There would be no reason to self-report Hicks/Edmond and not self-report Jackson/Reed. Guarantee both Reed and Jackson paid for their own meals since their fathers were present. 

 

[PeteA422]

What an idiot that agent is.  I would in no way let him represent me if I were these guys.  With this stupid act he just proved he did not have these guys best interest at heart, but his own.  Let him go peddle his goods elsewhere.  I know some great guys in collie station that may want to talk to him.

 

[Chris Flanagan]

i wish UT would sue these agents for millions of dollars.  i also wish they'd make it illegal for the agent to ever represent those players again, ever.

 they know its wrong, but they do it anyway.  the jeopardize the kids and the schools.  we have to find a way to make it so painful for the agent that they just won't go do it.

not sure what the answer is, but the agent needs his ass kicked.  that's certainly not to wave off the responsibility of the kids.  they know its wrong too, but most of the responsibility falls on the agent i think.

They can't sue for having a meal with someone in a state court. They can't make that illegal. 

That's the problem with NCAA rules, they aren't enforceable in a civil court. A civil court won't even consider the NCAA eligibility of the players and it's hard to prove monetary damages for eating with a player who was suspended. Would that 1 player out of 85 made that big of a difference in the game? Are they really losing a lot of money if they sold out the game? It's tough to prove monetary damages on certain games where they are lots of players on the field. We can't know if having a certain player on the field would've made the difference and they can't make facts out of the abstract. 

However, this notion that an adult can't have a meal with another adult because of the job they do is ludicrous. The agent knows it won't stand up in court and an agent just starting out really struggles to get clients so they will break minor infractions because the benefits outweigh the costs. I mean it would be silly to make a law banning meals between adults. 

Just my opinion though. 

 

[utisdabomb12]

Based on what 247 is saying the guy wasn't an agent at the time of the meals, since he wasn't registered in Texas. That's a clear violation of Texas law I would think to represent yourself as an agent when you aren't an agent. That's the thing here. I don't even think the guy was an agent. Not sure how that impacts this particular case but it certainly seems to put the guy in some murky water legally. 

 

[primal defense]

Strong’s stance on agents hasn’t changed

Charlie Strong can’t like this.

The former University of Louisville coach publicly shut down agent contact last summer with his players — a roster that produced an NFL draft-high three first-round picks — asking them to wait until the end of the season.

And now Austin American-Statesman report published Tuesday linked a St. Louis-based sports agent to having meals with four of Strong’s current Texas underclassmen during the offseason.

Strong, who’s scheduled to speak Tuesday at the Big 12 Conference’s media day, hasn’t yet commented on the situation. But agent Justin Bingman wasn’t shy about sharing his experiences with Texas players on Twitter — until he deleted them after 11 p.m. Tuesday, after the story broke.

The situation only results in NCAA eligibility questions for the players if their meals were free. Texas is asking for an answer having self-reported the matter to the NCAA in June, according to the Austin paper.

While still at U of L this time last year, Strong requested agents not contact his players until after the Cardinals’ final game. And if they did?

“At the end of the season, I will make sure you have no chance to represent our players,†Strong told SI.com. “Not that I'm being arrogant, but I want to put a statement out there: You continue to mess with our players, this is what we're going to do.â€

Strong planned to use the same rules at Texas, according to a June 22 story in the Killeen Daily Herald.

“Coach Strong does the Agent Day after the final game of the regular season, so that’s when we’ll be doing it here,†John Bianco, Texas’ associate athletic director for media relations, told the newspaper. “That has not been scheduled at this point.â€

Jonathan Lintner can be reached at (502) 582-4199. Follow him on Twitter

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/morning-kickoff/2014/07/16/four-charlie-strongs-texas-players-allegedly-dine-agent/12727153/

 

[Topstarr]

This agent is being paid  by the a$m aggyies and OU threw in some change also........ h34r:

 

[Lord Vader]

If its found he was acting like an agent arrest him. 

 

[Juan]

Losing to UNT should certainly drive site traffic

How do you guys look at that?

Personally, I dont want to even think about it - I may just go native for a week if that were to happen

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011


— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011


— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[utisdabomb12]

John Infante, who specializes in these NCAA cases, is saying it will most likely be a small suspension. I'm saying half a game and pay back the cost of the meal. The precedent for these similar type infractions is one game, and those include players taking cash and accepting a free meal. 

247 also reiterated what I was saying in this thread yesterday. There's no worry here about Reed and Jackson. The reason they weren't self-reported is because there was no violation. Those two players ate on a different days and also had their fathers present. I'm willing to be the father's paid for the meals and I'm sure having the fathers present acted as a disincentive for the "agent" to try and buy the meals. There would be no reason to self-report Hicks/Edmonds and not self-report Reed/Jackson. The reason Reed and Jackson aren't in trouble here is because they most likely paid for their own meal (good thing their fathers were present).

All in all, we will probably be missing Edmonds and Hicks for a half of the UNT game or maybe the full game. 

 

[utisdabomb12]

Losing to UNT should certainly drive site traffic

How do you guys look at that?

Personally, I dont want to even think about it - I may just go native for a week if that were to happen

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011


— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011


This is why I'm no longer on Twitter. During an on going NCAA investigation nobody is going to talk, that's protocol. Matter of fact I bet the UT compliance office has already told all 4 players and their families to shut up until this is properly vetted through the NCAA. The fact that Ced Reed's dad isn't answering questions to the media tells me Texas is on the ball. 

 

[Juan]

........ The fact that Ced Reed's dad isn't answering questions to the media tells me Texas is on the ball. 

Seems like we are late to the Ball.  The meals happened in March.

Also seems somewhat nutty that our players did not know that they cannot accept meals (or other things) from agents.  Or worse, that they knew but did it anyway.  Especially in light of the fact that this is not the first time this has happened.