OSU's recruitment of Raekown McMillan: Is this allowed?

Submitted by Laser Wolf on

OSU is hosting five-star ILB Raekwon McMillan on an official visit this coming weekend for Penn State. Per this article from cleveland.com (link), the official OSU Instagram/Twitter feed reached out to Raekwon with the following digital flier.

 

(Sorry for the giant embed.)

Does this violate the statute that disallows program from providing "Intentional or significant game-day simulations and/or impermissible recruiting aids"? I seem to remember Georgia and Washington getting dinged in their recruitment of Isaiah Crowell and Desmond Trufant, respectively, for violating the game-day simulation clause. Does putting his name on the back of the jersey make it any different than some of our recruits wearing jerseys and gloves and such during visits?

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Danwillhor

October 21st, 2013 at 10:10 PM ^

When the largest alumni base no longer has a team, when the winningest (word? lol) program ever no longer has a team, when the largest stadium in the nation sits empty, when one of the largest cash cows in so many arenas goes away......things would begin to move because it would become political. As of now you can cheat to almost zero consequence. If we have to cheat to win, I would truly rather announce that we are no longer fielding a team. That would at least get people wondering why and MAYBE get the necessary changes made to maintain fair pay by all. I'd rather not even play than cheat to win. Add in probation for nothing and osu getting a hand slap for their coach finally getting caught after literal decades of cheating and I'd truly rather not play or change to NAIA (lol) or something. This all kind if ties in with the NCAA just being inept and uneven in their power/punishment.

Joined: 12/02/2008

MGoPoints: 8608

Reader71

October 22nd, 2013 at 12:12 PM ^

Fine with me. National championships are, fundamentally not something you can control. It is possible to win all of your games and not even play for it. I will never believe that the NC should be a goal. When it happens, great, but our goals should be about winning the games we play and getting the B1G title. I think that is still possible even if Ohio cheats. It is certainly harder, as evidenced by their recent dominance/cheating.

Joined: 08/30/2009

MGoPoints: 22967

B1GHouse

October 21st, 2013 at 10:08 PM ^

Be careful about casting stones. Woodson, Marcus Ray, Thomas Gibson, David Terrelle, the Fab5, RichRod and extra practice... If you think there are folks that are immune to operating on the fringe, you live with your head in the sand. Some try harder than others but everybody has skeletons in the closet. And to the OP, how would this be a violation? How is that worse then the schools that send 94858595958584 letters a day to a recruit? Or having them on the sideline for a game? Or letting them in the locker room to wear gear and take pics?

Joined: 02/08/2013

MGoPoints: 36

Reader71

October 22nd, 2013 at 12:18 PM ^

Well yeah. The Fab 5 were a huge part of my youth and a major reason I love Michigan. But when I found out they were bought, I made them and everyone involved persone non grata. And the program was blown up. Good. For the other stuff, I think there is a difference between one-offs and a systemic problem. If M has a slush fund ala SMU or were allowing a booster like Shapiro around the program and (at least tacitly) supporting him, I'd call that a lack of institutional control. If we have that here, I say shut it down.

Joined: 08/30/2009

MGoPoints: 22967

Danwillhor

October 21st, 2013 at 10:25 PM ^

is squeaky clean but it's intent, imo. Not saying I'm is the apex of student athlete perfection. You cannot watch all your athletes all the time. Granted. That said, the rr stuff was a joke, the fab 5 was more like the fab 1 and later guys who knew a guy since elementary school and was more taking money from a friend than being paid to go to UM (also, with aau and such cbb is a different beast) and finally the Bo lineage guys get rid of the true f-ups and generally give guys they feel made a youth mistake a second chance if they earn it. Hoke dropped our best WR for being late to a probation meeting. Dropped him as in you had your chance (more before I got here) and, yes, something as small as being late is why you are no longer UM player and we now have no fast deep threat at WR. He knew what getting rid of Stonum meant to the team as far as problems. Most coaches let being late to a probation meeting slide. Not saying UM is perfect but I know for a fact that no coach actively paid for kids, played them while ineligible/selling gear/fearing selling and taking drugs, etc. There is "can't watch them all the time" and there is "here is a few thousand reasons to come to our school". Yes, JT also did this based on a WSJ article of his first class where the bigtime OL Morris claims an osu coach handed him a paper bag full of cash. He didn't qualify and landed at NC St. There is a difference in intent, this is bs and we truly had zero idea.

Joined: 12/02/2008

MGoPoints: 8608

EGD

October 22nd, 2013 at 12:31 AM ^

I thought Hoke dismissed Stonum not for being late to the probation meeting, but because Stonum drove to the probation meeting when his license was suspended for drunk driving, as a result of which Stonum pleaded guilty to a probation violation and had to do a week in jail?

It's still not the most serious of offenses, I agree--but it's much worse than simply being tardy. 

Joined: 09/16/2009

MGoPoints: 35199

True Blue Grit

October 21st, 2013 at 6:29 PM ^

provide a school jersey with the player's name on it to a recruit.  When it comes down to it, what's the difference between that, and the school sending the recruit a photo shopped picture of him wearing a team uniform?  The intended message is exactly the same.   Seems like just another shady way to skirt the rules. 

Joined: 01/21/2011

MGoPoints: 32501

UFM

October 21st, 2013 at 10:06 PM ^

OSU fan here. I get that he's Urban Meyer so you guys would hate him even if he saved your puppy and paid your mortgage. But all these allegations in this thread of him being a cheater? Really? Point to one time where he's been found to be a cheater? He's a lot of things but a cheater? You guys are better than that. FYI rooting for both teams to win out the rest of the way"

Joined: 01/27/2012

MGoPoints: 238

BlueHills

October 21st, 2013 at 10:30 PM ^

I'm betting that OSU's compliance staff has researched the image, and it isn't illegal.

It certainly shouldn't be. I can't imagine anyone being swayed to commit to a school because he sees his name photoshopped onto a drawing of a jersey.

OSU and Meyer are too smart to break the recruiting rules, especially in view of Tresselgate. And frankly, they don't need to. As a top program, OSU attracts good recruits year in and year out.

We don't benefit by pointing fingers and making the assumption that Meyer is a dirty recruiter; there's certainly very little evidence to support that conclusion. OSU may be our biggest and most important rival, but let's give credit where it's due: OSU has a hell of a good program, and an elite coach. They don't need to cheat to attract fine players.

I hope we beat OSU this year, and every year. But if we don't, it certainly isn't going to be because some recruit got some cool artwork.

Our entire conference benefits when all of its historically top teams are strong, and not under NCAA sanctions. The national perception of the conference has taken a big hit since 2008, and I honestly think our record from 2008-2010, OSU's problems, and PSU's problems contributed to the B1G's image problem. And that costs the league recruits, better bowl games, and remember, better bowl games have better payouts, so a lesser image costs the league money.

I'd like to see all of the league's teams, including OSU (but most especially us), improve. 

 

Joined: 10/31/2010

MGoPoints: 7468

alwaystrueblue

October 21st, 2013 at 11:45 PM ^

with all you just said BlueHills. 

 

We have a few on this site who continue to post the same crap over and over how any school not named Michigan that has ever won anything has to be cheating/paying players/ and any other stupid shit they can think of.

 

I despise OSU more than any school there is (MSU is a very close 2nd) but i am a little more intelligent than to just assume that they win thru nefarious means.  

They have a great program and now a truly great coach in Meyer and that alone is enough to get elite talent year after year.

We have not reached their level in many many years.  But there is always hope.

Joined: 08/09/2010

MGoPoints: 80

EGD

October 22nd, 2013 at 12:47 AM ^

I'm not normally one for deregulation.  But all these byzantne rules about whether schools can put a recruit's name on a jersey, or on a poster, or whether it's okay if the school sends it directly to the recruit vs. posting it someplace, and so on and so forth really don't seem necessary or helpful.  

It seems to me that the NCAA would be much more effective if they just had a few simple, common-sense rules and focused on enforcing those, rather than a 15-lb. binder full of esoteric regulations that require an entire "compliance staff" to manage, and which are routinely viiolated out of inadvertence even by honest and well-intentioned coaches and athletes.  

Joined: 09/16/2009

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