The Axeman, Publicized

I talked to a few bama fans 10-15 and they all feel that if it isn't against the rules then there isn't a problem. He is coaching at the perfect place as long as he is winning people don't care. Hopefully Haha sees the light and follows dee to A2.

To close this loophole is to have NCAA licensed doctors that examine the kids and give the medical scholarship OK or not.

I'm no Saban supporter, but the article says that Bama offered 12 medical schollies, and that 25 med schollies in the rest of the SEC were accepted.  So, who knows how the actual comparative numbers come out.  Just sayin'. 

but the SEC as a whole has always seemed like the sleazy mafia side of college football.  Always successful, but you're never sure if it's because they're better at the game or breaking the rules.  It's just been a gut feeling of mine for as long as I've been watching the game.

When Jerrah Jones comes in with a bigger Brinks truck and The Axeman and his blow-dryer are off to Dallas.  The wailing out of Tuscaloosa will be audible across 5 states.

Sad that we can play with teen's futures this way

and that's a hatchetman...

decided schematic advantage

I wonder what are the chances ESPN does a story on this, like Outside the Lines.  Who am I kidding, I would have a better chance with Erin Andrews.

When I was at a small NAIA school we had signed a big-time JUCO recruit who couldn't get ineligible for the NCAA but could for the NAIA. I asked our HC what happened when he didn't show and he told it was an old-fashioned SEC Miracle and he was now eligible for the NCAA.

We used a medical scholarship on Antonio Bass a few years ago.  It must have been because we had so many athletic, dual threat quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart in 08.  Us Michigan fans are such hypocrites with these things, of course....

i love that the journal - without exception, if i'm not mistaken - refers to everyone as "mr."

thanks for continuing to chase this, "mister" cook.

I hope the MSM eats this story up and forces Saban to comment on it.  I'd like to see what kind of bullshit lie he throws out there.  Hopefully kids across this country start to see that Saban does not care about you unless you are a prime performer on his team.  Who is the Pimp now Saban?

It seems like this strategy wouldn't work unless the kids themselves decided not to transfer.  Does anybody know why they are taking this deal?  I know doctors at USC wouldn't clear Jarvis Jones to play (a guy the coaches definitely didn't want leaving the program) and he was looking to transfer out to a school that would give him clearance to play (not sure where he ended up but he was looking at FSU and Georgia from what I remember).  Why aren't more kids looking elsewhere if in fact the injuries in question aren't really career ending?

this is so easy to fix.  just tie each recruit accepting an offer to a scholarship for 4 years, regardless of the recruit playing, leaving early for the NFL, quitting football to become a male model (see Texas post Rout 66).  this aligns the coaches and the players incentives.  The coach wants the player to remain eligible academically.  Maybe increase the number of schollies from 85 to 100 so that the net effect of the change is zero for the average program, but the programs that keep kids around have a benefit.  This is beyond simple. 

Maybe just make the medical redshirt count against the scholarships and make an NCAA licensed doctor be the one to make the call.

Should the NCAA just make medical redshirts count against a team's scholarship total?

This doesn't even address the issue of finding convenient reasons to "excuse" a kid from the program and university all together. Maybe scholarship players who are removed from or leave the team should still count against a team's scholarship total for one or two years extra?

Eek! We'd be screwed!

If you aren't calling injured athletes into your automatic-door closing/intimidating office and asking said injured player "what do you want to do besides playing football", you aren't trying.

The NCAA would have stopped this immediately.  But because he's competing for the title in the "nation's best conference" the NCAA is fine with looking the other way.  But come an 8-4 season... "Mr. Saban, knock that off!"

whats to say that if a kid on scholarship is underperforming... he wont break their knees and sign them to one of these puppies.

Slipper slope my friends.

Doug Walker, Alabama's associate athletic director for media relations also tries to pawn these "medical scholarships" off as doing the right thing for the kids.  Not sure how Doug is able to hide his horns.

Listen, we need to not condemn Saban but praise him for protecting these obviously-injured young men from excessive practice time and the inevitable physical dangers this poses to their development both as football players as well as human beings.  Only two more divine acts before there will be a new St. Nick on the block.

the medical hardship is much less offensive than just running the kid off.  At least the hardships still get to keep their scholarships.  The ones that just get told to go elsewhere. or pushed out due to a small brush with the law or struggling in school are the ones that are troubling as they lose their scholarships.  

Cut the judgement out of the equation.  X number of scholarships.  Each given away for a minimum of 4 years.  keep your players healthy, in school and out of jail.