Denard interviewed courtside at The Palace during pregame of Pistons vs Heat

Submitted by MaizeAndBlueManGroup on

Denard was just interviewed on Fox Sports Detroit during the pre-game show of the Pistons-Heat game. It took place courtside, and he was all smiles saying how he was excited to watch the game. He basically just said how he knows Brandon Knight because they grew up near eachother in Florida. He also said he was chatting with Lebron because they have tweeted back and forth with eachother before despite Lebron being an OSU fan. Nothing earth shattering I know, but still cool to see.

Mr. Yost

January 25th, 2012 at 7:44 PM ^

#1 It's not hard to get those seats

#2 He knows Brandon Knight

#3 He was just interviewed there...he could've had nosebleed seats, he could've been standing courtside to walk out on the court during a timeout and be presented with something, he could've moved down near the floor like 50% of the people at the Palace.

JHendo

January 25th, 2012 at 8:41 PM ^

You should rethink your #2.  If Brandon Knight or Lebron James had anything to do with those tickets, it could be bad news and twisted into being interpreted as an improper benefit (i.e. the agencies that represents both those players also represent football players, and those agencies may have played a roll in sending tickets Denard's way, yada yada yada...)

Paranoid nonsense, I know.  But I do get paranoid about these things and would rather have not known Denard has any sort of interaction with those guys and went to the game out of his own wallet.

Mr. Yost

January 25th, 2012 at 9:07 PM ^

Depends on when the relationship was established and how much you're getting...

I wouldn't be worried about a $40 ticket.

Check out AJ Rompza at UCF...he's been best friends with Marcus Jordan since high school. I live down here in Florida. AJ and Marcus are always "ballin" doing something crazy together. Thousands blown in Vegas, partying it up in Orlando, whatever. Not to mention all the free Jordan Brand stuff he owns.

Urban Warfare

January 26th, 2012 at 1:10 AM ^

I thought it was "before becoming a recruit" or prospect or whatever the technical term is.  In other words, your next door neighbor who's lived there since you were born could give you his tickets, but Barry Booster who "just happened" to meet you when you get an offer couldn't.

JHendo

January 25th, 2012 at 9:20 PM ^

As far as I understand it, there are two situations when a college athlete getting tickets to a pro sporting event is a violation:

1. The tickets are purchased by the University (outside of an approved team event) or by a representative/booster of the University.

2. Purchased by an agent or someone employed by sports representation business.

 

I'm 99% sure Denard is absolutely in the clear in this situation (and like someone else said, we're talking about a lowly Pistons game here, not the All-Star game...).  However, Denard needs to be mindful that fans and foes alike are going to be curious about how he got his ticket, and that when there is a pro player, there's an agent, so it's best not to name drop and make people suspicious.

 

Tater

January 25th, 2012 at 10:10 PM ^

If this was an NFL game, I would be worried.  But Denard doesn't play basketball, so the likelihood of anything being misconstrued is a lot less than it would be for football.  Knight grew up one city over from Deerfield.  Knight has nothing to gain by giving Denard a ticket.  Add it up, and this is just getting a ticket from a friend who "made it."

BRCE

January 25th, 2012 at 10:43 PM ^

Think about that statement:

I saw a college kid out there having a fun, innocent time and it MADE ME WORRIED.

The sanctimonious NCAA and especially the internet culture of taunting rivals over this shit (something I'm proud to not partake in since I know what a house of cards those arguments are) has completely brainwashed people into an almost slave quarter mentality. What a terrible way to be.

 

myblueheaven

January 25th, 2012 at 8:02 PM ^

I can see If that was Braxton Miller sitting court side then you could question the seating arrangements but that is D Rob. There is nothing sinister or diabolical about that smile so one is trying to catch Denard riding dirty!

bacon1431

January 25th, 2012 at 11:02 PM ^

Stay away from Lebron Denard! His mentorship of Mr. Pryor obviously worked........

Honestly, what advice can Lebron give other than "don't get a big head and don't take the criticism personal."

PDX Blue

January 25th, 2012 at 11:45 PM ^

 I would think that Denard, or the rest of the M student athletes for that matter, would run it by compliance to get the green light if the tickets were aquired through Knight or some other means. I have confidence that Denard would not put his eligibility or his team's success in jeopardy, which is why this does not concern me.

Move along, nothing to see here. Except that Denard can even make the Pistons tolerable.

BlueNote

January 26th, 2012 at 1:04 AM ^

make a good pair. They both seem to be really upstanding young men.  

I was initially critical of the Pistons drafting Knight.  However, after learning more about him, his character, studious nature, work ethic -- and watching his improvement over the course of this first dozen games as starting NBA point guard  --  I'm really impressed.  This kid is going to be GREAT.