OT: Pat Forde Rips KS A Trifecta of Gaping New Ones re: De Sousa Case
In what just world is Bill Self still coaching? Crackerjack takedown of Kansas leadership's amazing gall in complaining about the suspension of basketball player Silvio De Sousa through the end of next year by Pat Forde (who is apparently the only guy left in American sports willing to do any digging at all into the bagman crisis in hoops):
"Here is what Bill Self should have said, if he had a lot less gall and a lot more Self-awareness: I apologize to Silvio De Sousa for putting him in this predicament. I’m sorry that T.J. Gassnola. . . a known bag man and convicted felon, who I was in contact with during this recruitment and others, paid the money that helped bring Silvio to Kansas. . . Everyone in college basketball was aware of T.J.’s reputation and how he operated. I acknowledge that it’s hard to believe that someone with my experience and connections had no idea that he was working a deal to pull Silvio away from Maryland and send him to Kansas. Instead of blaming the NCAA. . . I should blame myself for using T.J. Gassnola as an unofficial recruiter.”
Rather infuriating story--even in today's sports landscape--in full here. (Did you know that Kansas AD Jeff Long's contract offers him an extension for the length of any “federal, state, NCAA, or conference investigation leading to restrictions or probation for its football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball or women’s volleyball athletic programs,” at $1.5 million a year? That's some proactive lawyerly CYA for anticipated wrong-doing!)
February 6th, 2019 at 9:52 PM ^
Cam Newton says, "Hi"
February 6th, 2019 at 9:52 PM ^
Weird look for Long... glad he didn't wind up as UM's AD...
February 7th, 2019 at 2:43 PM ^
I'd bet that Long knew he'd be cleaning up a fairly sizable pile of scandal and smartly negotiated contract language preventing KU from firing him and blaming him for the scandal(s).
It's not uncommon in other fields for turnaround executives to get pretty sizable buyouts and/or job protection clauses so boards can't just wrap the scandal around their neck and throw them overboard.
February 6th, 2019 at 9:57 PM ^
Forde appears on this podcast and discusses this. Great listen. https://overcast.fm/+G-Etgvb9A
February 6th, 2019 at 11:12 PM ^
I am disgusted with all the corruption and amazed that somebody doesn’t investigate it into the open.
February 6th, 2019 at 11:22 PM ^
KU should hope they pull off a miracle Big 12 title again. If they keep losing, the NCAA might actually investigate them
February 7th, 2019 at 12:29 AM ^
College basketball recruiting is so unbelievably dirty, much dirtier than college football recruiting (which itself is very dirty). This is why I can't be too disappointed if a squeaky clean coach like Beilein finishes his career having never won an NCAA championship. It seems like everyone except Beilein is somehow involved in that world.
February 7th, 2019 at 1:16 AM ^
imo, get rid of the one-and-dones and it helps guys like JB big time.
February 7th, 2019 at 4:57 AM ^
What does this have to do with paying players or their families?
February 7th, 2019 at 7:35 AM ^
If they can go right to the league, there will be less need to pay.
February 7th, 2019 at 12:18 PM ^
Why would the need change? Wouldn't it simply shift to the next level that isn't going right into the NBA? The team still needs players and will pay to get the best available.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:55 AM ^
So all of the years players could skip college and enter NBA draft there was nothing shady going on? Come on. The teams that are dirty are going after best players they can.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:19 AM ^
Matt D...what say ye???
February 7th, 2019 at 7:58 AM ^
Great job by Forde. Unfortunately for every Pat Forde there are 50 other people covering college hoops who completely ignored this. Every single sports media operation out there should have written the exact same thing. There should have been headlines everywhere reading "Kansas, Self Are A Disgrace". I'm generally not a "blame the media" guy, but when it comes to this kinda stuff I think they are a big part of the problem.
February 7th, 2019 at 8:41 AM ^
I'm glad we didn't hire Jeff Long as AD, but I will admire the moxie that negotiated that deal! I mean, it essentially says that if he (or anyone under him) cheats and gets busted for it publicly, he gets an extension! WTF could he ever do to get fired? It's bulletproof!!!
So we know all about the Brian Bowen's and Silvio De Sousa's of the world. But what about players like Zion Williamson? How come nobody is looking at Duke? Coach K obviously won that bidding war, or he would have been at KU! And it's pretty clear that Izzo lost bidding to Pitino for Bowen. But no sense in looking at that crap - losers lost, right?
Too bad that college sports are so fun to watch, because they sure are corrupt.
February 7th, 2019 at 8:47 AM ^
Too bad pro sports are so boring by comparison. Pro football/basketball just don't bring the same level of excitement every night.
EDIT: Hockey, especially playoff hockey is the exception IMO.
February 7th, 2019 at 11:05 AM ^
You're looking at the Long contract in the wrong light. He probably negotiated those terms because he knew he was going to a dirty program and that probation (following what was going on with Adidas) was a very likely outcome.
He likely got fired from Arkansas because the Bert hiring didn't work out, which is logical. I'm don't know what options he had for programs, but Kansas might have been the best (maybe only) P5 opportunity he had available to him. Going somewhere dirty isn't a great choice, but it might have been the best option he had.
February 7th, 2019 at 8:49 AM ^
The easy fix to these problems is to stop putting programs like KU and UNC on television.
February 7th, 2019 at 10:00 AM ^
That will never happen
February 7th, 2019 at 9:58 AM ^
You want to see real corruption in action just move to NY
February 7th, 2019 at 12:20 PM ^
Not even remotely surprised. Despite all the success in the horrid Big 12 conference, Kansas has underwhelmed and honestly, why would any urban kid want to go play in the middle of nowhere down Tornado alley? The great tradition and vibe and environment? GTFO... Smells much more to me of bagmen lined up behind bagmen.
February 7th, 2019 at 12:21 PM ^
Self has been dirty for years. Hope he gets blasted.