SEC Bag Man Benefits
Having it quickly taken down makes me skeptical.
Meh, it's only a $40,000 Challenger R/T, with custom rims...nothing to see here.
Did he #SaveTheManuals and get the 3 pedal version?
The 5.7L is available with a manual, but I don't know the take rate
Dodge.com has it standard on all R/Ts with the auto optional. Of course, actually finding one at a dealer might be an adventure in and of itself.
FIVE-SPEED AUTOMATIC WITH PADDLE SHIFTERS Paddle-shift technology comes on all R/T models equipped with the available AutoStick five-speed automatic transmission. The shifters are made from zinc metal instead of plastic for increased strength and improved feel.
SIX-SPEED MANUAL Fear not. The art of driving has not been lost. Dodge Challenger R/T models come equipped with a standard TREMEC® six-speed manual transmission.
We got a manual with our Dodge (different car) some years ago; lots of grief from the dealer early on but my wife and I prefer manual and, ultimately, it cost a bit less money and stops people from "borrowing" our car here in NY.
To be fair, it isn't an R/T. There is no "Hemi" badge on the hood scoops. Nor is there R/T lettering in the black stripes. If it is brand new, it would be less than $30K.
It hasn't been taken down. I just looked at it on his page. Been up for 14 hours.
I have no doubt in my mind that he received this car against NCAA rules, and that is not me being irrational. But who cares anymore? Obviously the NCAA doesn't as evidence by what they let the SEC get away with.
You do realize that, if one or both of his parents makes a median wage, they can probably buy that car for him with long-term financing? Sure, if they make $40,000 a year it's probably a terrible financial decision to finance a $40,000 car over 7 years, but it's not like a dealership is gonna say no.
It's also possible they recieved financing through alterior means. I'd be willing to bet dollars to pennies that this car wasn't purchased through legit processes.
I dunno, assuming the kid is parked in his parent's driveway, it looks like a standard middle-class neighborhood. I wouldn't be surprised if they bought it for him or if it was a bagman's gift.
Also entirely possible that there was some college savings that could be directed toward other means now that college is 100% paid for (until Saban cuts him).
Friend of mine's parents remodeled the entire house with his and his brother's college funds once they went to one of the military academies and didn't have to pay a dime.
That being said. If I were a betting man, I'd always bet that these kids got the cars by shady means. I feel I'd win over 50% of the time.
Yes, you're probably be right more than 50% of the time. But as you and I (and others here) are asserting, that's not exactly enough to assume something was wrong here.
That wasn't his family's home until he committed to Alabama.
Good point.
I will counter though that it has been my observation that people who make terrible economic decisions like this tend to spend that money on themselves and not their kids. There are a lot of people out there with homes and cars that they can't afford while their college savings funds are empty.
You're assuming the bagman didn't leave the keys for the house under the mat. I'm sure the car was legitimate since it was parked on the driveway.
Not only that, but it's not like people all across the country never buy cars they have no business buying. I worked for a mortgage broker right out of college, and I was working with a guy whose house was about to go into foreclosure. It was a modest house, but he had a $1,200 monthly payment on an SL500. Was that smart? Nope. Was it terribly uncommon? Nope.
Also - could be a lease. Would make the payments much more reasonable. Get a 3 year lease under the assumtion that by the time the lease is up, you're in the NFL.
I actually read in a book I have (called "The Millionaire Mind") that this is pretty common amond doctors and attorneys. Those two groups feel a higher than normal need to have show-y material things - houses, cars, clothing, jewelry - based on the prestige of their jobs, and typically have far more debt compared to every other profession in their income bracket. Part of this is the additional schooling - going to law school or med school both delays the point where you start earning money and can also include a lot of student loan debt.
This certainly doesn't apply to everyone in those professions, but based on a large number of people studied, this sort of lifestyle (expensive things, loads of debt) is far more common for them.
I've done a lot of work in wealth management and can say that doctors and lawyers seem to have a higher percentage of financial idiots than other professions. I've had a number that made in the mil a year range and had less than 10k in savings.
Also possible that his parents saved some money for his colledge education and decided to buy him a car since he got a football scholarship. Not an unheard of motivational technique. I think Dave Molk's Dad bought him a CTS once he got his scholarship.
That's awesome. I'd love to do that for my kids some day. Plus, you'd still end up saving money given the cost of college these days.
It's a win all around.
Here's the article from the MD.
https://www.michigandaily.com/sports/center-molk-chose-michigan-over-ho…
I get my older, old-people Cadillacs messed up at times.
There's no way this could happen. Haven't you heard? These kids are slaves and they are all so poor they have to scrape together money to buy a pizza
/s
Most of them, yeah.
As a matter of simply summarizing the rules for the board, if it were a gift, the only way that it is in compliance is if the University Of Alabama allows students in general to use or indeed if they typically would provide Challenger R/Ts in the normal course of business. If I remember correctly, bylaw 16.11.2.3 actually rules out automobiles as permissible benefits for current - not prospective (at least not specifically) - student-athletes. The rules are apparently a smidge different for currently enrolled students (a minor but interesting inconsistency).
This is nothing really new for Alabama football players.. if you watch the 2010 espn training days video you clearing see greg mcelroy driving a land rover and other players driving new trucks and SUV's with huge spinning rims.
When McElroy took a pic of the food bill he was texting it to his bagman to let him know to where and for how much the payment had to be made.
Maybe he won it in a "raffle"
that Jim Tressel isn't the only coach who knows how to run a raffle.
To be fair, Buddy only tried to take care of Ray "Voodoo" Taylor after Hurrican Katrina. And we saw the Karmic ending.
That poor exploited football player.
The "bagman" piece from a month or so ago only served to confirm what I already believed to be SOP in the SEC and for schools liek OSU and USC.
I think players should all be allowed to take whatever anyone wants to give them as long as it isn't people associated with gambling, who could affect the integrity of the results. I want to see everyone compete on a level playiing field. Imagine what Michigan could do if their boosters started buying key pieces that are usuall lost to OSU, USC or the SEC.
I wish the NCAA would just stop pretending that people who collectively produce more than billion dollars a year are "amateurs." However, as the rules are now, anyone who is paying is cheating because they are violating rules to create a competitive advantage.
Mixed emotions...
the car is parked in a beat-down, shitty neighborhood. Parents could have adequate money to buy their son a nice car. Did he get it by the letter of the NCAA law? I don't know; but I think the point is, that neither do you, so it's not fair for us to speculate.
I think it's probably ok to speculate. Probably.