Football Recruiting and the reality of bagmen
Last week, I had an interesting conversation with a registered NFL agent. This particular agent formally represents several Michigan grads currently in the league, as well as guys currently on the team. He thinks well of many guys at Michigan, even though he is an OSU grad. Our discussion took place prior to the debacle, when I still had naive hope in a Michigan win. Sigh.
In our discussion, he shared that a huge number of highly rated players, including several prominent guys currently on Michigan's team, receive compensation. From his perspective, basically every kid who is from a low income family and is ranked more or less in the top 100 prospects, probably in the top 200 or 300 prospects, is currently receiving compensation. He also believes that given the ridiculous amounts of money involved, this makes sense. Why should rich white guys in the NCAA and coaches and institutions get more and more, when kids in challenging circumstances basically get nothing. (Well, they get free room and board and tuition, but that's basically in exchange for working full time as a football player on a Division I team.)
As regards OSU, this matter of compensation has given them a huge leg up on Michigan. One of the real reasons Zach Smith continued so long as WR coach was his ability to leverage compensation for recruits going to the Buckeyes. The reality is that if the same thing doesn't happen at Michigan, we are never going to catch up to Alabama and Clemson, let alone OSU.
I don't know quite what to make of it all, but I am sure this is the reality. My guess is that Brian is all too aware of the reality, and this is part of the reason he supports compensating players openly. I'm sure there are boundaries out there and lines you can't cross. That's part of the reason Ole Miss got in trouble: they either paid players too openly, or crossed the wrong powerful people.
Regardless, here are my major takeaways. First, the schools at the top shield the coaches with plausible deniability, but these same coaches almost have to be aware that this is going on. If bagmen or boosters or agents are compensating family members, they do it in a way that no one on the coaching staff has their hands on it or direct knowledge of it. Second, if my agent contact is correct, several top players at Michigan are part of the same practice. Which means that I don't know how accurate it is to be throwing stones at other schools and their coaches. For good or for bad, this is the current reality. Given the current economic status of many the families involved, and the obscene amounts of money to be made, it is fairly inevitable that this would be the reality.
November 29th, 2018 at 8:14 PM ^
The poster is not passing judgement on anyone or saying what he thinks. He is merely stating what his source is saying. Take it for what it's worth. Don't be so sensitive. He also said his source knows UM grads and current players who are taking extra benefits too.
November 29th, 2018 at 4:06 PM ^
I believe this to be true.
November 29th, 2018 at 4:09 PM ^
Here’s another true story -
2016 I spent a dell week down in Orlando for the UA Game and the Michigan Bowl game vs Florida. Same UA Game that had Gary, Bush, Brederson, McDoom, Walker, Haskins and a ton other. You can’t imagine the stuff these kids received.
I’m talking about having a in, not just showing up to watch the game I’m talking about being at the hotel w the kids for the week, the helmets alone were $3000 for each kid. They received one and was fitted w there high school logos (to use and get used to if chose to) a game helmet in a Orlando and a extra one sent home as a gift.
I know a certain SC defensive player who had his ASS SENT HOME because he was wearing Nike shoes. Each player had 3-4 of the huge equipment duffel bags loaded with stuff.
I say w a certain OL Father for drinks who’s kid is all conference down South and he told me which I believe because I witnessed the same thing from Michigan, that they had a meeting set up for a Friday at the school and on the Wednesday before Michigan called and cancelled and gave no reason, they were actually gonna verbal after the meeting.
I know another OL recruit who had a meeting set up and Drevno no showed at the school w the parents, kid, and football coaches from the high school. This kid also is all conference and boy we sure could use him.
Players have separate lounges then the family lounges... you wonder why these kids feel entitled. I say next to the mom of the starting QB at Tennessee now and tonlisten to her was like listening to a someone who feels owed.
Unless you have seen it or lived it first hand you wouldn’t believe what goes on at a facility on a game day and what is happening begins those closed doors, it’s mond boggling.
November 29th, 2018 at 4:11 PM ^
Even if you pay the players openly, they will still receive even more secret money.
November 29th, 2018 at 4:14 PM ^
Lol of course its happening at Michigan. You think we are recruiting at a top 10 level while every other school coaches because we dominated the early 1900s of the sport?
November 29th, 2018 at 4:30 PM ^
Probably happens at many schools to land difference making recruits. Which when landed, take major food off a rival school's plate. And give a team an important advantage head to head against a rival on the field.
I have serious doubts it happens at Michigan.
The whistle blower risk would be unmanageable.
Michigan has institutional factors which are premier and helps it draw interest over most other schools. Same can be said for many of the traditional blue bloods.
November 29th, 2018 at 5:38 PM ^
I think it probably does happen at Michigan but the way StephenRKass has described it, it's the agents doing the paying.
If it is happening it is possible that people in the AD at Michigan suspect or "know" but they may not have any proof.
In a sense, I don't think Michigan is necessarily paying the players or even allocating or directing the payments but the "receiving of compensation" is likely happening.
That being said, I think there are a lot of good reasons for players to choose Michigan other than payment: facilities, coaching staff, alumni base, big school, the Big House, players in the NFL, etc.
So if the payment is occurring its not like it tied to Michigan at all. It's not even tacitly allowed or acknowledged. But it probably does occur.
November 29th, 2018 at 4:31 PM ^
If this is the case then I think John O’Korn owes boosters money.
November 29th, 2018 at 4:53 PM ^
He certainly isn't the only one.
November 29th, 2018 at 5:04 PM ^
In other news, water is wet
November 29th, 2018 at 5:39 PM ^
About 4 years ago at a party thrown by a friend, I met a former NFL agent who had just finished his first year as the cap specialist for an NFL team. I asked him about bagmen and paying players and while he didn't go into the level of detail the OPs contact did he did say it was standard practice. Between school boosters and the agents top players and their families are generally getting something.
One thing I found interesting was this guy told me he thought having been an agent the switch to the other side of the desk would be relatively easy. In fact it was very difficult Mainly because he now had to be the guy to push to cut players, even good ones, popular in the locker room and community. He told me the first time that happened both the position coach and the player cried because he was a veteran who had spent his whole career with this team.
Anyway that's my cool story bro
November 29th, 2018 at 5:46 PM ^
Paying college athletes will never work. It cannot work. There are simply too many obstacles within the present system to overcome, IMHO.
That being said, the NCAA needs to do better.
-Players should be guaranteed healthcare for the rest of their lives for any injuries sustained while playing for the NCAA.
-Player's scholarships should allow them to continue their educations after football, at least so they can come back and get their bachelors if they didn't finish it before leaving (in good standing)
-Marijuana testing should be immediately discontinued.
-Steroid testing should be increased substantially, if possible.
-Players should be allowed to accept external endorsement contracts so long as they don't use school gear in promotions and the fund are put in a trust until after college eligibility is up.
-Players should be allowed to sell their gear, but only after their college playing careers are over? This is already legal, right?
More to come...Anybody else have any ideas?
November 29th, 2018 at 5:57 PM ^
The Zach Smith part definitely makes sense. I never thought it was believable that Meyer kept him around because he was Earl Bruce's grandson.
November 29th, 2018 at 6:01 PM ^
Not buying that Jim Harbaugh and his staff would allow this or not investigate further if they had an idea it was going on under the table. This goes against all that the university stands for, and also does not fit with the way Michigan recruits and the type of player that ends up here. I think this is why we lose out on many recruiting battles and finish second many times for big recruits.
I also do not find an OSU source trustworthy, and his comments are likely self-serving given the way they conduct business down there.
November 29th, 2018 at 6:24 PM ^
I have thought for the last 10-12 years that the most successful programs have players that get compensation from somewhere. And the occasional super season from out of nowhere for a program that isn't usually in the national championship conversation has players getting paid. I believe the NCAA has looked the other way for the USC's and Bama's and OSUs of the football because it makes them so much money. The SMU's and occasional Auburn's are the ones the NCAA will hammer on to say they are working on the problem.
The USC-Reggie Bush was too big and obvious to ignore and the program has never recovered.
The bottom line is if you don't play (pay) on the same level as the big boys, you'll never compete. That is where we are now. We can talk all we want about "being clean", but in the end all that matters in winning championships and for the players 'getting into the league'.
Michigan is not succeeding at either really. We are getting a fair amount of players into the league but mostly at lower rounds and as FA. Bama OSU and most of the SEC are getting the lions share of the headlines and 1st rounders. As long as we are willing to stand on the sidelines and thump our chests about being clean we will continue to get slaughtered by OSU and the rest of the top 10 schools.
I understand the desire to run a clean program, but if everyone else is compensating players, we'll never keep up. We're already so far behind OSU, not to mention Bama.
November 29th, 2018 at 6:26 PM ^
Or maybe the NCAA, if it were not already heavily peppered with SEC lackey bureaucrats and lacking wholesale organizational integrity, could just enforce the current 2018 recruiting rule book it took years to document after the 1970s Oklahoma, MSU, Washington, 1980s SMU, Oklahoma again, Alabama, USC, UCLA, Washington again, UNC and Miami recruiting scandals and slap trespassers around who don't comply with penalties that mean something.
Let's assume a horrible scenario: Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, MSU, Wisconsin and Iowa areall caught red0handed paying players and their families with under the table cash money, free lease cars from dealerships, benefits, tattos, what have you, etc.
If they all get fined, docked scholarships and levied championship game and bowl bans by the NCAA, does the NCAA care if, as a result, it is Northwestern as the BIG10 championship at 9-4 or 8-5?
Does the NCAA care if a bunch of 5-star players end up at Minnesota and the Gophers then go 11-1 in 2020?
Fact is, the NCAA is corrupt to the core. It's no accident that that the SEC and ACC conference teams are perretting into the final 4 every year.
the NCAA doesn't want its own goddamned recruiting rules enforced.
A lot of people forgot what Alabama was all about before Saban arrived in 2007: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2720980-college-footballs-biggest-scandals-since-2000
It's still a pit of serpents: https://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/06/alabama_reports_22_ncaa_minor.html
November 29th, 2018 at 6:36 PM ^
Expose it and thats the end of major college sports. There is not one major university that relies on the chump change sports bring in. U of M brings in over a billion a year on tuition alone, while Sports profit about $2mil........
November 29th, 2018 at 6:37 PM ^
I think the problem with the whole "pay the athletes" argument is that people always want more money. If players are paid ~$50k a year across the board, a team could easily tell a recruit "we'll pay $100k a year." Teams will keep raising the stakes and illegally paying players no matter how much players are paid by the NCAA
November 29th, 2018 at 6:45 PM ^
No the problem is schools like Michigan dont need sports. Major college sports is nothing more than advertising for these major universities. They pull in just as much from government grants as they do sports, not to mention donations and of course TUITION. Paying players makes absolutely NO fiscal sense for any major university and it will be the end of major college sports.
November 29th, 2018 at 7:23 PM ^
Start paying athletes outright and it's not college athletics any longer. No thanks.
Let's start by getting the money out of the system and getting rid of these ridiculous cable contracts and apparel sponsorships, then lower coach and athletic department salaries and ticket prices. Anyone with a smartphone should be able to broadcast out of a publicly-funded university stadium. Fewer commercials to watch, we will all love it!
I think there's some sort of historical relationship between GDP and money spent on athletics/entertainment historians have measured since Roman times. Things seem really out of whack these days.
November 29th, 2018 at 8:02 PM ^
Can someone explain why Michigan would willingly violate rules, but not be willing to compete with the likes of OSU, Bama, Clemson, etc.?
November 29th, 2018 at 11:02 PM ^
Sometimes you can morally justify doing something "just a little".
November 29th, 2018 at 8:31 PM ^
This shouldn't surprise anyone. I know of a player getting a dufflebag of cash left on his porch while in school. The school, all the legal stuff we have, that's a part, but we're not landing top guys without doing the same stuff everyone else does. One of the reasons for the panic about the Fab Five was the fear that it'd open the door to investigating football.
My understanding is that most guys get paid afterwards, especially if they were highly touted and didn't make the League. It's not like former players were playing football in China for tons of cash.
If Michigan wasn't paying players, you'd have Michigan donors paying private detectives to track OSU recruiting, etc.
Beilien, on the other hand, from everyone I've talked to at M and in pro agent land, is clean, which is remarkable.
November 29th, 2018 at 9:05 PM ^
Every year when Michigan gets stomped by Ohio State these bullshit threads pop up like weeds. It's a very prominent, and smug, ritual around here.
"We lose every year because we're so goddamm awesome!" Yay, we're better than every other school that wins championships!
Bullshit.
This, and I know it's a blog and not journalism, becomes the National Enquirer every year just after Michigan shits the bed.
And it's always the same, tired shit, with the same tired threads, probably by the same people. I mean, this silly little message board has SO MANY gadabouts who talk to agents, know players brothers, casually meet the coach at WalMart or while pissing at Bdubs, and they do all this while replying to every thread all day long.
Bullshit.
Name your source. Name your player. Name the people who feed you this (provided this shit isn't completely made up anyway) or shut up.
All it does is create another circle jerk of losers who want to justify Michigan's underachieving by claiming to be so goddamm AMAIZING!!!
Bullshit.
I particularly love the stupidity of "Ohio State beats us because they take this game so seriously all the time and we, well, we're too busy studying geometry" Teams come close to OSU because OSU is "distracted" because Michigan is on the schedule in 9 weeks. We're Ohio State's Super Bowl. We have a target on our backs, we get their best game.
Bullshit.
Maybe, just maybe, OSU gets upset or has a close game because they have a target on their back, because they ARE awesome at football and win meaningful games, and teams GO AFTER THEM REAL HARD ALL THE TIME???
Nooooo. Michigan loses big games because we're so awesome.
There's a swamp salesman in charge in Washington DC who should read this blog.
November 29th, 2018 at 9:18 PM ^
There are no geometry classes at Michigan. Probably a few at OSU though.
November 29th, 2018 at 9:53 PM ^
I could name the agent, the former players he represents, those on the team he is likely to represent, players he named who are paid, players he named as douchebags (and why), and a former player who really took advantage of another agent. However, that would really royally screw the agent, the former players, the current players, and me. I don't know what the heck to say. It is close to impossible for me to prove anything. I will say that this is the value of a blog: it is close to impossible for a journalist to cover anything like this, because the information is confidential and too hot to handle.
I am privy to very little information like this. It was definitely of interest to me, and I figured it might be of interest to other readers.
FTR, before this post, I had avoided mgoblog all week . . . have not been on the blog at all from last Friday through the bball win last night.
To be honest, my contact is small potatoes. Two Michigan guys who are really connected are former Michigan player Rob Pelinka, an agent who became GM for the LA Lakers, and agent Mark Bartelstein, parent of former Michigan basketball player Josh Bartelstein. If those guys would talk, my, the stories they could tell!!
November 29th, 2018 at 10:11 PM ^
I wish we could still give a thumbs up to various message board posts instead of just the comments...
Whereever you have competitive sports and money to be made, there's going to be ''bagmen''...I wholeheartedly agree with the general outline here.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:49 PM ^
and I agree that some efor of compensation should be available for players...but still...there will always be bagmen
November 29th, 2018 at 11:11 PM ^
DPJ 100% gets a little something
November 29th, 2018 at 11:28 PM ^
Here's the deal, and will always be the deal. Everybody needs to cut the shit.
Michigan does not have high standards for admitting football players. They go by the NCAA D1 standards, MAYBE just slightly higher.
A vast majority of the football players aren't getting their degrees in anything relatively hard. And they have so much help to get the 1.8/1.9/2.0 GPA to be eligible (2nd year, 3rd year, 4th/5th year respectively.
Top recruits at Michigan receive a little something by someone. Agent, booster, whoever.
Some players take PEDs. Drug testing is extremely lenient out of season, many kids never get tested, and it's impossible for HGH to be caught at the NCAA level.
This is just how it is. Michigan very likely is more ethical about this stuff and it happens on a smaller scale, but this stuff happens.
November 30th, 2018 at 12:23 AM ^
OSU trolls can cut the shit. Be happy with your win.
November 30th, 2018 at 1:10 AM ^
Lived in A2 for a vast majority of my life, and my father is a well respected professor at UofM and has had patients by the names of Brian Griese, Jordan Poole, John Beilein, and others.
I am a michigan fan. But after going through collegiate athletics and also knowing several Olympians, I have been fascinated by the business of college athletics and also PED use in sports.
It's just really naive to think that Michigan, with as huge of as business as its football team is, has zero kids on the team that have received an illegal benefit from somebody. It just doens't make any sense. There are rich alumni that want to see their team win more than they want to make their next buck, and I just find it hard to believe that there are no meetings with some recruits or gifts given.
And one of side hobbies is researching PED use in sports. Every major football program has guys taking PEDs. Some teams it is more rampant than others. But there is absolutely no doubt that Michigan has guys taking PEDs.
A vast majority of the people I am associated with were in college athletics. The track team at my school had a fake penis to fill with pee to pass drug tests (mostly for marijuana, but I don't doubt there could have been a PED reason). I also know a guy that was at Purdue that was drug tested one time in his career, and him and the other 5 guys being tested went to lowe's and bought some stuff to engineer an apparatus that could help keep clean urine warm and to go through a tube to look like they were peeing.
Also, not all drug tests are NCAA sanctioned. The school administers tests sometimes which they can decide the punishment for a failed test. These dudes are not tested that often, and out of season testing is an absolute joke. Having gone through this all myself, after my collegiate career I realized how I could have done a cycle every off season and never had a chance of being caught. And I could have done cycles during season without ever being caught. Obviously I didn't take PEDs (except I definitely took more than 500 mgs of caffeine during some competitions which is illegal in NCAA).
I am just tired of people that don't think any of this stuff goes on. It's ridiculous to me.
November 30th, 2018 at 1:24 AM ^
I also competed against a kid from Bloomfield Hills whose dad was a pychopath who lived vicariously through his son's athletic achievements. Like next level pyschopath that bordered on abuse. The kid took HGH in high school becuase the family could afford it and he ended up competing at Michigan and was an All B1G and All American.
I don't know if he took it at Michigan, but he absolutely took it in high school. And this was for a non football or basketball sport.
There are kids on Michigan football that have taken PEDs in high school. It's way more rampant than you'd think in high school, ESPECIALLY in football. I mean even in the 80's Bo was concerned about PEDs in high school football and it definitely is not less prevalent now than then.
November 30th, 2018 at 11:12 AM ^
I don't know about the whole "bagmen" stuff but you are absolutely right on about PED's. I'm intimately aware of the PED part. It's really not a big deal as you noted and is easy as hell to get around with the NCAA testing setup. It's a bit harder than it was 10-15 years ago but still fairly easy.
November 30th, 2018 at 1:47 AM ^
Paying the players . . . how quaint.
Meanwhile, the Big Ten East has become a cesspool of sexual predators and abusers.
There are arbitrary rules . . . and there are actual crimes.
Paying the players is an arbitrary rule that won't even be a rule in a few more years. It's not an actual crime.
Stephen Ross can take care of Michigan's players for all I care.
November 30th, 2018 at 2:55 AM ^
1) Interesting post. Somewhat related to the “Michigan is Good but won’t ever be Elite Unless we Cheat” diary, with the modifier of “Cheat MORE”. As to the posters who wonder why we dabble but not go in whole hog—either moral rationalizations and/or similar to people who break rules but who are still not hardened criminals yet. But it seems like we are on that path due to the cultural shift and total lack of meaningful enforcement by the NCAA. When just one or two programs break the rules, they are corrupt and the non cheaters are virtuous. But when a tipping point hits and a big % of high profile teams cheat with impunity, then the programs exercising restraint cease being virtuous and instead just become suckers.
2) To posters wondering why we don’t as a school openly advocate paying players—it’d put an even bigger target on our back from the NCAA. Unless we only advocate the private free enterprise route (commercial sponsorships, endorsements, etc), the NCAA would feel their profits absolutely threatened and make us Public Enemy #1. It’d have To be a critical mass of schools to have safety in numbers.
3) To those wondering why there aren’t more whistle blowers—just WAY too much money and power involved.
Most don’t have an incentive to whistle blow. Either because they derive direct benefits from the current system or they’d suffer financial or political loss as a pariah for harming the favored home team. Disgruntled staffers coaches and players don’t want to get kicked out of the coaching/player fraternity for being a “troublemaker.” Plus they likely wouldn’t have the systematic proof to blow it wide open
This is a cash cow for the NCAA, so unless it’s blatant and they’re EMBARRASSED into investigating, they won’t. Plus they don’t have subpoena power. And what local state Attorney General is going to investigate the state’s beloved team or coach when the next election is around the corner?
What local beat journalist will sacrifice their access and goodwill among program insiders/sources by printing an expose article? What local news editor will risk a huge drop in ratings or circulation by alienating a big % of the local readership/viewership?
Only way this gets blown open is if the federal government (FBI/DOJ) get involved, or if a national level media outlet (or unemployed/ambitious reporter) with nothing left to lose and a Pulitzer To gain spend YEARS of investigative journalism and then rolls out an iron clad expose over multiple media platforms.
Which brings me to my final point:
4) I’m surprised Michigan booster networks don’t find legal ways to spend their money more creatively. For example, if we lack the will to go full SEC, why not use our booster money to shine light on the shenanigans at our rival schools? Yes, there’s a risk of blowback if we aren’t squeaky clean. But in a 3 foot flood the 2 foot tall guy drowns and the 4 foot guy survives. Plus, boosters could do this totally confidentially.
Have a deep pocketed donor fund an “investigative journalism” nonprofit to the tune of a million bucks per year. Set it up via a series of shell corporations to obscure the source of the money. Then hire a small army of investigative feeelande journalists, seasoned “opposition researchers” from the political world, and a chief of staff to coordinate it all. Then systematically target the dirtiest 2-3 key rival programs for research. Compile a dossier of iron clad proof, then hire a PR firm based in NYC or LA to confidentially shop around the findings to every media outlet that will listen.
Journalists are usually lazy. They’d need to independently confirm the dossier of course, but it’s basically spoon fed right to them. At some point a critical mass of outlets would pick up the story and voila—your key rivals are now dealing with shitty PR, laboring to recruit under a cloud of a potential NCAA investigation, dealing with potential friction from their AD, board of trustees, prominent boosters, the also-ran media feeding frenzy, etc.
Basically privately fund a clandestine opposition research unit & PR “war room” to systematically uncover and lob PR Molotov cocktails into the laps of key rival coaches/programs.
November 30th, 2018 at 8:10 AM ^
#3 is what I was getting at. I AGREE with the premise you posted. A whistleblower to be a whistleblower I can see why many don't...no incentive. But using my "high schooler has sex with teacher" example this stuff would get out there. Some due to bragging by the receiver and mostly due to the jealous majority not getting crap or getting far less until they get theirs.
It just feels like there would be a lot more craziness if it was this blatant unless the NCAA is coordinating it and there is a firm warning to others you don't talk; to the point where violence is used to dissuade it. Honestly, that may be the case. They might say to a R. Gary type of guy at clemson "you are getting money and we will f*cking kill you and your family if you don't keep it a secret" (not in a sarcastic way...a very real way) and maybe the NCAA helps cover it up and facilitate it.
If that's not the case though these parents and kids talk so much I just think we'd hear about these things much more on a large scale. These kids would be so loud about it, they'd talk about it on tv, radio, etc. And the parents, oh my word the parents would be so loud and vocal if one parent thought "they weren't getting theirs".
November 30th, 2018 at 8:02 AM ^
Let me ask, naively, a question. You know when students start having sex with teachers and the smoking hot teacher is caught everyone says "what a dumbass why did they talk".
People talk. It's often not the guys getting the sex it's that the guys getting it brag or others see it or think it's going on and they get jealous and they make a big stink about it because they want the sex.
Wouldn't it be the same thing here if it is this blatant? If you are a guy just out of the top (but still damn good) and maybe you are not poor, but firmly middle class (which is what makes up the vast majority of players) wouldn't you start being like "WTF?!" Even the parents...Mom A has a gross income of $42,000 and a mega star kid at osu and gets cash and mom b has an income of $70,000 and a 1b type of kid and doesn't get cash. Mom B is going to slap a bitch and get loud. That's how life works.
Or are you guys just saying they give the top guys like a $15 starbucks gift card? If not, and this is real, big time money it's just hard for me to believe based on my "I banged my teacher" example.
The only way I think it is this open and blatant in the form of real and routine payments is if the NCAA is involved and helps cover it up.
November 30th, 2018 at 9:00 AM ^
Not really, outta sight outta mind. Most other fellow students don't care.
November 30th, 2018 at 11:45 AM ^
To use your hypotethical disgruntled kid who isn't *quite* good enough for the booster payments/gifts, but then sees his buddies getting them....
The reason he/his family doesn't whistle blow may be a combination of several reasons:
- He may not be totally aware of it in a provable way. Usually the sophisticated booster networks make sure to place the payments/benefits in either small dollar intervals so the recipient CAN'T flash the cash around unless he's insanely disciplined & saves all of his small $50/$100/$250 payments. But if he's that disciplined, then he's probably also disciplined enough to not flash it around anyway. Or they have the car lease in the uncle's name and the uncle keeps it at his house across town & the kid only gets to drive it around once or twice per week--plausible deniability saying he's just "borrowing his uncle's car."
- Football teams and groups of friends/cliques especially for young men are tribal & have a great sense of community in many respects. Even if he/his family is aware of the payments & he's not getting them, he enjoys the camradarie and doesn't want to "rat out" his friends and become a parriah on a practcail/day to day level.
- Even if he's willing to throw his current team (or a team he *almost* committed to) under the bus with some type of (almost impossible to find iron clad evidence), he may still think he's got a shot at playing in the NFL or coaching at the college level and does not want to get labeled as a "troublemaker" by the industry generally. Just go with the flow, man. Don't make no waves. He just doesn't want a scarlett letter generaly even if he's willing to totally burn bridges at his specific program. This might also be true if he's got a sibling or cousin or best friend who is wrapped up in the whole thing. Blowing the whistle may create some collateral damage to people he cares about, either b/c they would get swept up in the scandal, or they too would get the "troublemaker" label due to "guilt by association" if he turns whistle blower.
- If he's still in the recruiting cycle or if he's young in his college football career, he may be under the delusion that if he keeps his mouth shut & is just patient enough, he'll get some type of payments (or better payments) too. i.e., Holding out hope that even if he didn't get a signing/committment bonus, maybe the booster network will still give him cash for in-season/in-game performance, or for not declaring for the NFL Draft & coming back to play for his college one more season.
November 30th, 2018 at 8:27 PM ^
The question about compensating football players runs into the current title IX legislation. You can bet your last dollar that our current federal government would require compensation in equal value and numbers for women sports.