$EC Schools Paid 2015 LB Recruit a Combined $32,000
Leo Lewis, a 2015 LB recruit, was paid by Ole Miss & Mississippi St to come to their respective schools. He ended up signing with Miss St and is cooperating with the NCAA in its investigation of Ole Miss. He was granted conditional immunity in exchange for his cooperation; however, he's admitted that his current team, the one he ended up signing with, illegally paid him as well. I can't imagine that this is going to end well.
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/8/25/16199394/leo-lewis-…
https://www.seccountry.com/sec/mississppi-state-lb-leo-lewis-received-2…
The money quotes:
Lewis says he took $10,000 cash from an Ole Miss booster, he could only recall the name Allen, the day before signing day. “He told the group (NCAA investigators, his lawyers, and Ole Miss lawyers and reps) he had never intended on signing with Ole Miss and that as he took the payment, he was still deciding between LSU and Mississippi State,” Godfrey says. “Lewis was then pressed by a lawyer for Ole Miss as to why he took the money.”
‘I just wanted the money,'” he said. “‘Cause I needed it … We was moving to a house, and I actually had my daughter. My dad had just went to prison. Uh yeah, so needed it, so I took it. [I] asked for it, and I took it.'”
"Godfrey’s report also states that an audio tape exists in which Lewis’ mother, Tina Henderson, “allegedly told Farrar (Barney Farrar, Ole Miss staff member at the time) that she had received multiple cash offers for Lewis, including $650,000 from LSU and $80,000 from Mississippi State.”
August 25th, 2017 at 8:08 PM ^
The right thing to do would have been to participate in a cover-up? Seriously??
August 25th, 2017 at 2:39 PM ^
August 25th, 2017 at 2:55 PM ^
Eric Dickerson, then a senior in high school and living with his fixed-income grandma in a very small house, suddenly gets a brand new gold-colored Trans AM in his driveway just before signing day. Rival recruiters call it the "Trans A&M" for obvious reasons as ED is expected to head to College Station. At the last minute, he switches to SMU, eliciting a barely muffled scream from A&M boosters: "HEY, WE BRIBED THAT KID, AND HE'S NOT HONORING THE BRIBE."
Crootin'. I don't blame the kid a bit, he was trying to help his family. If someone wants to drop a bag of cash on his table, and he's not legally obligated to do a thing in return, take it and go wherever you want.
August 25th, 2017 at 3:05 PM ^
August 25th, 2017 at 3:47 PM ^
they've learned not to send $$$ using official University Athletic Dept. envelopes like SMU did.
I mean, that would be like some idiot using his work cell to arrange hookers.
August 25th, 2017 at 4:26 PM ^
Well done sir.
August 25th, 2017 at 3:10 PM ^
This story makes me wonder what kind of $$$ has been lost over the years due to recruits accepting bribes and not picking the school that gave the bribe. Would be very interesting.
August 25th, 2017 at 4:33 PM ^
August 25th, 2017 at 3:08 PM ^
August 25th, 2017 at 3:14 PM ^
August 25th, 2017 at 3:32 PM ^
August 25th, 2017 at 3:48 PM ^
he was still underpaid.
August 25th, 2017 at 4:00 PM ^
"why did you take the money?"
Fuck you Mr. Dickhead Esquire. Because I'm a human being. Why are you here right now? You love my company? Asshole.
August 25th, 2017 at 4:28 PM ^
The part about it being part of the job to get testimony on record never occurred to you?
August 25th, 2017 at 8:12 PM ^
What answer that's favorable to Ole Miss could be expected to result from the question? How was Ole Miss' lawyer doing his job by asking it?
August 25th, 2017 at 4:23 PM ^
August 25th, 2017 at 4:31 PM ^
August 25th, 2017 at 4:59 PM ^
I do like that you can pay tens of thousands for a linebacker in the SEC but then someone else can get fired for habitually butt-dialing an escort service. Here is a conference that is built on some solid priorities, not the least of which is a very interesting tiered wage system with an reasonably clear HR policy when it comes to contact with sex workers via telephone.
August 25th, 2017 at 5:07 PM ^
the SEC gets caught REPEATELY Cheating...REPEATELY.....and the NCAA does little..
FIFA, SEC, MEDIA...Corrup, dishonest and deceitful...yet Americans have just accepted it beause nothing ever gets changed
August 25th, 2017 at 5:27 PM ^
August 25th, 2017 at 5:20 PM ^
August 25th, 2017 at 6:16 PM ^
August 25th, 2017 at 7:51 PM ^
Go Blue...
August 25th, 2017 at 10:28 PM ^
$32,000 to a 4 star LB. Imagine what the 5 stars and top 10 recruits get
We already know Saban gives his recruits vehicles from the "investigative" post that showed many of the players cars most of which no jobless college aged kid from a poverty stricken upbringing could afford.
NCAA needs to go balls deep in the SEC starting with Alabama. Then move on to Georgia as their recruiting last year was shady as fuck.
So sick of the NCAA basically doing nothing unless forced to act