[Updated] GatorCountry: Southern Cal's Baxter Contacted Florida And Then Lied About It
by Nestor on Jul 8, 2010 5:09 AM PDT
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GatorCountry.com has some explosive new details on the latest scandal to rock the Trogans:
When it gets right down to the reason for The Big Lie being told by the Big Liar and why this stuff keeps happening, one cannot help but wonder how the governing bodies can continue to ignore such blasphemy. Not to mention ignoring the varmint who keeps doing the blaspheming.
Somehow this airhead coach with the fast lip and not-so-fast brain seems suspect for most everything bad about college football these days.
Of course USC is going to deny the culpability of Kiffin in this whole Baxter Dillon charade, because Athletic Director Mike Garrett already has taken the bullet and the blood is on his hands. However, just a letter of apology to Florida AD Jeremy Foley as well as the ADs of other schools implicated by the false accusations of illegal contact is not nearly enough.
It’s like saying to a bank president, "I’m so sorry that one of our guys robbed your bank last week and tied up four of your tellers – he had too much caffeine that day."
GatorCountry.com has learned that Florida not only didn’t contact Baxter but, in fact, Baxter had contacted UF saying he was going to decommit to USC while assistant coach Brian White was in California recruiting.
Meyer has been outright slandered personally again by Kiffin and an apology just won’t get it. The NCAA needs to start levying fines. Hey, didn’t Meyer get hit for a $31,000 fine by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive for saying a whole lot less about some referee’s questionable calls?
What Kiffin and the USC folks did is wrong on so many levels. They apparently took Baxter’s words to the Pac-10 as gospel, then when there were no cell phone records, he claimed he "lost the phone." So what stopped them from contacting the cell phone company for the records?
Read rest of the story here.
The question now becomes what will the NCAA, and even more importantly the Pac-10, do to put a stop to this kind of nonsense. Knowing the kind of lying, cheating, scumbag (He)Lane Kiffin is, it is a very good bet he is going to try the same tawdry tricks against conference opponents in the near future. At this point an "apology" via a "form letter" is not going to cut it.
GO BRUINS.
UPDATE (N): Good catch from Year2 re. CRN being on the recruiting trail and going out of his way to show courtesy to Florida coaches. GO BRUINS.
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Every day is Christmas
Even though it’s still sort of ‘he said, trogan said", I’m inclined to believe the Gators’ side, based on the repective track records.
Reading just one of these stories in a year would be great, simply to twist the knife some. But, man, the wealth of riches lately is just too good to believe. What a trainwreck.
greg in denver - UCLA guy for life
Also
[UF’s California recruiter Brian] White spoke with Baxter and made plans to meet him the next day at Mission Bay High School. When he arrived at 10 a.m. he was surprised to see several other coaches there – including Rick Neuheisel of UCLA and Steve Fairchild of Colorado State.
"I talked to him-a nice kid-for all of two minutes," said White. "He told me he had re-committed to USC. Neuheisel said, ‘Go ahead and take what time you need.’ I thanked him and said ‘That’s all I need.’"
A hat tip to your coach for being courteous to another school’s coach while on a recruiting trip. You don’t hear stories like that too often.
Team Speed Kills
SBNation's SEC Blog
I Wonder
If there is anyone who doesn’t believe that Lame put Baxter up to this.
Kiffin is crossing from straight-up slimeball into full-on meglomaniacal sociopath.
Love My Bruins
"Kiffin is crossing from straight-up slimeball into full-on meglomaniacal sociopath"
Which is just another way of saying he’s becoming more and more like Cheatie Petie, which is exactly what the trOJans were hoping for.
Think about it. It’s likely that every school in D-1 has a set of expectations for its head football coach. Some are written down, and some are just part of the core institutional values of the place. Lame knows exactly what is expected of him and how he should act. He was there and learned it straight from the master. You can bet your bottom dollar that any scolding that Lame gets will certainly be with a “wink, wink.”
This is just more evidence that the trOJies are right when they say there is no basis for a finding of a lack of institutional control. It is plainly obvious that the institution is firmly in control, and they totally support whatever cheating young Lamey is doing. It’s sort of like making one’s bones in the Mafia. What would be totally unacceptable anywhere else is deemed a praiseworthy act at that other place.
You're Right, Of Course
For some reason, Lame worries me a bit more in the sense that he seems more unhinged. Cheatie is deeply corrupt, dishonest and amoral, and God only knows what Mike Garrett is actually thinking at any given time, but Lame strikes me as more likely to just completely explode and go “OJ in the white Bronco.”
Successful Mafiosos have a code of “rules” by which they abide—not the rules we would want them to follow, of course, but they do have boundaries of their own. Going rogue in their organization is a very bad idea. There is something about Lame that feels like he has no sense of any boundaries whatsoever, that he could cheerfully leap off the deep end and do things so extreme and harmful that even Troy would not approve—hurt people if he felt like it, with no thought or compunction at all.
(His demeanor is probably just too reminiscent of people I used to prosecute for me, I imagaine. He is just feels “wrong” to me.)
Love My Bruins
Like Nicky Santoro in "Casino?"
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
From a Florida fan sharing your point of view......
You really hit the nail on the head here; as a Gator fan, you folks have my deepest sympathy in having Lane Kiffin now coaching a rival school in the same conference that UCLA belongs to.
Kiffin had the SEC in an uproar last season; once he took the job at Tennessee to replace Phil Fulmer there was no peace in our conference. It was foolish of him to have taken on Urban Meyer; twice he was forced to eat humble pie after his smack talk directed at UF during his intro speech and once again after he wrongly accused Coach Meyer of cheating concerning a recruit after the Gators beat the Vols in The Swamp and Meyer was found to have done nothing wrong. Twice he was reprimanced by SEC Commisioner Mike Slive for his rogue behavior, and the ultimate in poor sportsmanship came at the end of the Chick-Fil-A Bowl this past winter when he snubbed Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer following the Vols’ loss to the Hokies.
When the Baxter story broke and once again Florida was being accused of improper recruiting tactics along with the other four schools cited, reading between the lines I suspected Kiffin had his fingers on the strings.
Lame’s continuing to burn his bridges behind him and doesn’t seem to care – when and if he ever does, it’ll be too late for him.
Check out my "Talk of the Town" blog at www.gatorenvy.com
by O-town Gator on Jul 13, 2010 5:47 AM PDT up reply actions
Kiffin said, "They came to SC to get their education..."
USC Course Requirements:
Freshman Year: Introductory Lying 101 (Denying and Stonewalling)
Sophomore Year: Intermediate Lying 201 (False Accusations)
Junior Year: Advanced Lying 301 (Avoiding Depositions)
Senior Year: Lying in Spanish (with Senora Ross)
Looks like Dillon Baxtor is starting off very well. He is already at the intermediate level.
by Chicago Bruin on Jul 8, 2010 7:54 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
At this point, what are the odds Baxter stays in South Central?
He’s made it clear he wants out. Even the SC tards can’t be happy with his reaching out to other schools. How long before he pops up in a JC and declares he is wide open to offers?
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
A Lawyer's Nightmare
At time’s like this, when big issues — like sanctions — are in both the courts of law and courts of public opinion, lawyers lecture their clients on the importance of being the best they can be.
Unfortunately, this is the best the trogans can be. And, it must be driving their lawyers nuts.
While the party line is that sc did a few things wrong and was over punished, sc continues to do big things wrong. All to the detriment of their appeal.
sc is the Lilo of sports teams. It just cannot be good. Doesn’t know how.
(Fox, Lilo is Lindsay Lohan. Dropping that phrase proves that there can be some “hip” in Geezers — and no it need not be implanted and artificial.)
In all fairness, Lohand appears to be battling substance abuse.
In sc’s case, the substance is arrogance and a sense that the laws and rules were made for others.
As rich and powerful as both Lohan and sc may be, it is clear that the public is tired of them and both will serve their time; and no one, other than their immediate groupies, will care.
sjh
How does that normally work?
I’m curious. When a university (or the joke of one across town) gets in trouble, which attorneys do they turn to? Do they have their own private attorneys, like big corporations often do, or do they go out and hire attorneys from a private firm for a particular case?
A Mixture of Both
USC, and UCLA, have attorneys on staff that were hired and work as employees of the university. Additionally, they will often hire outside firms to represent them in large and/or complicated matters.
Wow
I didn’t even know what Lilo was. When I saw that, I thought of the little girl in the Disney movie with Stitch.
It really is amazing.
Your school is just about ready to get hit with major NCAA sanctions after a four year investigation so you hire a coach who (1) participated in the shenanigans as an assistant coach at USC; (2) smeared the reputation of another coach (Urban Meyer); and (3) committed several NCAA violations during his first year as head coach at another institution.
Then, right after the NCAA hits you with the sanctions, your crazy ass Athletic Director goes on the record stating that, “I read between the lines and there was nothing but a lot of envy. They wish they all were Trojans.”
Then, your narcissitic ex coach proclaims, “We just didn’t know,” without an ounce of contrition, shame, or responsibility. Despite reams of evidence that Bush was getting paid, he expects us to believe him like we are morons.
Then, a member of the USC Board of Counselors (Mark Larson) tells the Orange County Register, “There’s a difference between cheating and breaking the rules. This was breaking the rules. It’s ludicrous to say USC was cheating.” Essentially, he was saying that it’s okay to break the rules, because that is not cheating.
Note, "The USC Athletics Board of Counselors serves as the “Board of Trustees” for the Athletic Department." http://www.usctrojans.com/support-groups/board-counselors.html
Then, they expect the NCAA to reduce their penalties???
This is not the way for a Univeristy to behave when it wants the NCAA to believe it has changed its ways and will run a clean program in the future. Just compare with the University of Michgan. The University President, Head Football Coach, and Athletic Director all publicly presented the findings of an independent counsel and answered questions at an open press conference. http://www.maizenbrew.com/2010/5/25/1486648/a-measured-appropriate-response
I just think they don’t get it. They have a culture of entitlement, arrogance, lying, and cheating that is beyond belief. It’s really a shame because they are teaching this culture to their students. It’s all part of belonging to the “Trogan Family.”
by Chicago Bruin on Jul 8, 2010 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions
'66
It seems to me that this group has every single characteristic of a Lawyer’s Nightmare:
1. None of them can stop talking. (“Shut up. Just shut up. Stop talking to anybody except me, about anything.”)
2. All of them have taken a haughty, “How dare you?” tone towards the NCAA, the press, the public, other schools, their own players, and their ex-players. These happen to be the only people who could be of any “use” to them in their current situation.
3. They keep doing things, acting out, and making threats from a defensive and accusatory posture. This eliminates any hope of a “learned their lesson/changed their ways” argument so critical in any case where your client is culpable.
4. They continue to be complicit with one another in further acts which could be ultimately determined to be additional violations. No judge on the planet will tolerate the “Keystone Cops” approach to defense.
5. All the while, their self-righteous vocalizations of denial become “louder,” and more frequent. (See 1.)
6. They are, seemingly, all extremely stupid.
Love My Bruins
Sometimes
The most exceedingly corrupt wear rampant stupidity like a cloak.
While this is probably not the case with Lame, I suspect some of these other role players are likely not quite as ignorant as they seem.
Love My Bruins
This shouldn't be over
If Baxter did indeed lie about this, then he likely violated a NCAA Bylaw:
NCAA Bylaw 10.1, which addresses “unethical conduct” and includes “Knowingly furnishing the NCAA or the individual’s institution false or misleading information concerning the individual’s involvement in or knowledge of matters relevant to a possible violation of an NCAA regulation.”
Dez Bryant was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for most of the 2009 season for violating this very bylaw when he lied to the NCAA about being in contact with Deion Sanders (which was not an violation per se).
So, NCAA, now that 5 schools have been publicly slandered due to false information given by one of your student athletes, how are you going to handle this?
"I don't forget very much" Rick Neuheisel, 11/28/09
Please, don't wake me up!
This just keeps getting better. Now the entire college football world knows what we have known for decades. Baxter caught in a lie, suc out of Coaches Poll, what’s next? Why don’t these fools stop digging?
One of the stranger aspects of this whole sordid mess ...
is that no one as SC is publicly embarrassed by the scandal.
We can make fun of SC academics all we want, but the truth is it’s a decent enough school with a decent faculty, many of whom do good work in research. Where is there outrage?
When you think about it, they have a greater level of lack of institutional control than just Garrett overseeing a rogue football coach or his insipid little replacement. This goes upstairs to the university president.
At the moment, there is a vacuum at the top at SC. Sample is gone and their new president hasn’t started yet. But Sample should be humiliated by all of this. These guys worked for him and this all happened on his watch.
Contrast this with the Carnesale/Dorrell disaster. Carnesale erred in backing Dorrell, but he backed him for a somewhat noble reason: he believed that Dorrell was an up and coming young football coach whose hiring had the added benefit of making a statement about the university’s commitment to diversity. It back fired and Dorrell did a poor job — but he didn’t behave like a thug on or off the field.
You know what restores SC’s credibility: The new president comes in, drops the appeal then fires Mike Garrett or asks him to resign. What you have now is an AD who apparently can do whatever he wants no matter what.
Very different situations
Dorrell was simply a case of hiring someone who did not do as good a job as expected at the time of hiring. Happens in all walks of life, nothing at all dishonorable about it.
Say what you will about UCLA’s administration, but the leadership at least makes the effort to do things above board.
While SC’s administration has gone to great lengths to improve the academics during Sample’s tenure, they also cut quite a few corners to try and boost the university’s reputation by gaming the college rankings. All you have to do is look at how their admissions department selectively reports test scores (i.e., cherry picking the highest scores from multiple sittings, and supposedly excluding the scores from athletes and legacy admits), and throws free rides at National Merit Scholars (who don’t do anything other score highon the otherwise meaningless PSAT, yet the number of National Merit Scholars is used as a criteria for many college rankings).
Recall Coach Wooden’s quote about character:
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
I think the higher ups at UCLA took that lesson more to heart than Garrett, Sample, et al did.
The real comparison is Harrick.
He won a national championship, broke a minor recruiting rule by accident, then tried to cover it up. So UCLA fired him. Who fired Garrett, Carroll, or McNair? Who made sure that Carroll was succeeded by a squeaky clean coach? (Yes, we ended up with the catastrophe Lavin, but we didn’t hire Todd Bozeman or Dave Bliss, which is basically what SC did.)
They can't be embarrassed, A
Read Conquest Comicals for about two minutes. It’s clear that the entire lives of these trOJies revolves around their football team. It is their persona. Their football team is a powerhouse, so each trOJan is now Big and Tall and Muscular. The football team has to win, because if the team doesn’t win, then they have to take a step back and maybe look at their pathetic lives and at the absolutely horrible place they have to go to school. So of course they don’t care if the team cheats to do it. We’ve all heard the excuses for their cheating, and they don’t have to be reiterated.
Now they have to deal with the sanctions and a new coach and recruits who are leaving. “We’ll appeal the sanctions and get them overturned!” “Lame is a brilliant coach!” “We didn’t really want them anyway!”
But the thing you hear most is that Emperor $c is really wearing a beautiful suit of clothes. Never mind that he’s just been booked for being naked in public. The trOJies have to continue to marvel at his beautiful clothes. If they admit the obvious, they have to admit everything else about that place. Stuff that everyone (including every trOJie) knows but that they can’t admit and keep any self esteem. So they can’t be embarrassed. They have to keep living in their fairy tale.
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