I loved that Andy Staples took a photo of the two women in action and didn't realize until later that he'd caught them in the act of violating the rules. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/andy_staples/12/11/tennessee-recruiting/
On Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 11:19 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > All heck is about to break loose IF the NCAA and SEC don't start taking > secondary recruiting violations seriously. > > Why should all the teams - except Tennessee - follow the rules if Tennessee > is going to go around and flaunt the fact that they do not intend to follow > the rules. > > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: [gatornews] Recruiter at Tennessee Scrutinized by the SEC > From: John Vega <[email protected]> > Date: Mon, December 14, 2009 11:06 am > To: GatorNews <[email protected]> > > *December 12, 2009* > ** > > *Recruiter at Tennessee Scrutinized by the SEC* > *By **PETE > THAMEL*<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/t/pete_thamel/index.html?inline=nyt-per> > > The Southeastern Conference is examining a new issue involving Tennessee’s > football recruiting, Mike Hamilton, the university’s athletic director, said > Friday. > > Hamilton said in a telephone interview that the SEC was looking into the > actions of a Tennessee recruiting intern, Steve Rubio, who flew to South > Florida with Coach Lane Kiffin recently and visited the athletic powerhouse > St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale. > > Under > *N.C.A.A.*<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/national_collegiate_athletic_assn/index.html?inline=nyt-org>rules, > Rubio, who graduated from Aquinas and volunteered there, is not > allowed to recruit off the Tennessee campus. Hamilton said the concern was > whether Rubio did recruiting work and contacted players while he was at the > high school. > > Hamilton said it was his understanding that Rubio did not recruit at the > high school. Hamilton said Tennessee had given the SEC all the information > the conference has requested. Whether to forward the matter to the N.C.A.A., > Hamilton said, was “for someone else to make that determination.” > > News of the latest recruiting problem came on a day when *SI.com published > a > photograph*<http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/andy_staples/12/11/tennessee-recruiting/>of > two Tennessee recruits, Brandon Willis and Corey Miller of James F. > Byrnes High School in Duncan, S.C., with two hostesses from Tennessee’s > Orange Pride group. Also on Friday, a summer basketball coach from Memphis > called the Tennessee recruiting hostess program the most “orchestrated and > aggressive” he had seen in 28 years on the recruiting circuit. > > The *SI.com* <http://si.com/> photo confirmed the presence of the > hostesses at a high school game and illustrated their purpose in attending > it. They held a sign that read, “Miller and Willis Have Our Hearts.” > > Gary Willis, Brandon’s father, said on Tuesday that his son had had no > contact with the hostesses, although running back Marcus Lattimore, who also > plays at Byrnes, said in an interview that the players had been expecting > the hostesses. > > As the N.C.A.A. examines the matter, it is likely to focus on whether it > can prove that the Tennessee coaching staff sent the hostesses to the high > school specifically to recruit. While their presence would most likely be > considered a violation, its severity would probably be determined by the > extent of the coaches’ knowledge. “I don’t want to talk about that,” Gary > Willis said on Friday. “Let the N.C.A.A. do what they’re going to do.” > > The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the recruiting hostesses > traveled nearly 200 miles to attend the game played by Willis, Miller and > Lattimore. The N.C.A.A. is examining Tennessee’s hostess program in a review > that has covered at least six prospects, including Miller, Willis and > Lattimore. Tennessee has yet to receive a formal letter of inquiry from the > N.C.A.A. > > “I’m not at liberty to talk about the issue of Orange Pride,” Hamilton said > Friday night. Kiffin declined to comment through a university spokesman. > > Also on Friday, Keith Easterwood, a veteran summer basketball coach, said > that on a visit last year with his son, a football recruit, he had to ask a > hostess to stop brushing her breasts against both him and his son. > > He recalled saying, “Young lady, if you don’t stop doing that, we’ve got a > problem.” > > Easterwood said that he took a group of basketball players to a Western > Kentucky football game at Tennessee this year, and that the presence of the > hostesses had his players “literally reduced to blubbering idiots.” > > “I’ve been up there five times, four for football and one basketball > visit,” Easterwood said. “My observation is that this is a very organized > operation. These girls have obviously been groomed. There’s a lot of eye > contact and touching.” > > The inquiries are creating problems for Tennessee, but Hamilton said that > was part of having a successful yet controversial coach like Kiffin. > > “It’s like any situation as an institution — you’re always concerned about > an institution’s public relations and integrity,” he said. “We’re always > evaluating those things.” > > *Thayer Evans contributed reporting.* > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
