UCLA Mess

[tornado]

This story is self-explanatory

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/magazine/02/28/ucla/index.html

However - contrary to claims I have seen that "no rules were ever broken"...
I disagree........

"There were nights out with current and former NBA players, television stars and models.
One evening the partying started at the Beverly Hills mansion of a wealthy UCLA fan.
The Bruins were then chauffeured in a Rolls-Royce to a West Hollywood club, where several players
were ushered past a long line of people and given VIP treatment at a table in the back."

Party buses, freebies, special privileges, VIP treatment, ladies provided, underage boozing, DRUGS, etc.....plus - read on - intentionally inflicting injuries on other players -- like this stuff isn't against the rules??

Yet the article says that head coach Ben Howland knew all about all of this and failed to ever issue any discipline and by his actions even promoted this stuff...

if the word "renegade" ever applied anywhere....

[Da Coach]

Bradley boosters are told that they cannot even buy a student-athlete a candy bar, or give them a left-over piece of pizza that you would otherwise throw away, and they certainly cannot take them out to a restaurant or club. Any expenditure of money to feed or entertain a student-athlete is a violation of the NCAA "extra benefits" rules.

[real fan]

Bradley boosters are told that they cannot even buy a student-athlete a candy bar, or give them a left-over piece of pizza that you would otherwise throw away, and they certainly cannot take them out to a restaurant or club. Any expenditure of money to feed or entertain a student-athlete is a violation of the NCAA "extra benefits" rules.

So many of these BCS schools are giving these players extra benefits and nothing happens after they get caught.

[tornado]

as I have noted - only a few of the big schools like USC, Ohio State, UConn, and Miami have been caught - and even then ONLY after the evidence was all over the place and obvious to everyone - like their star players living in luxurious condos and sitting at courtside at Lakers games - and yes - even after they get caught - the penalties tend to be forfeiting past games, maybe a scholarship and some probation, but not much - and as we see from Cam Newton - the NCAA even devises bizarre fine-print type of rulings to let the guy and the schools off easy!

[tornado]

There's also a couple reports of illegal recruiting and money changing hands at UCLA & USC-

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-kevin-oneill-ucla-20120229,0,4561190.story?track=rss