The Only Regret....That He Got Caught

[tornado]

OK...I was bored.....I spent a little time reading the endless posts on the IU message boards from all their most hardcore fans.

Sure....almost all want Kelvin Sampson GONE and gone immediately, most don't even want to wait for further investigations and appeals. Most people are fully willing to accept he is a cheat, he is guilty, he's a liar, and that he MUST GO.

BUT....here is what really befuddles me..........

Just what is the only difference between NOW and a few days ago when the vast, vast majority of the IU fans were huge Kelvin Sampson supporters and were calling for major penalties to be dumped on Illinois for a few fans booing poor little Eric Gordon and his daddy?

Here is the only difference......now Sampson has been caught and found out by the authorities.
Now he will have to be penalized since the guys with the power believe he has done wrong.

Now, the only reason the IU fans are behaving reasonably and intelligently is because the guy got caught with his hand deep into the cookie jar.
Had he not been caught, they'd still be wearing their Kelvin Sampson t-shirts and calling him the best coach since.....Bobby Knight....who filed numerous lawsuits again Indiana and who said some pretty uncomplimentary things about IU and its leaders.

BUT....all the evidence was there before.....every thing Sampson did, has already been discussed, and much of it is self evident, and has even been admitted by Sampson.
In other words.....the vast majority of the IU fans are TREMENDOUS HYPOCRITES!!
Just a couple days ago they were 100% behind a known cheater, and a guy who holds the NCAA's all time record for the most proven violations.
They were 100% behind the coach who is undoubtedly a serial cheater and now (it appears) LIAR.
They were fully supportive and behind Sampson and even the incoming recruits (like Devin Ebanks and MR) were defending the guy and telling all of us that he is innocent and all these charges are just baloney.
BUT...the events of the last couple days have offered virtually NO NEW FACTS or evidence, just that the NCAA is now clearly going to hold Kelvin Sampson accountable for what we all knew he had clearly already done!!

THEN....suddenly, everyone bails on Sampson and wants him fired...
Just read the message boards....almost every poster wants Sampson out but readily admits they were HUGE Sampson supporters until just a couple days ago!
Why were these people NOT realistic about his cheating until it hammers then in the face in the form of an NCAA finding?

Do I detect a little self-serving hypocrisy here??
Was it OK to have a cheater and a liar as long as he lands good recruits, can beat Illinois, and rack up a lot of wins?
But just as soon as penalties to the university and the program are looming...then the IU fans pull a complete flip-flop and bail on Sampson.

I really have little sympathy for them. Some, maybe just ONE of those IU fans could have taken a LOUD, SOLID stand a few weeks, months, and even a couple years ago and spoken up saying
WE JUST CAN'T HIRE THIS CHEATER, OR LET'S GET RID OF HIM BEFORE HE GETS CAUGHT CHEATING EVEN MORE!!

no...ONLY WHEN SAMPSON'S ACTIONS BEGIN TO THREATEN THE HEALTH OF THE IU PROGRAM, AND BEGIN TO THREATEN THOSE PRECIOUS RECRUITS AND WINS THAT THE HOOSIERS WERE LANDING, THEN THEY TURN ON HIM AND WANT HIM OUT.

Sooooo....it isn't the program they are supporting, and it sure isn't Sampson...it is their own ego....something that 5-STAR recruits and 20-25 wins a year can satisfy no matter who the coach is, even if he's cheating.

OK...now I see it a bit more clearly.........
It's the wins and the superstars that matter...not the honesty and integrity.
Once all of it goes down the drain, let's dump Sampson and hire the next guy...
but don't bother to check if he cheats, because that would only be important if he gets caught.

[Beninator]

T, I know that you are probably talking about fans on message boards, but former IU player Kent Benson has been very vocal in the past about the actions of Kelvin Sampson. Last October Benson turned in his season tickets and stated that he would not attend another IU game until Sampson and athletic director Rick Greenspan were fired. A former player of Benson's stature to the IU program has to be applauded for taking his stand.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080214/SPORTS04/80214033/1002/SPORTS

[tornado]

I watched the ESPN Gameday report last night after the Marquette game, and the whole show was about IU and KS.
Every single one of the talking heads had the same opinion, that Sampson is done and will be fired.
Jay Bilas, Digger, Gottlieb, Andy Katz, all of them said this one week investigation is only a diversion and meant to satisfy any potential lawsuits that the firing was unjust.
But if (and when) the IU investigation finds nothing else to overrule the NCAA findings, then Sampson will be fired.
From the growing number who call for Sampson's firing, it is likely he'll be gone by next week, but not before that so IU can defend a Jim O'Brien-like lawsuit.

But like I said above....why only now.....why not several weeks ago or even last summer when the Ice Miller findings were made known and it was indisputable that Sampson had committed even more of the very violations he was already under probation for?
Again, it all goes back to the lust for wins that the IU people have.
Wins cover a multitude of sins, and landing Eric Gordon immediately caused all of Hoosier-dom to look the other way until now.

But if the fans and administration had wanted a clean program, they'd have acted way, way before this hit them in the face.
So I believe they don't care about cheating, only about getting caught for cheating.

[Beninator]

Again, it all goes back to the lust for wins that the IU people have.
Wins cover a multitude of sins, and landing Eric Gordon immediately caused all of Hoosier-dom to look the other way until now.

T, I think that looking the other way on issues because of wins goes back to the Bobby Knight era so this attitude is nothing new to Hooserland.

I know there a lot of Knight fans on this board and we have had numerous debates and have agreed to disagree. I am not talking about Knight the x's and o's coach, or the Knight who ran a clean program. He is a great x's and o's coach and he did run a clean program.imo But IU certainly looked the other way on a lot of Bobby Knights actions inside and outside the University. Would IU have looked the other way had Knight had a loosing record? I dont think so.

From day one, the Sampson hire was strange. Both Sampson and their athletic director need to be fired.

[tornado]

The talking heads on ESPN all believe the IU "Compliance Director" should also be fired.
I found this funny, since the "Compliance Director", if they indeed have only one such person, is under the AD and would do whatever the AD said. AND the spokespeople at IU have lauded the worjk of their compliance dept. to this point!!
Was the Compliance Director supposed to do daily checks on all of Sampson's phone activity and then go public and demand Kelvin stop making those phone calls?

Here are a couple of interesting statements in the press......

Indiana University president Michael McRobbie yesterday...
"I am deeply disappointed by these allegations and I share that disappointment with all who love and support Indiana University"

...............but these allegations are pretty much exactly what IU's own hired investigative firm (Ice Miller) found last summer.....I have to ask why wasn't McRobbie as "deeply disappointed" back then and do something about it, like maybe fired Kelvin Sampson before this season even started?


"I would like to note that we have arrived at this painful situation because the athletics director and his compliance staff did their job"

..............so the compliance people did their job and they apparently did a good job and caught Sampson and his staff while making all those illegal phone calls?
Gimme a break........had they done their job, they would have known all this was coming last summer and fired Sampson in time to avert all this mess.
Instead they wanted Eric Gordon in a Hoosier uniform and they wanted to rack up some wins under the cheater.


Kelvin Sampson in a released statement through his lawyer on Wednesday...
"In my 29 years as a college coach, I have tried to maintain a reputation for integrity, fairness and good sportsmanship values shared by Indiana University and the NCAA. I regret that I may have made mistakes that are causing my and IU's conduct to be examined by the NCAA."

...........there it is.....the most laughable part of this whole scenario...
Kelvin Sampson is still claiming he only made innocent mistakes....no actual violations!
He also drags up his supposedly stellar career but fails to mention he committed nearly 600 NCAA violations at his last job, then defended his actions by claiming he HAD to do it because everyone else was doing it.
AND, the final statement is that what he regrets is not committing the violations!!
He only regrets getting caught....read it....he says.......
"I regret that I may have made mistakes that are causing my and IU's conduct to be examined by the NCAA"

-----so had the NCAA not gone after him, he'd have NO REGRETS!!!


PS-- after a 17-1 start, IU is 3-3 in the past 2 weeks. Today they play Michigan State.

[JBinPeoria]

I am not an ESPN talking head, a Hoosier insider, part of the alumni club, or even a poster on their fan site (I don't even know what it is)...but I did attend IU in the 90s and considered the basketball program that was built by Bob Knight to be a very special part of IU and my college experience. IU has continued to remain one of my favorite teams (lower part of the top 5) in college sports mainly because of my experience there. They have also continued to showcase a number of college athletes that I find very talented and honorable young men that exemplify what scholar-athlete means to me. I think they play a very important role on college campuses and appreciate all their hard work in school and on the court to make the college experience special for everyone in the community.

Apparently, people that have shared my continuous stance on Kelvin Sampson and the state of IU basketball under his leadership are not posting on the sites you read. However, I do believe that I am not the only Hooiser out there that believes and has believed since March 2006 that:

IU should never have hired Kelvin Sampson. The program has built a foundation of success and has a pristine reputation off the court for having followed the NCAA rules to the letter of the law and for having a great graduation rate. Why would a University with this history hire someone with a terrible track record at doing either?

Put less eloquently, I have had three words for people that have asked since 2006 how I feel about the coaching situation at Indiana University: "Fire Kelvin Sanction!" In fact, spelling the name "Sampson" in this post comes difficult to me because I have never actually called him that. He has, and will always be, Kelvin Sanction to me.

As a fan of the Hoosiers, it is a real shame that the reputation and values that this program stood for for many years have crumbled due to very poor leadership and a "winning is the only thing that counts" mentality. In my opinion, what Kelvin Sanction did to the overall reputation of the Indiana basketball program will last much longer than he will on campus. And that is a real shame for everybody, but especially for the student-athletes that have performed well there and conducted themselves honorably in their roles. For the legacy they have built and been part of has been ruined. Not by their actions, but by the actions of very poor leadership in the coaching staff and athletic department.

But my original point is...I think a lot of people have always felt this way about the Kelvin Sampson situation. But perhaps they don't express or haven't expressed it much is because they felt that their opinions really wouldn't change anything. There's no point in ranting and raving about something you have no impact on. I was never a big fan of Kelvin Sanction. But as a fan, I believe that the student athletes of this coaching staff (who are innocent in all this) have done enough to earn my respect and support.

JB

[Bravesfan]

Kelvin Sampson in a released statement through his lawyer on Wednesday..."In my 29 years as a college coach, I have tried to maintain a reputation for integrity, fairness and good sportsmanship values shared by Indiana University and the NCAA. I regret that I may have made mistakes that are causing my and IU's conduct to be examined by the NCAA."

HA HA HA HA!!!! LMAO!!! That's just about the funniest statement I've ever read! Pardon me for a minute. That's about as hard as I have laughed in a long time!

Seriously though, are all of these wins they are amassing this year going to be forfeited when he gets fired? I really think they should. There's absolutely no reason they deserve to be anywhere near a postseason tournament (including the Big Ten tournament) this year or for the next couple of years!

[Braves4Life]

Tornado is right on the money with his comments..........The fans, faculty and Admin at IU do only care about one thing -- winning.

From SI site:

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/ncaa

"But if McRobbie hasn't made up his mind, he should step back, tap into a significant, mostly silent, number of faculty members and Indiana supporters who would like to see Sampson remain as the coach. One of them is John A. McCluskey Jr., a professor of Afro-American studies at Indiana and an adjunct professor of English. "What I would like to see happen is that he stay on, he gets censured one more time, but he's on that short leash again," McCluskey said Sunday from Bloomington. "It's a divided campus here. I think the majority would want him to stay, particularly after last night (beating MSU)."

New York Times

[tornado]

In an LA Times interview....even the legendary coach, Eddie Sutton chimes in that Kelvin Sampson gained significant recruiting advantage with his violations.......

"When you can only call a recruit once a week and someone else is calling them more than once a week, that's a big advantage. Anyone who's been in the game can tell you that next to throwing a bunch of money on the table, that's as damaging as anything one can do."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-norwood20feb20,1,297003.story?ctrack=2&cset=true

[IlliBraves]

In an LA Times interview....even the legendary coach, Eddie Sutton chimes in that Kelvin Sampson gained significant recruiting advantage with his violations.......

"When you can only call a recruit once a week and someone else is calling them more than once a week, that's a big advantage. Anyone who's been in the game can tell you that next to throwing a bunch of money on the table, that's as damaging as anything one can do."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/printe...ck=2&cset=true

That's sad considering the level of cheating Sutton's done in his career. And I agree with you. IU fans are extremely hypocritical. The whole administration and program has such an ego, and thinks they're such a great basketball program that they were willing to hire a cheater just to return themselves to glory. The plan failed.

T, can I assume you are one of the few pro-Illini, as well as pro-BU posters on this board?

[tornado]

I think there are other pro-Illini people here, and I am not intensely pro-Illinois, but I do root for the kids who are local, and so many local Peoria kids have gone to UIUC, that I can hardly be against them.
If I had to see a team win the Big Ten, it sure isn't going to be Indiana or Wisconsin, I'd still rather see Illinois win it than anyone else.

[IlliBraves]

I have to ask because I have to say I'm still kind of amazed that many Bradley fans have "bad blood" with the Illini. Even growing up in Peoria, and going to every Bradley game, I never noticed it until I joined this board haha.

[Da Coach]

New SI article about Sampson--

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/basketball/ncaa/wires/02/20/2060.ap.bkc.jim.litke.022008.0987/

[tornado]

Oh my....here is one stupid comment from that article by UConn head coach Jim Calhoun
as he tries to defend his buddy Kelvin......

"What he did was dumb, by any stretch of the imagination...
But firing him? That's nuts. ... In our business, there's a difference between someone who breaks a rule and people who cheat..."


Oh really??? I kinda wonder how to define such a difference.....where would you draw the line?