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Alabama Scandals; Logan Young; textbooks

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jimotis4heisman

jimotis4heisman

Banned
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2005-01-24-alabama-recruiting-trial_x.htm

Trial under way in 'Bama recruiting scandal
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A wealthy businessman at the center of a football recruiting scandal bragged to friends he was the reason a top high school player signed with Alabama, a federal prosecutor said Monday. But the lead defense lawyer for businessman Logan Young said the government's evidence against his client is weak and its chief witness is a liar.
Young is charged with paying former high school coach Lynn Lang $150,000 to get defensive lineman Albert Means to sign with Alabama in 2000. An NCAA investigation, which included a look into Means' recruitment, led to sanctions against the Crimson Tide in 2002. Young was a longtime Alabama booster when Means made his choice of a college.

Since then, the university has broken its ties with Young. In his opening statement to the trial jury, Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Godwin said Young bragged that ``he's mine'' when talking about which college Means would attend.

``This case is about the buying and selling of a young man,'' Godwin said.

Lang, who has admitted taking a bribe to send Means to Alabama, will testify for the prosecution, Godwin said. He has not been sentenced. But defense attorney James Neal told the jury of seven women and five men that Lang cannot be believed. For months before pleading guilty to a racketeering charge, he professed innocence, Neal said, telling government investigators, Memphis school officials and news reporters that he knew nothing about a payoff.

``In order to convict Logan Young of anything, you have got to believe Lynn Lang,'' Neal said.

Godwin said records will show Young made numerous bank withdrawals about the time Lang was making deposits. Many of those transactions were just under the $10,000 threshold required for reporting them to banking regulators, he said. At a time when Lang was making less than $30,000 a year, he put more than $47,000 in his bank account and bought a sports car, Godwin said.

``Follow the money,'' he told the jury.

Neal said former Memphis coach Rip Scherer and former Alabama assistant Ivy Williams will be called as defense witnesses. Lang has said he was referred to Young by Williams. In his indictment, Lang was accused of shopping Means around to other schools, including Memphis. Young is charged with conspiring to bribe a public servant, crossing state lines in a racketeering conspiracy and setting up bank transactions to hide a crime.

The trial is expected to last about two weeks. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 15 years behind bars, but federal guidelines would call for a much lighter sentence upon conviction. Means attended Alabama for one year before transferring to Memphis where he recently completed his football eligibility. Authorities say he knew nothing about a payoff.
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I think about all I ever heard about this was one episode of Outside the Lines a couple of years ago...its a pretty terrible story, I'm glad that Means eventually got back to Memphis and had a little bit of a career
 
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BuckeyeNation27 said:
oh well that more then makes up for it :roll1:
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Buckeyenation27, in no way was I suggesting that it made up for anything. The way ESPN has treated the Buckeye story, in my opinion is unfair. I don't know why the national media has given the Buckeye situation such negative publicity.
 
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just remember guys, espin's attack on us wasn't personal. they were "just following the story". which can be clearly proven by compairing how they followed these two stories.


first i have heard of this as well.
 
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The thing about this is, when this lawsuit was first filed in Alabama; Fat Phil refused to go to the SEC media day in Alabama because of it. He was going to get subpoenaed and he didnt want to have to take the stand and be under oath. The supposed proof that Fat Phil had on Alabama somehow dissappeared from UT, and to this day no one can seemingly "find it". I dont know how parents of recruits can honestly still send thier kids to UT anymore. It must be nice knowing they are going to play for such a standup type of guy as Fat Phil is. God knows I would never want my son ever playing for a guy who wont go into a state to accept a subpoena because he doesnt want to finally have to tell the truth.
 
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osubartender23 said:
The thing about this is, when this lawsuit was first filed in Alabama; Fat Phil refused to go to the SEC media day in Alabama because of it. He was going to get subpoenaed and he didnt want to have to take the stand and be under oath. The supposed proof that Fat Phil had on Alabama somehow dissappeared from UT, and to this day no one can seemingly "find it". I dont know how parents of recruits can honestly still send thier kids to UT anymore. It must be nice knowing they are going to play for such a standup type of guy as Fat Phil is. God knows I would never want my son ever playing for a guy who wont go into a state to accept a subpoena because he doesnt want to finally have to tell the truth.
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bartender, You're right about Fulmer not going to media day this past year in order to avoid a subpoena, but I believe it was for a different lawsuit. There has been a mess surrounding the Albert Means recruiting saga, and the accusations between 'Bama and Tennessee for at least 3 years now. Alabama was put on probation largely for their involvement in the recruiting of Albert Means, and the story did get national coverage.

The difference is that ESPN didn't mount a campaign over several weeks to maximize the negative impact of the story, like they've done with tOSU.
 
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Coach Cooper commented about the Means recruiting a few years back. If I remember correctly, Coach George Balu (sp?) or some other assistant came back from recruiting Means and told Cooper to forget about it. Means' coach wanted money. Anyone else remember this?

Who was the receivers coach for Cooper, he was an older guy? I'm pretty sure he's the assistant that visited Means school.
 
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This is a story with major recruiting implications involving a high profile school (Alabama) and a high profile coach (Fulmer) and I know nothing about it.

Another little bit of proof that espn is after Ohio State, for whatever reason.
 
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You are correct that the Fulmer issue of not appearing at SEC media day in Birmingham was related to a lwsuit in Tuscaloosa Alabama. The primary difference between the Alabama situation and OSU is that the NCAA found that two Alabama assistant coaches (Ivy Williams and Ronny Cotrell (sp)) were directly involved in the recruitment (and payment) of Albert Means. That is why Alabama was placed on probation and lost scholarships. There is a lot of bad blood between Tennessee and Alabama. There are a number of lawsuits going on right now that most people outside of Alabama and Tennessee know nothing about. The booster, Logan Young, is on trial in Tennessee. The two coaches, Williams and Cotrell, have sued the NCAA about what happened to them (they are unable to coach). In addition, Fulmer was one of the people who turned Alabama in to the NCAA. This occurred right before the NCAA found that there was nothing to the accusations regarding the academic requirements for football players at Tennessee (another big issue that went away). Alabama fans think this is evidence that the NCAA and Fulmer were out to get Alabama and allowed Tennessee to get away with cheating. The NCAA has stated (I am not sure if it was directly or indirectly) that they did not rely on or need Fulmer's testimony.
 
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ysubuck said:
This is a story with major recruiting implications involving a high profile school (Alabama) and a high profile coach (Fulmer) and I know nothing about it.

Another little bit of proof that espn is after Ohio State, for whatever reason.
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I have friends here in the South,that keep up with football, that know little or nothing about the Buckeye allegations, but everyone here in the South is familiar with Bama thing. It is all in the perspective from which you view the world. Many Bama fans feel that the press was unfair in their treatment with the probation and Coach Price firing.

Being someone that keeps up with both, I see both sides. A reporter that can bring a Bama or Ohio State down can "earn his wings." That is very sad.
 
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