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Lakeland Football Popularity? (Rainey)

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Potential recruit worries brewing at Florida

I post this here only 'cause of the matchup - if it belongs in the "other" forum, I'm sure a mod will move it.

Interesting story in the Miami Herald - it is an article on Lakeland High, a local powerhouse, but it contains this passage:

It is this kind of success that has turned Lakeland football players into local celebrities, instantly recognized and constantly praised.
'People come up to you like, `Hey, great game on Friday,' or, 'Great catch,' '' said senior Paul Wilson, a wide receiver who also will play for UF next year. ``You don't know who they are, but they know who you are.''
Then there are the rewards that come with recognition. Rainey said a local clothing vendor recently gave him a bag full of sports jerseys and jewelry in exchange for his autograph. Another time, an elderly woman approached him at a restaurant, gave him a hug and handed him a wad of cash.
''I didn't even count it,'' Rainey said. ``When I walk around, people are buying me food, giving me money. I'm like, damn, I'm glad I'm Chris Rainey. It's real nice to be me.''
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Rainey is a Florida commit. The story is growing legs - the Tampa Tribune reports:
The Florida High School Athletic Association has launched a "full-scale" investigation into Lakeland High's football program because standout running back Chris Rainey said he received money and gifts from local school supporters.



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Rainey has verbally committed to sign with the University of Florida in February, but if the Herald story is true, he could have a problem with the NCAA.
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Here are the links:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/16165246.htm
http://sports.tbo.com/sports/MGBXT559DVE.html


Could the Gators be in trouble? Unlikely, but possible. They don't appear to have any connection to this. But when the NCAA starts pulling threads on recruiting investigations, they seem to always find there's more than meets the eye. Kind of like when they looked into violations at a Memphis high school and found about four or five SEC teams that were guilty of something or other.
 
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This story has been covered in our open discussion forum.

I'll merge your post with our existing thread, but please don't rely on Mods to do things like this in the future.
 
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BB73;683685; said:
This story has been covered in our open discussion forum.

I'll merge your post with our existing thread, but please don't rely on Mods to do things like this in the future.
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Sorry. I searched both the main forum and the "other" college football forum before I posted - I figured it would have been in one or the other if it had already been mentioned.
 
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HailToMichigan;683671; said:
Could the Gators be in trouble? Unlikely, but possible. They don't appear to have any connection to this. But when the NCAA starts pulling threads on recruiting investigations, they seem to always find there's more than meets the eye. Kind of like when they looked into violations at a Memphis high school and found about four or five SEC teams that were guilty of something or other.
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I don't think it will be the Gators... they didn't give him cash or clothes- unless you can link these donors to Gainesville. Again, it's my contention that FHSAA is pretty powerless in this situation. If Jimmy Joe Bob wants to give a kid something just cause he feels like it and is not associated with trying to steer the kid toward a school or a pro sports agent I don't think there's much that can be done legally. The precedent would seem to me to be Le Bron James at Akron St. Vincent - St Mary. OHSAA made him uncomfortable for a period of time, but in the end he got to keep his hummer and a bag or throw back jerseys.
 
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