Louisville pulls offer from first verbal

[BayBuck]

I'll be in the minority that doesn't have a problem with Louisville doing this. A kid can back out of a verbal up until signing day, shouldn't a team have the same privilege?

Well, if it's a written official offer, it's a little different from a HS player's "verbal" commitment. Of course, a team can pull any offer, but they do deserve a black eye for doing so.


Elaine: What? you're breaking up with me? But I sacrificed and supported you while you struggled. What about my dream of dating a doctor?

Ben: I'm sorry, Elaine. I always knew that after I became a doctor, I would dump whoever I was with and find someone better. That's the dream of becoming a doctor.​

 

[sandgk]

I'll be in the minority that doesn't have a problem with Louisville doing this. A kid can back out of a verbal up until signing day, shouldn't a team have the same privilege?

Well I'll swell the ranks of the "minority" position by one, with a caveat :)
Remember when a certain athlete from a suburb north of Cincinnati had one story to tell about his reconsideration of the Buckeyes, yet rumors were rife that it was the Buckeyes who had stipulated a level of academic performance, which said athlete then failed to make, not once, but twice? Ironically the same school that had a verbal from this fellow is where that young man still wishes to go.

My position is that like the above mentioned example, no-one really will know the truth of the matter until somewhat (or much) later, if ever. In this case, like the earlier one, the school in question may have perfectly good cause to re-evaluate their position. It might be grades, it might be need, it may be performance on the field, and it might also be that neither the earlier listed "offer" nor the responding verbal where really as solid as the prior reports suggested.

Without the school's report on this, there is no means to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And, per rule Louisville has to be silent. Bottom line, as Mili pointed out is that no scholarship was in hand - until NLOID was over. Durham's best bet is to get in front of those other schools PDQ. A 3 * OG should be able to find a happy home somewhere, better for him in the end that he be where someone wants him as a player and athlete.

The caveat? If there are no academic issues, if there are no need issues, if there is no precipitous drop-off in on-field performance, and if Louisville offered earlier - in writing, then indeed shame on 'em. (Mainly because of the timing involved - as it leaves Durham with fewer openings). But, we simply don't know enough to castigate the school, nor the prospective student.

 

[cincibuck]

the Bucks pulled the rug on a kid from Glennville, who ended up at UC. The issue was grades and the student recently left UC.

At some point we have to all admit it's a business deal. contracts get made and broken all the time. Doesn't make it ethical, but it does make it legal.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Well, if it's a written official offer, it's a little different from a HS player's "verbal" commitment. Of course, a team can pull any offer, but they do deserve a black eye for doing so.

The kid still has 3 months to continue the recruiting process. If they were to wait until the last day or week (or even month) I would find it more bothersome.

If I am a coach whose job is on the line and I realize that I've made a mistake with an offer, I'm going to do what it takes to minimize damage. In this case, pulling a scholarship offer instead of having a guy on scholarship for 4 years that I don't think will contribute.

Just my opinion. I don't expect anyone to agree with me.

 

[Thump]

No. We should hold professional adults (the coaches and AD) to a higher standard than a HS kid. Besides, the kid is making the bigger commitment than the school. The school is really only making a 1-year commitment.

Completely disagree.

Life's not fair sometimes and I also agree that the whole story probably isn't being told.

Kids jerk schools around all the time so it's not like it's a one way street here.

Do I feel bad for the kid, "yes," do I consider this unfair, "No."

 

[jlb1705]

Failing to perform academically is the kid's fault. Pulling a scholarship in that case is perfectly acceptable. A staff's failure to properly evaluate a kid's talent on the field is the fault of the staff though, and they don't deserve to have the rug pulled out from under them because the staff made a wrong decision.

 

[BayBuck]

the Bucks pulled the rug on a kid from Glennville, who ended up at UC. The issue was grades and the student recently left UC.

Completely different situation with Lenix.

But I do agree with Bucky, even if I was playing devil's advocate, that this is really not a huge deal at this point in the recruiting game, since there's more than enough time left for Durham to get another scholarship. But with the Ville a whole lot higher in the rankings than they were in August, this just feels like a big-time on their part.

 

[methomps]

The kid still has 3 months to continue the recruiting process. If they were to wait until the last day or week (or even month) I would find it more bothersome.

If I am a coach whose job is on the line and I realize that I've made a mistake with an offer, I'm going to do what it takes to minimize damage. In this case, pulling a scholarship offer instead of having a guy on scholarship for 4 years that I don't think will contribute.

Just my opinion. I don't expect anyone to agree with me.

Bobby Petrino's job isn't on the line, though. He could sign 25 kids from the local HS chess tournament and his job still wouldn't be on the line.

And it isn't a 4-year commitment from the school. It is a 1-year commitment. And it's a commitment they already made when they offered him a scholarship.

Completely disagree.

Life's not fair sometimes and I also agree that the whole story probably isn't being told.

Kids jerk schools around all the time so it's not like it's a one way street here.

Do I feel bad for the kid, "yes," do I consider this unfair, "No."

No, life isn't fair, but that doesn't create a system void of blame. The coaches are adults and professionals, and they have much more experience with the recruiting scene than the kids do. That a bunch of 17-year olds behave poorly at times is no defense for the coaches to hide behind.

And, again, I'm not saying the UL coaches are definitely wrong. We don't know the whole story. I'm just saying that the idea that its ok, in theory, to pull a scholarship offer because something better came along or you made a mistake in talent evaluation isn't acceptable.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

Regardless of who's fault it is I feel pretty bad for him. But atleast it looks like he has a few more D-1A offers.

 

[BB73]

Didn't something like this happen to OSU a few years ago where a kid said he was a verbal when he actually wasn't?

Are you thinking of Kenyon Buford?

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Bobby Petrino's job isn't on the line, though. He could sign 25 kids from the local HS chess tournament and his job still wouldn't be on the line.

Sure it is. It's always on the line. He won't be fired today, tomorrow, next year or the year after, but it is ALWAYS on the line.

And it isn't a 4-year commitment from the school. It is a 1-year commitment. And it's a commitment they already made when they offered him a scholarship.

If it's a binding document, shouldn't the kid should have some measure of steps to take against the school? I don't suppose anyone has the standard boilerplate "official offer" that gets sent out. I'd be curious to see the wording in it to see if it touches on this type of situation at all.....

 

[jwinslow]

They don't sign 'binding documents' until NLOID in February.

And, again, I'm not saying the UL coaches are definitely wrong. We don't know the whole story. I'm just saying that the idea that its ok, in theory, to pull a scholarship offer because something better came along or you made a mistake in talent evaluation isn't acceptable.

co-sign.

 

[jlb1705]

The kid still has 3 months to continue the recruiting process. If they were to wait until the last day or week (or even month) I would find it more bothersome.

If I am a coach whose job is on the line and I realize that I've made a mistake with an offer, I'm going to do what it takes to minimize damage. In this case, pulling a scholarship offer instead of having a guy on scholarship for 4 years that I don't think will contribute.

Just my opinion. I don't expect anyone to agree with me.

If you're in a position where you have to start pulling scholarships from kids to save your own job, then you deserve to lose your job. You're obviously in way over your head when it comes to scouting talent and player development.

Coaches should be held responsible in this respect. You shouldn't be turning a kid's life upside down to make up for your own mistakes.

I don't buy that "life's unfair - valuable lesson" stuff either. There is a huge ethical difference between something unfair "happening" to you and something unfair being "done" to you. You can't go through life being a self-serving weasel and call the destruction you leave in your wake a "life lesson"

"The CEO of my company just blew my pension - Oh well, life's unfair, those are the breaks! Besides, just like that high school football player in Kentucky, I shouldn't be mad. It's not like I actually HAD the money yet!"

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

If you're in a position where you have to start pulling scholarships from kids to save your own job, then you deserve to lose your job. You're obviously in way over your head when it comes to scouting talent and player development.

Coaches should be held responsible in this respect. You shouldn't be turning a kid's life upside down to make up for your own mistakes.

To clarify again, we aren't talking about a scholarship. We are talking about an offer that cannot even be officially accepted. The kid and his parents should be aware, just like the staffs are, that nothing is final until all the paperwork is completed. That's just how the world works.

I'm not saying its a nice thing to do, nor would I really want the OSU staff to make this a practice, but I don't find it unethical.

 

[jwinslow]

To clarify again, we aren't talking about a scholarship. We are talking about an offer that cannot even be officially accepted. The kid and his parents should be aware, just like the staffs are, that nothing is final until all the paperwork is completed. That's just how the world works.

I'm not saying its a nice thing to do, nor would I really want the OSU staff to make this a practice, but I don't find it unethical.

If there is nothing wrong with it, then why don't you want the OSU staff to do it?

OSU currently has a truckload of blue-chippers that are high on OSU... yet they've already loaded up the class with some lower-rated recruits. Are you saying that there is nothing unethical about Jim Tressel telling Donnie Evege they don't want him anymore... and then signing higher-rated studs like Eric Berry, Major Wright & Donovan Warren?