NorthEndBuck;799275; said:
This may not be the best thread for my question, but anyway. Why havent we heard anything further about USCs recent alleged recruiting violations, and the whole Reggie Bush taking money ordeal. One day its all over ESPN and everyone has an opinion on it, then we never hear about it again. What the hell is the deal, does anyone know?
My guess is that USC is hoping that everything will just "blow over".
Results of a Yahoo investigation in the following article (dated September 14, 2006) is very interesting reading:
Cash and carry
An eight-month probe uncovers evidence that Reggie Bush and his family appear to have accepted improper benefits from prospective agents while at USC.
An eight-month Yahoo! Sports investigation has revealed that Heisman Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush and his family appear to have accepted financial benefits worth more than $100,000 from marketing agents while Bush was playing at the University of Southern California.
The benefits, which could lead to NCAA sanctions for USC and retroactively cost Bush his college eligibility and Heisman, were supplied by two groups attempting to woo Bush as a client. Current Bush marketing agent Mike Ornstein and one of Ornstein's employees were involved. So were Michael Michaels and Lloyd Lake, who attempted to launch an agency called New Era Sports & Entertainment, pursuing Bush as their first client.
Entire article:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=ys-bush_quotes&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
In an ESPN article, apparently there are "Bush-GATE" tapes of aleged violations.
Report: Tapes could confirm Bush received gifts
Updated: Jan. 25, 2007, 12:00 PM ET
SAN DIEGO -- The existence of taped conversations between
Reggie Bush or members of his family and an investor in a failed sports marketing agency could confirm the
New Orleans Saints running back received cash and gifts while playing for Southern California, Yahoo.com reported Wednesday.
A federal investigation into extortion claims by Bush and his family revealed the existence of the taped conversations, according to the
Yahoo.com report.
The U.S. Attorney's office in San Diego has issued grand jury subpoenas to multiple witnesses in the probe,
Yahoo.com reported. According to a copy of a subpoena obtained by
Yahoo, at least one of the witnesses was asked to hand over "any recordings in your possession of conversations between Lloyd Lake and Reggie Bush, Denise Griffin or LaMar Griffin."
Lake, who founded a sports marketing agency in hopes of landing Bush as its first client, is the subject of a grand jury probe into the extortion claims. Denise Griffin is Bush's mother, and LaMar Griffin is Bush's stepfather.
Yahoo.com, citing unidentified sources, reported LaMar Griffin spoke with federal investigators in the spring of 2006 and acknowledged the existence of the tapes.
"We're aware of an investigation into possible criminal conduct by Lake and others associated with him," Bush attorney David Cornwell told ESPN's Joe Schad on Wednesday. "We have and will continue to cooperate with the Department of Justice."
When asked in the past about the allegations of receiving inappropriate extra benefits, Bush has insisted that he and his family did nothing wrong.
Multiple sources told Yahoo.com that Lake made the tapes in late 2005 to protect his financial investment if Bush backed out of a deal to sign with New Era Sports & Entertainment, founded by Lake and San Diego businessman Michael Michaels. In January 2006, Bush signed with agent Joel Segal and marketing agent Mike Ornstein.
On Jan. 12, 2007, Lake's mother, Barbara Gunner, testified before a grand jury, according to the Yahoo.com report, that she had heard portions of tapes made by her son, in which LaMar Griffin states Bush intended to repay New Era Sports "their money," as well as for a car purchased for him.
Entire article:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2741773
I have no idea why Yahoo is doing the investigatiopn and not the NCAA.
