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Pitt and Beanie Fundraiser Issue (split and merged)

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Well Steve, I guess I was wrong...obvious they "damn well DID know." :wink:

?We have talked to all the principles involved and are confident that the players and their families had no prior knowledge of the event. Additionally, no money was given to anyone associated with the Ohio State football program. Those are the litmus tests.?

?My intent was to surprise and help a family friend,? said Stiggers-Ferguson. ?At no time did I ask the young men (Ohio State players) to attend.

Upon arriving at the dinner, the players realized that it was not permissible...

?This is a tribute to our coaches and compliance staff and to our student-athletes,? said Gene Smith, Ohio State?s director of athletics. ?Obviously, the coaches and compliance staff are doing a good job of educating our players, and our players are listening to what they are saying.?
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Another quote from the Ozone article, indicating that the players and their families were not aware of the fundraiser's intent before they arrived at the dinner.

ozone.spaghettigate

The dinner was intended to help cover travel costs for the families of Ohio State football players from the Akron area to the national championship game in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 8. It was organized by Dawn Stiggers-Ferguson, a friend of one of the families, and was put on without the knowledge of the Ohio State student-athletes or their families.
 
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Steve19;697995; said:
Grad21, I take your point and don't feel that I have been jumped on at all, if that was what anyone thought.

I do not believe for one moment that Pittman or Wells set out to enrich themselves or their families.

I can't imagine what could be wrong with a community wishing to draw together to send a kid's parents to watch him in a national championship game.

I can imagine plenty that is right about enabling parents to see, in a national championship game, the kid who they love and lugged from game to game and supported financially and emotionally over so many years.

I can especially see that logic when it involves parents who are not wealthy and to whom a trip of this nature represents a major expense.

If you accept that college sports should be amateur sports, then the NCAA rules have a good objective. Unfortunately, the desire to win being what it is, some folks have tried to bend the rules over the years. The result is an archaic code of rules and regulations that no one can follow.
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I think some of the problems this poses should be obvious from this specific event. Not only were they raising money for 2 OSU players, but also for 2 RECRUITS.

It's just bad overall when money starts flowing to players and families. It attracts agents and boosters. It makes it harder to differentiate between good money and bad money.

Look at an argument that is advanced as to why the kids should not get in trouble: "These kids already get all sorts of special and NCAA legal perks. They don't think the same way we do. How are they supposed to know this isn't ok?" Now, I'm not challenging the credibility of this argument. It holds some truth imo.

The problem is that this argument doesn't disappear if you move the line towards allowing more. It simply moves with the line. So that then it becomes "Kids are allowed to take money to send their parents to bowl games. How are they supposed to know that it can't be..."
 
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Link

Meyer Sympathizes With Plight Of Parents

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Published: Dec 28, 2006


GAINESVILLE - Florida coach Urban Meyer said Thursday that he could understand why a group of Ohio State football parents felt they needed to throw a fundraiser to pay for their travel costs to the national title game. "Some of the [Florida] parents told me what it costs to go watch this game. It's nuts. They've got to pay for a hotel, and their [sons] are the ones doing the work. There are so many things that could be done for the players. A parent should be able to see their son play football."

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Dispatch

OHIO STATE FOOTBALL
OSU says no NCAA violations are found
Players probably won?t be penalized for dinner
Friday, December 29, 2006
Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


It appears Chris Wells saved Ohio State from a big problem last weekend. OSU athletic director Gene Smith said yesterday that thanks in part to Wells? quick thinking, no NCAA violations occurred Saturday during a benefit dinner for the families of four players.

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