redstatebuckeye said:
....why did he go to that booster, a person who just happened to pay him a large amount of money (2 games worth) without requiring any work from Troy? Why did he choose him? Did someone tell Smith to go to this guy to get the money he needed? If that did happen, who told him and why? Was it because this booster has a history of giving football players money?
My theory:
When I first read this newest revelation I had that sinking feeling in my stomach again. Then I started thinking, as others are, this actually helps us. It explains so many things and keeps the circle of violators to a very small number. Something that most believed from the beginning. It also apparently ties up the loose ends of this mess, reconfirming the absolute lack of credibility of MoC. I then came up with a scenario where this may not be quite as rosey as I "second thought", to coin a new phrase.
I will first explain where I think this helps us if the rest of my theory is complete garbage.
1) MoC saying he could "blow up" the program in 2003, but not doing so until now was more than just staying silent. He couldn't do it then. It was just self-serving bravado. Maybe he was the only one that he knew for sure was breaking the rules. (or he knew of only one other. I'll touch on this later) But now he could follow through on his threats, knowing specifically or otherwise that TS paid these bills. He would've known the amounts and also TS's ability to pay this bill without help from someone outside the NCAA's guidelines.
2) It explains why TS defended MoC just recently when so many other Buckeye players acted so surprised and disappointed by MoC's allegations. MoC was TS's "friend"
and now had some dirt on him. TS either was protecting his "friend" or himself and maybe both. IIRC, TS said that he hadn't spoken with MoC in a while (I think we know why now) when the BSPN articles first came out. Knowing this happened in the spring, it would seem to me that MoC left TS and his mother high and dry with a large debt, but TS couldn't say anything about it without opening himself up to trouble. Hence his defending his "friend". TS also knew anything he might have said could give MoC a reason to again get on the phone with BSPN and expose his own skeletons. MoC had leverage over TS either by "friendship" or threat of exposing information damaging to him.
3) It explains why MoC would tell BSPN that he didn't say anything during the original investigation because "...half the team would be suspended. I just took it". Exaggeration for sure and not possibly true in 2003. But a bit closer to being true now. TS retroactively lent some truth to MoC's lies of 2003 and MoC knew it. And I don't see MoC just "taking it" for anyone. "I just took it" obviously was just an attempt to lend an air of "honor" to his misdeeds in 2003, again, retroactively. This also gives a half-rational explanation to why MoC claimed he was speaking out to "improve his image". Something no-one could comprehend at the time. He hoped it would be looked at as protecting his team mates from the original investigation, because now, with TS's infractions, he could superimpose some truth to this idea, regaining some credibility. To the casual viewer, maybe he was protecting his team mates.
I've seen others say that MoC was not this smart. I'm not claiming he was. What I see is someone who with a little manipulation and some dumb luck played the "angles". He was silent for so long for a reason. I believe it was because he lied and he knew it. But all of a sudden, he saw circumstances change to where he could attempt to put himself into a better light hoping that the timeline would not be closely scrutinized or that all the information would not come to light.
All this being said, it doesn't explain everything. The question that keeps being brought up is "Who put TS in contact with Mr. Baker and how would they know he would be willing to give TS money if he asked". After re-reading/re-thinking what has gone on in this whole thing, I find myself thinking that there is one more piece of the puzzle and again tOSU may take a hit. Going on the belief that no-one from the staff or University made this introduction and with no reports that MoC knew Mr. Baker, I believe that leaves one other person who may have set this up, with what we know today. Chris Gamble. He had a pre-existing relationship with Mr. Baker. He worked for him. He was close enough to him, apparently, to call him during the Fiesta Bowl. Did Gamble call in a favor for TS? Is there something we may not know about Gamble and his dealings with Mr. Baker? I don't think it's much of a stretch to think Mr. Baker didn't just all of a sudden turn into a slimeball when TS came calling. The Poly-Care incident reports say "relationship
s with Ohio State player
s". While we've heard Pittman's name, it appears Pittman never went back after the one visit, according to reports. Not much of a relationship. Who else is this report referring to then? It would not surprise me to learn that CG had either taken something from Mr. Baker or had been propositioned by Mr. Baker. This would explain how TS would know that Mr. Baker was willing to break the rules. This would widen the scope of this mess by one person to include CG.
This is obviously all speculation, but I think that it fits the timeline and answers some of the questions that are being posed. I think there is enough information archived on this very site to support a lot of these suppositions. I am posting this to see if anyone else has thought about this and wondered if it seems far-fetched. I am hoping that Mr. Baker is MoC's infamous Mr. Such-n-Such because that, I believe, would mean that the worst of it is out and make the last part of my post pure garbage.
