NCAA hands out suspensions to Miami

[Lott's Bandana]

And also requires repayment of monies/benefits provided by Shapiro:

Associated Press

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- The NCAA ruled Tuesday that eight Miami players must sit out games and repay benefits in order to play for the Hurricanes again.

Starting quarterback Jacory Harris (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=377700) and four other players must sit out one game and make repayment.
Olivier Vernon will miss six games and repay $1,200. Ray Ray Armstrong and Dyron Dye (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=480876) will sit out four games. Marcus Forston, Sean Spence, Adewale Ojomo and Travis Benjamin (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=382156) will sit out one game.


"They understand that their actions demand consequences," Miami athletic director Shawn Eichorst said.
The suspensions are largely the result of allegations made by former booster Nevin Shapiro to Yahoo! Sports for a story published Aug. 16. Shapiro, a convicted Ponzi scheme architect, said he entertained players at his $6 million home, took them to dinners and handed out cash prizes at bowling tournaments.
He also said he took players to strip clubs, drove them around in his Mercedes and added that he gave a former Miami athletic department employee more than $2,000 to entertain a group on a recruiting visit.
Armstrong was ordered to repay $788, while Dye must pay $738. The NCAA said that Vernon, Armstrong and Dye "received substantial benefits as prospective student-athletes from Shapiro and athletics personnel to entice them to enroll at the university, which are considered some of the most serious recruiting violations."
Forston, the NCAA said, received more than $400 in things like "athletic equipment, meals, nightclub cover charges and entertainment at a gentleman's club." Spence received approximately $275 in benefits, Ojomo $240, Benjamin more than $150 and Harris more than $140.
The NCAA said another five Miami players got benefits while enrolled at Miami.
Brandon McGee, JoJo Nicholas, Micanor Regis and Vaughn Telemaque all must pay less than $100 for various impermissible benefits and will not miss any game time. Marcus Robinson was cleared of all NCAA violations and will not face any penalties.
Separately, Miami coach Al Golden said senior wide receiver Aldarius Johnson (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=377698) -- who was also implicated by Shapiro, but not named in Tuesday's NCAA statement -- has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules.
The NCAA's investigation into Miami's enforcement practices is continuing.
In the Yahoo! Sports story, Shapiro said he made a $1,000 donation to the booster club at Vernon's high school, even providing a canceled check as proof. Many of the allegations against other players, such as Harris, were more vague. Shapiro said Harris played in a pool tournament with about $500 at stake, accepted food, drinks and entertainment at his home and enjoyed drinks and nightclub access with him more than once.

[badger]

If you were a Ponzi scheme artist and only had a decade left before you went to jail for a few dozen years, wouldn't you want to live it up a little with your favorite college football program too?

If any of you all are considering this route, please don't turn in your favorite college program once you arrive in jail. You had your fun. Now pay for it.

(I'm sure Shapiro thought the same thing when players were shunning his jailbird arse "I paid for your fun. Now you pay too!")

[Lott's Bandana]

I was wondering.

When they say "re-pay", does that mean they are paying back Shapiro, or some fund created by a court to pay Ponzi damages?

[badger]

It might be like Bomar/Quinn "repaid" their non-work compensation. It went to charity, not to Big Red. That's where my guess is for their repayment. Choose a charity, start paying off your "debt."

[Lott's Bandana]

It might be like Bomar/Quinn "repaid" their non-work compensation. It went to charity, not to Big Red. That's where my guess is for their repayment. Choose a charity, start paying off your "debt."


Once you repaid, then the NCAA will investigate where you got the money to re-pay.

I see what they're doing here.

[papawlambert]

Miami escapes any penalty to their program?
Papaw

[Lott's Bandana]

Miami escapes any penalty to their program?
Papaw

Doubtful.

I think this is simply dealing with the present while they wrap their brains around the past.

[rekamrettuB]

More than?

[Lott's Bandana]

If they determine the coaches or program knew of any of this.

<making throatslicing gesture>

[Widescreen]

Miami will likely get hammered for all of this. I agree that this is just a current penalty for the active players.

[prrriiide]

The NCAA said that Vernon, Armstrong and Dye "received substantial benefits as prospective student-athletes from Shapiro and athletics personnel to entice them to enroll at the university, which are considered some of the most serious recruiting violations."

http://www.maniacworld.com/Tsar-Nuclear-Explosion.jpg

OR AT LEAST...

http://www.toyotarecall.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/smokinggun.png

[hawaii 5-0]

Me thinks they're getting off a tad too easy.


5-0

[JiminyChristmas]

It's a good thing they didn't lie to the NCAA like Dez Bryant. The there would have been serious problems. What the Miami players did was not nearly as bad as lying, wink wink.

What a friggin joke!

[virginiasooner]

They've truly topped and gone a couple of light years beyond SMU. Death penalty, with no possibility of playing again in D1 again. That program has been a constant headache since they were known as "Thug U" back in the day. And I'm disgusted with Donna Shalala. Fire the coach. Fire the athletic director. Turn over every record you can get your hands on, and then resign yourself.

[cccasooner2]

What amount did the NCAA determine as fair value for the Ho's? Street skank or penthouse?

[TheHumanAlphabet]

And I'm disgusted with Donna Shalala.

Why are you disgusted, she acted as she always has. She has aquited herself true to the lib nature. Do as I say, not as I do, what ever I need to do to make my will happen. I know better than you... She is as complicit as Shapiro, though she didn't steal the money, she sure as hell wasn't asking any questions holding that check...

[ATX Sooner]

Judging from the amount of restitution the players have to make, those hookers must have been pretty...skanky.

[SoonerDan74012]

It's going to get a whole lot worse. Subpoenas are going to be handed out to ALL 72 Miami players named in the Shapiro report.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Subpoenas-are-on-their-way-to-72-8216-Canes-wh?urn=ncaaf-wp5595


Subpoenas are on their way to 72 ‘Canes who benefited from Ponzi-scheming booster

By Matt Hinton

Subpoenas are on their way to 72 ‘Canes who benefited from Ponzi-scheming booster

A new sign in the Edgerrin James Room in Miami's athletic complex, courtesy of @Manny_Navarro

As the old saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch. For the 72 current and former Miami players accused of accepting improper benefits from ex-Hurricane booster turned convicted Ponzi-schemer Nevin Shapiro over the last decade, the maxim is about to be amended to no such thing as a free lunch, dinner, yacht ride, lap dance, prostitute, VIP room or bowling party.

If victims of Shapiro's fraud get their way, according to the Miami Herald, the players will be legally compelled to play it all back:

Seventy-two former or current UM football players who are alleged to have received cash, gifts, meals or other benefits from convicted Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro soon will receive a subpoena from a bankruptcy trustee seeking to recoup anything they received of real value, one of the lawyers said Monday.

Attorney Gary Freedman, who represents bankruptcy trustee Joel Tabas, warned Monday there would be consequences for players who do not cooperate.

"They can't ignore it — it's a subpoena issued by a bankruptcy court," Freedman said. "If they ignore it, we will seek an order from the court to compel them to respond. If they don't respond, they will face a contempt order."

Each of the 72 players in question will receive a cover letter from Freedman explaining the situation, as well as a subpoena asking them to document any gifts or benefits they received and an affidavit. The bankruptcy trustee can also request players to appear in depositions and can file lawsuits against them if they fail to cooperate, and a bankruptcy judge can impose monetary sanctions or have them taken into custody. "If an athlete gives misinformation," Freedman said, "it would be considered perjury."

Subpoenas are on their way to 72 ‘Canes who benefited from Ponzi-scheming boosterAnd in case it has to be said (this being the Internet, it almost certainly does), the claims aren't being brought by some lol haterz: Freedman described himself as "a big fan" of the Hurricanes, and said his client is a UM alum. He was also clear that "we have done our due diligence" to confirm allegations in the Yahoo! report. "We have books and records that show some of the transfers," Freedman told the Herald. "Our records reflect what Shapiro has indicated to Yahoo! I have no reason to doubt what Nevin has been saying."

The single largest allegation in the report, dollar-wise, is Shapiro's claim that he paid ex-Cane Vince Wilfork $50,000 to secure his commitment to Shapiro's fledgling agency, Axcess Sports, which eventually signed Wilfork and negotiated his first NFL contract with the New England Patriots. Lawyers may also go after a $5,000 interest-free loan Shapiro says he paid to former UM assistant Clint Hurtt, though Shapiro also said Hurtt paid him back in full. The rest — such as the assorted food, VIP access, strip club visits and other "entertainment" allegedly provided to at least a dozen current players — could add up to the tens or possibly hundreds of thousands.

In the big picture, that's a drop in the bucket compared to the $19 million in mishandled investor funds already recovered from Shapiro's sprawling web of deceit, which is itself only a fraction of the $111 million the bankruptcy trustee is seeking altogether. But every little bit helps.

Oh, and I'm sure the NCAA won't mind having the benefit of a little subpoena power in an ongoing investigation, for a change.

[saucysoonergal]

Now that we have this cleared up, what is the Hammer's status?

[cccasooner2]

I assume the check Shalala received for UM is subject to the bankruptcy recovery or was this already voluntarily done?

[virginiasooner]

[QUOTE=SoonerDan74012;3328946]It's going to get a whole lot worse. Subpoenas are going to be handed out to ALL 72 Miami players named in the Shapiro report.

These players will be stupid, and LIE about what they received. Note to players (and those who love them): if you want to save the program, throw yourself on the mercy of the Federal Bankruptcy Judge -- tell them EVERYTHING. Get the other 72 players to do the same. Because the bankruptcy court will have subpoenaed every single piece of paper generated by the players, about what they received from this criminal. The court WILL KNOW when you lie. The player may think that picky little facts won't get them in trouble, but it will. The disclosures to the bankruptcy court will only be more nails in the coffin, and more shovelfuls of dirt on the grave of Miami football. It's over, they just don't know it yet.

[badger]

If you lie to the NCAA, you get declared ineligible for a season.

(insert aggie angst)

If you like to the government, you go to jail.

[DrZaius]

Sounds like they are buying their way out just like Ohio State.