The Goat Pen

I do find it funny when some of Auburn's more ridiculous fans try to throw shit around as fact that other schools are dirty.

The governing body said it considered giving the Crimson Tide the most severe punishment -- the death penalty -- under the repeat violator rules for a recruiting scandal in which boosters were accused of paying money for high school players. "They were absolutely staring down the barrel of a gun," said Thomas Yeager, chairman of the infractions committee.

"These violations are some of the worst, most serious that have ever occurred," he said.

Take prof, for example. He's a classic example. A bad, classless fan who throws rumor around like it's fact. Remember Dre's Charger? Lmao! He's ran with every message board rumor like a special olympics kid with a plastic baton.

Re: Alabama Crimson Tide
AA, you are going way deeper into that than I intended to. My words were intended to be a playful reply to GBJ's whimsical reference to Auburn and UT's impending sanctions. All light and fun. You should try that sometime.

However, here is my reply to your indignation: When I read about the suitgate brouhaha, my impression was, and still is:

1. The NCAA has a Talmudic rule book to start with. When they slam Lehigh lacrosse or Wlilliam & Mary bowling, it's always over things that strike me as silly. "On this day, an assistant coach of the university made a call from a landline from his office, which is a violation. However, if the head coach had texted the athlete using a cell phone while driving his car, it would have been permissible." I think the NCAA has so many nitpicky rules that programs can't say "Merry Christmas" without breaking some sort of rule.

2. I didn't go very deep into the legalese of suitgate, but it is supposedly along these lines: it was not against the rules for Bama athletes to sign the jerseys; it was supposedly against the rules for the store to use the signed jerseys as an advertisement for his business or resell them. The owner of the store allegedly qualifies as a booster, which invokes a whole new flood of NCAA rabbinical minutiae. To me, the only evidence that something was actually amiss was the University issued some sort of cease and desist order to stop what was going on. If there was nothing wrong, that cease and desist or order would not have been necessary.

3. Please note my repeated and intentional use of the words "allegedly," "supposedly," etc. This reflects my healthy sense of skepticism about the whole thing.

4. Did some archane NCAA rule get violated? Probably. Is it a big deal? Probably not. Will anything come of it? Almost certainly not, nor should it, given what little I see now.

Finally, AA, I found your cruel joke about children with learning disabilities to be both sick and disgusting

Your school is the gold standard of cheaters.

By the way, how did your team blow a 24 point halftime lead, at home, against their biggest rival?

Finally, AA, I found your cruel joke about children with learning disabilities to be both sick and disgusting

Liar. Plain and simple. Perfect example.

He's ran with every message board rumor like a special olympics kid with a plastic baton.

Paul Dee -- the former Miami athletic director embroiled in the current scandal involving booster Nevin Shapiro -- was the chairman of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions and oversaw the handing out of severe sanctions on USC.

USC athletic director Pat Haden, when asked about the situation by 710 ESPN radio host Mark Willard, and if he was frustrated by Dee's involvement, said flatly, "Yes." Haden paused for a moment of amusement.