The "agent problem" has dominated the discourse in college athletics for months, and now we get this revelation from Yahoo that Marvin Austin's five cross-country trips were apparently bankrolled by agents.
In all the hand-wringing surrounding this problem, a lot of folks have proposed ways to curb it. A lot of them are just kind of ... meh.
Here's a thought: A rookie salary cap in the NFL could do a heckuva lot of good.
It seems as if so many of these agent and runner types latch on to these kids in the pursuit of a big payday. Take a 10-percent cut off these contracts that are being signed by rookies, and you're talking some serious cash with one hit.
The idea behind a rookie salary cap is to distribute the wealth more in favor of veterans who have actually done something to justify the money.
Faster than you can say "JaMarcus Russell," the flood of underclassmen leaving early is cut down considerably. And so is the flood of these seedy agent types.
No, it's not going to eliminate the problem. But the hunch here is that, of all the solutions that have been proposed, this one caps it the most effectively.
Here's a look at Austin's hotel receipts.
Apparently Weslye Saunders didn't let Austin know about the bargain available at a certain Columbia hotel.
Is there any way Butch Davis survives the apparent fact that, not only was his nanny writing papers for players, but one of his assistants was a runner? I say no way. Not at North Carolina.
But three sources said documents show the relationship between Wichard and Blake also extended into the financial realm several times over the past three years. Those instances included:
At least six wire transfers from Wichard’s private bank – The First National Bank of Long Island – to Blake.
A $45,000 personal loan to Blake from The First National Bank of Long Island.
A Pro Tect Management credit card issued in Blake’s name.
It's not as though Blake's reputation was pristine when Davis brought him aboard in Chapel Hill. You know what they say about sleeping with dogs...
So I'm puzzled about Randy Shannon barring Jacory Harris from interviews after Harris said nothing that was inflammatory, and Olivier Vernon is allowed to pop off about Clemson at will.
Most of you saw the stuff Vernon said on our sister Rivals site a couple of days ago.
Now this:
Clemson running back Andre Ellington is second among ACC rushers with an average of 91 yards per game, but University of Miami defensive end Olivier Vernon doesn't appear particularly impressed.
The 16th-ranked Hurricanes (2-1) face the Tigers in Clemson (2-1) Saturday at noon.
When an interview this week turned to the subject of Ellington, Vernon was initially confused.
"You talking about the [offensive] tackle?" Vernon said quizzically.
Once Ellington's identity was established, Vernon was asked what he thought of the Clemson tailback.
"He's a hard runner, but I don't think he's going to penetrate our defensive line," Vernon said.
The Hurricanes rank first in the ACC in total defense, allowing 252 yards per game.
Vernon, who leads the Hurricanes with 3.5 sacks, was more complimentary of Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker, but equally confident that UM can stop him on Saturday.
"He's very quick," Vernon said. "He throws the ball pretty fast. We just need to rush him out of the pocket because when we get him on the run, he's not going to be able to complete anything."
I'm not big on bulletin-board material actually mattering after the first few snaps. But Shannon's philosophy on player media availability doesn't make much sense.
Here's a column questioning Shannon's muzzling of Harris.
Here's a Q&A with Kyle Parker.
How hard was the decision to return to Clemson for another football season after signing with the Colorado Rockies?
“I wanted the Rockies to make an investment in me that would make me comfortable I could give up football and continue just for baseball. That really didn’t happen. I still ended up signing [with a $1.4 million signing bonus] and I’m still going to have a great opportunity to pursue a professional baseball career. But I didn’t feel comfortable walking away from football and having in the back of my mind, ‘what if or what could have been on the football field?’”
What makes you feel passionate about playing QB at Clemson?
“The first thing is I enjoy playing. I enjoy being a quarterback at a big-time college program. After that, it offers a good chance for me to see if there’s a future for me in professional football. If not, I have a great chance to go play professional baseball.
“I could see myself doing either as a career. It all came down to did I feel comfortable giving up football and giving up the chance to see if it was a future for me?”
Herbie is high on the Hurricanes, apparently.
"If I were a Miami Hurricane fan, instead of spending time worrying about Jacory Harris and taking shots at him, I would be looking at this week as pretty much, if you win this game, Miami's not losing another game the rest of the year. That's how much is at stake this week. I don't see anyone beating Miami. I've told you since August, this team's gonna win 10 or 11 games and go to a BCS bowl game, and I don't see any reason to change my mind. This game Saturday at Clemson is two of the best teams in the ACC going at it. I think Miami wins this game and goes on to win the rest of their games."
Better get those issues on the offensive line worked out...
In the Miami Herald, DeAndre McDaniel is licking his chops after last year's two interceptions of Harris.
``He's a good quarterback,'' McDaniel said of Harris. ``He might throw you an interception, but he'll come back and throw a touchdown on you the next play. He's a quarterback that has a lot of composure. He believes in what he does. We're looking closely at his tendencies and getting him down pat.''
Magnum is being tight-lipped about his QB situation after Shinskie's happening last week.
In Chapel Hill, the appeals of Kendric Burney and Deunta Williams will be heard.
Both players have sat out three games, which will be applied toward their suspensions. Unless their penalties are reduced, Williams can return on Oct. 9 against Clemson and Burney can play on Oct. 23 against Miami.
Looking forward to Saturday's game between Virginia Tech and N.C. State. Here's a story on the Wolfpack unveiling a promotional campaign for Russell Wilson.
In the next few weeks, if not before Saturday's game against Virginia Tech, the university will unveil a promotional campaign selling Wilson as a "Man for All Seasons," a tagline designed to trumpet his football and baseball skills as well as his academic achievement.
LW
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