The NCAA Gets Slapped Around

For the most part, I think of the NCAA as the governing body of college sports that not many people think about, but that imposes its will sort of behind the scenes. However, on Thursday the NCAA got slapped around when the verdict in a case regarding a former University of Alabama booster was handed down.

A jury awarded $5 million Thursday to a former University of Alabama football booster who claimed the NCAA defamed him when it imposed penalties on the Crimson Tide in 2002.

The state court jury awarded Ray Keller $3 million in punitive damages, $1 million for mental anguish, $500,000 for economic loss and $500,000 for damage to reputation.

Keller, a timber dealer and fan whom the university severed ties with because of the probe, argued that the NCAA slandered and libeled him during the announcement of penalties by referring to him and others as "rogue boosters," "parasites" and "pariahs."

As with any court case, the NCAA plans to appeal the decision, and it remains to be seen how that goes. Eventhough Keller won his judgment, the damage of the violations that he contributed to still hurt the program.

The recruiting scandal cost Alabama scholarship reductions, a two-year bowl ban and five years of probation that ended earlier this year.

The more curious aspect of the incident that apparently was never resolved was how Keller's name surfaced in connection with the rule violations.

A potentially important question — how Keller’s name became public — wasn’t fully resolved despite three weeks of testimony.

The NCAA referred to Keller only as “athletic representative C” in announcing its findings against Alabama during a news conference. But Keller’s name repeatedly was used by the media, and the university sent Keller a letter telling him to keep clear of Alabama athletics.

Word said Alabama “threw Ray Keller under the bus” to avoid a potential death penalty for football, and the NCAA referred to him and two other boosters as “parasites” and “rogue boosters” who “corrupt athletes and should become pariahs” to other fans.

“These statements are not true about Ray Keller,” said Word.

But Dodd, the NCAA attorney, said Keller violated rules repeatedly and likely made his own name public by being a confidential source for reporter Cecil Hurt of The Tuscaloosa News. Keller co-signed loans for Hurt and sometimes fed him information, Dodd said.

Tuscaloosa News executive editor Doug Ray declined comment on whether Keller was a source for the newspaper.

So, the question as to whether Alabama made a "secret deal" with the NCAA to try and avoid heavy sanctions will probably never be answered. And we'll probably never know exactly how Keller's name became public. However, I do have a feeling that things like this occur involving major college football programs around the country much more often than the public is ever aware of.

What Do You Mean This Isn't Room Service?

Yesterday, I commented on how the sport of professional tennis had somehow become full of illicit activity and sabotage. Well, today's a new day, full of promise and more stories about possible cheating in tennis.

Czech tennis player Jan Hernych says he was approached in Russia last year and asked to lose first-round matches at ATP tournaments in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

"Someone called me from the (hotel's) reception to my room, asking whether I wanted to sell a match, if I wanted to lose," Hernych was quoted as saying in Friday's editions of the Czech Republic's biggest daily, Mlada Fronta Dnes.

"I rejected. I think that anyone who would accept it is absolutely mad," said Hernych, currently ranked 165th.

The matches allegedly involved were against Italy's Filippo Volandri at the Kremlin Cup, which Hernych won 6-1, 6-4, and against Russia's Evgeny Korolev at the St. Petersburg Open, which the Czech player won 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (7).

The fact that the people involved were trying to bribe the 165th ranked player is probably a good indication of how little influence they have, or are capable of buying, but it does make you wonder if they were able to get another player to throw their matches. And why did they want those specific matches thrown? Were Hernych's opponents from those matches already on someone's payroll, and were the individuals offering the bribe trying to help those players advance as far as possible in the tournaments in order to cash in on an even bigger payday? And eventhough Hernych wasn't offered a specific amount of money, that doesn't mean that other players haven't been.

Belgian player Gilles Elseneer said he was offered - and turned down - more than $100,000 to lose a first-round match against Potito Starace of Italy at Wimbledon in 2005.

Wow, more than $100,000? That's a pretty good chunk of change to bribe anyone with. Pretty soon people are just going to start dropping wads of cash on the baseline with a note attached.

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - Alcohol Payola Scandal Edition

Since it's Friday, and the end of the workweek for most people, we think that you should be provided with a post that takes the edge off so to speak. Because it's going to be random and hopefully humorous, that means that it won't always be sports related. It will also pop up at any time on Friday.

Weekend plans have hindered posting, but today's "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" post luckily fought its way through. It comes via inspiration from allegedly being involved in a "links for drinks" scandal with Will Leitch at Deadspin.

Apparently, the fine blogger(s) at Stop Mike Lupica believe there's some backroom, or barroom as the case may be, shadiness going on, and that's the reason this wonderful, creative, intelligent blog has been linked so much by Deadspin.

Now, I can't hate on SML too much because he actually called my links "legit posts", though maybe I should be upset because of that(long live mediocrity!). I also had a nice spike in traffic that day. And to tell you the truth, SML was on to something.

Whenever I'm looking to get something linked on Deadspin a huge party breaks out, and the next thing you know me and Mr. Leitch, or "Big Willy" as the strippers at the Spearmint Rhino in Vegas call him(contrary to popular belief there is sex in the Champagne Room if you're rolling with a Deadspin highroller), are surrounded by cash, hot chicks and lots of alcohol. Trust me, bribing "Big Willy" with those three things while doing your best impersonation of a Ying Yang Twins video is a surefire way to get links.



Happy Friday!