cygnus34

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/24/3198627/sources-james-coley-tells-fsu.html

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/umiami/2013/01/ncaa-bylaw-blog-writer-weighs-in-on-um-case-after-ncaa-bombshell-drops-wednesday.html No Link to Last Item.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130123/COLUMNISTS01/301230114/Tim-Sullivan-Well-paid-Louisville-football-coach-Charlie-Strong-still-relative-bargain

I guess now we know the brutal truth about what people have said for years, that often when you sleep with the devil you better be prepared for the risks that go along with it. We didn't know that included becoming the devil yourself. And so right there was the NCAA on Wednesday -- humiliated and tarnished and wearing horns on a day that will live in infamy for college football's ruling body - all because its enforcement office was willing to do just about anything to put the University of Miami football program into a body bag. Yes, anything. There is no better way to describe allowing yourself to be entranced by a convicted Ponzi schemer calling the shots from his jail cell on what really was a ruthless vendetta against one of college football's greatest brands of the past three decades. The NCAA took Nevin Shapiro's word for so many things that it even hired his attorney, Maria Elena Perez, to help it build the case intended to crush the University of Miami. Hired his attorney, a Miami graduate with more affection for Shapiro's money than her alma mater. Hired her at the same time it was investigating Nevin's wrongdoings. Used her as a pawn to try to get more juice for its investigation, never mind that the contents of her depositions were not even admissible evidence into the NCAA's own investigations by the NCAA's own policies. The star witness - it's believed to be Nevin's sidekick, former equipment manager Sean Pee Wee Allen, who has redefined Miami Vice because he has so many of them. How does the NCAA rebound from this? How does it ever investigate anybody again? And if it can't be trusted to police its institutions with integrity, who can? Is the typical PR move of hiding behind an investigation of the wrongdoings, one that was announced Wednesday, really going to cut it this time? I don't think so. What happened Wednesday, with the entire investigation of wrongdoings at Miami blowing up in the NCAA's face, was a game changer. Nobody knows where it will go from here. But it won't be going where it was intended to go. The likelihood is that this case will never see the Committee on Infractions. Sources tell me that there is almost certain to be a decision that the price Miami has already paid by sitting out two bowl games will be the price deemed that it must pay. Individuals involved might still be in some trouble, but not all of them. The attorneys are having a field day with these latest revelations. The NCAA has been hit by a Mack Truck driving with such force that it's even worse than that suffered by Miami when Nevin Shapiro slithered his way into the lives of its players, coaches and administrators. The cold truth is that the NCAA was screwed the minute Yahoo Sports decided to run with its initial report on Shapiro's allegations, which was substantiated primarily by unnamed sources. Shapiro's tales were sensational stuff, all about wild nights on the town with players and coaches, strip clubs and prostitutes, even an abortion. They mesmerized so many people, from writers and editors to people all around the country whose interest was fueled by the thought that this actually was going to be The U going down. There was too much cheering going on around America the day that story broke. And, quite honestly, there was too much cheering going on Wednesday when the news came down that the NCAA had botched its biggest, most high profile case. A proud day for Miami? Not really. Vindication? No. This entire mess has been too damaging. Too much bad publicity. Too many innocent kids missing championship games and bowl games. Too many lives impacted. But Miami was never going down. Here is why. The chances of the majority of that stuff that Shapiro was spewing to the Feds and to Yahoo and everyone in between was never going to be proven. The chances that most of them could be substantiated were almost minuscule. No former player, who had zero obligations to the NCAA, was going to discuss them even if they were true, which some of them most certainly were. The only confirmations were going to come primarily from people with zero credibility, like Pee Wee Allen, the guys whose testimony was so critical that it was orchestrated in collusion with Shapiro's attorneys, the NCAA version of its own death penalty. The NCAA could send out all the dumb threatening letters that it wanted, and man that one it sent out was dumb. But nobody was going to care. Even in times that mistakes were made, and some were definitely made in this situation, Canes were not going to rat out Canes. Think about the stupidity of what was going on. The NCAA was left with a case where, football-wise, the primary targets were Aubrey Hill and Clint Hurtt. Their greatest sins - giving a couple high school kids a ride down the Turnpike when they didn't have enough money in their pockets for gas, in the case of Hill, and giving them a place to sleep so they wouldn't have to snooze on some floor, in the case of Hurtt. Those were violations, no question. But did they warrant all of this, hundreds of thousands of dollars of costs, all this drama, lost careers, even if temporarily, and reputations? How about basketball coach Jorge Fernandez, who used some frequent flier miles to help out a couple players who could not afford plane tickets and thought it was so minor that he even used his university email account to order the tickets. Fernandez is out of work over it. Hasn't there always been something more wrong with this entire fiasco? Wasn't Wednesday's turn of events almost inevitable? So yeah, the NCAA was a victim in more ways than one the day Shapiro landed at its doorstep. That's because people were so fired up over the sensational details of this case that now the NCAA would look like fools if it didn't come back with the goods when its investigation was over. Its Department of Enforcement would be a mockery, laughed at from coast to coast. Under that kind of pressure, the entire enforcement division and its process caved in. It took any chance it needed to take to try to get some goods on Miami. It slept with the Devil and put Nevin Shapiro's attorney on its payroll because she could provide investigators with some information to enter into evidence, no matter if it would be deemed truth or fiction. It reduced itself to embarrassing pressure tactics to try to get individuals in what has been college football's greatest brotherhood to turn on each other over boat rides out on Biscayne Bay. And those are the things we know about. Think of how many more skeletons must be buried out there somewhere. The University of Miami has suffered enormously the past couple years, branded a rogue institution in a world full of many that are massively more illicit. Mistakes? Yes, there were many. But those close to the program know there aren't too many real boosters at Miami. There might be some who will take a kid to dinner out of kindness. But there are not too many recruits finding bags of cash at their door. And because this Canes Nation was its prized target the past two years, because there really was not much there no matter how badly it needed for there to be a mountain of evidence, the NCAA went down harder than The U did on Wednesday. You can be certain a motion to dismiss from Miami is waiting at NCAA Chief Mark Emmert's door this morning. If Emmert is smart, with all those powers that he clearly has or believes that he has until some judge out there strips him of them, that motion will be granted. Miami will move on and the NCAA must move on also from this stinker of a case where both institutions stared eye to eye with the devil, and one of them grimaced in pain and the other one made the foolish decision to dance.

Punished for WHAT? Explain it all.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/21604840/hey-ncaa-give-it-up

I'll give you this link it is the same story. http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8872992/ncaa-reveals-found-improper-conduct-investigation-miami-hurricanes

January 23, 2013 In a move that threatens its entire inquiry in the Nevin Shapiro melodrama with the University of Miami, the NCAA national office has uncovered an issue of improper conduct within its enforcement program that occurred during the UM investigation. Former NCAA enforcement staff members worked with Nevin Shapiro's attorneys to improperly obtain information for the purposes of the NCAA investigation through a bankruptcy proceeding that did not involve the NCAA. As it does not have subpoena power, the NCAA does not have the authority to compel testimony through procedures outside of its enforcement program. Through bankruptcy proceedings, the enforcement staff gained information for the investigation that would not have been accessible otherwise. As it relates to the Miami investigation, the NCAA will not move forward with a Notice of Allegations until all the facts surrounding this issue are known. Sources have told CaneSport that attorneys representing Miami and other individuals involved in the Shapiro/NCAA case are now attempting to throw out portions of information and testimony that had been part of the case. The sources have also told CaneSport that these improprieties came to the attention of the NCAA in recent days after it had already begun the process of notifying individuals that they would have charges contained in the Notice of Allegations. This information, much of it believed to be part of a deposition with former Miami equipment manager Sean "Pee Wee" Allen, has thrown a major monkey wrench into the entire Miami / NCAA affair. Sources have speculated to CaneSport that there is the growing liklihood that the case will never reach the NCAA Infractions Committee. NCAA President Mark Emmert said he has promised UM that there will be a quick resolution. That resolution could evolve into a declaration that the penalties Miami has self imposed will be sufficient. Anything else might delay the situation many more months. "I have been vocal in the past regarding the need for integrity by NCAA member schools, athletics administrators, coaches, and student-athletes," said NCAA President Mark Emmert. "That same commitment to integrity applies to all of us in the NCAA national office." Emmert has commissioned an external review of the enforcement program. The review will include a thorough investigation into the current issue as well as the overall enforcement environment, to ensure operation of the program is consistent with the essential principles of integrity and accountability. The NCAA has retained Kenneth L. Wainstein, a partner with the law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP to conduct this investigation. Wainstein specializes in corporate internal investigations and civil and criminal enforcement proceedings. He was formerly Homeland Security Advisor to President George W. Bush and has served as the Assistant Attorney General for National Security as well as the FBI General Counsel. "Upon receipt of Mr. Wainstein's findings, I will take further steps as needed to assure accountability for any improper conduct," Emmert said. "The NCAA Executive Committee expects the enforcement program to operate within approved procedures and with the highest integrity. Although we are deeply disappointed in this turn of events, we strongly support the actions President Emmert is taking to address the problem," said Lou Anna K. Simon, executive committee chair and Michigan State University president. "To say the least, I am angered and saddened by this situation. Trust and credibility are essential to our regulatory tasks," said Emmert. "My intent is to ensure our investigatory functions operate with integrity and are fair and consistent with our member schools, athletics staff and most importantly our student-athletes," he added. These revelations combined with isses the NCAA is having with other cases have created a cloud over NCAA Enforement offices. Other issues pending include a California case filed by former Southern Cal assistant football coach Todd McNair, who said the NCAA was "malicious" in its investigation into his role in the benefits scandal surrounding Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Frederick Shaller called the NCAA's actions "over the top." Earlier this month, the NCAA was sued by Pennsylvania Gov. Thomas W. Corbett, who claimed the sports governing body overstepped its authority and "piled on" when it penalized Penn State for the Jerry Sandusky scandal last summer. The governor asked a federal judge to throw out the sanctions, arguing that the measures -- which include a four-year bowl ban and $60 million fine -- have harmed students, business owners and others who had nothing to do with Sandusky's crimes.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/bruce-feldman/21594910/ex-miami-assistants-to-be-hit-with-ncaas-dreaded-101s

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2013/01/20/ncaa-president-mark-emmert-rules-reform-convention/1849751/

Cincinnati recruits: Tuberville pulled our scholarships, and didn't tell us Cincinnati recruits: Tuberville pulled our scholarships, and didn't tell us By Matt Hinton | Blogger January 11, 2013 1:54 pm ET Tommy Tuberville was introduced as Cincinnati's head coach on Dec. 8. (AP) If Tommy Tuberville's abrupt, overnight exit from Texas Tech last month left some Red Raider recruits feeling a little chilly, his first few weeks on the job at Cincinnati have left Bearcat targets feeling like they've been abandoned in an approaching blizzard. With less than a month to go before national signing day on Feb. 6, multiple prospects who verbally committed to Tuberville's predecessor at Cincy, Butch Jones, have accused Tuberville of quietly crossing their names off the list without contacting them, leaving the players to scramble for last-minute offers. First up: Demetrius Monday, a three-star cornerback from Fairburn, Ga., who committed to Cincinnati last summer, and told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday that he's back on the market after failing to hear from Tuberville who accepted the Cincinnati on Dec. 8, less than 48 hours after Jones left for the top job at Tennessee for a solid month. When Monday's family finally contacted the university this week, according to his father, they were told to "look other places": "I think it's messed up," his father, Bryant Monday, told the AJC. "You wait until a few weeks before signing day to say something? They could have told us a month ago. "Now we're left with less than a month until signing day to figure something out. [Demetrius] had other scholarship offers but he hasn't talked to those coaches in six months … since he committed to Cincinnati on July 25. It's really disappointing." "They told us to 'look other places,'" Monday said. "I'm in Los Angeles on vacation, and I just got the bad news. The thing is, we've talked to some other kids committed to Cincinnati. They say the same thing, that they haven't heard from the staff. Basically [Tuberville] isn't calling anybody, he's trying to get the kids to de-commit on their own. "It's a bad situation." Demetrius Monday is a three-star cornerback prospect from Fairburn, Ga. (247Sports) Next up: Jaleel Canty, a three-star "athlete" from Lansing, Mich., who also committed to Cincinnati last July, and also told the AJC he had to find out he'd been dumped the hard way. After a month with no news, he called the football offices on Thursday. "They said they were bringing in their own guys, so all the guys that are committed are out luck," Canty said. "It's messed up. I've been committed to Cincinnati since July, and I kind of cut off communication with other schools. I don't understand why [Tuberville] couldn't tell us a month ago. We're less than a month away from signing day now. And I don't understand why we had to call them. Why couldn't they call us and tell us a month ago? It's really disappointing." Last week, the head coach of nearby Massillon-Washington High, Jason Hall, who told a local paper last week that Tuberville would be effectively banned from recruiting Massillon players after he reportedly pulled a scholarship offer from quarterback Kyle Kempt. In Ohio, that's no trifling matter: Since Hall arrived in 2008, Washington has produced six FBS signees, including current Ohio State starter Devin Smith, and is expected to add three moreto that list this year, including Kempt. "It was an ugly situation," said Hall, who also serves as the school's athletic director. "I think they thought [Kempt] was going to go to Tennessee with Butch Jones and they offered another quarterback. But that wasn't the case. Cincinnati will not be allowed back in Massillon on our campus as long as Jason Hall is in Massillon." A source on Tuberville's staff told CBSSports.com's Bruce Feldman that every committed recruit was contacted by a Cincinnati staffer after the coaching change to find out where each recruit stood in the process. According to the source, the new staff plans to honor commitments from those who said they were still committed to Cincinnati, but several recruits said they were still looking at other schools. Even without Tuberville's side of the story NCAA rules prohibit coaches from publicly acknowledging individual recruits before they've signed letters of intent the language in those accounts is damning enough. A player finds the situation "disappointing." A local coach thinks it's "ugly." A parent just calls it "bad." Among his core constituencies on the recruiting trail, Tuberville is off to an 0-for-3 start. Now, we get to see how he finishes. According 247Sports, Cincinnati currently boasts just 12 verbal commitments for the 2013 class, not including a pair of early enrollees from Copiah-Lincoln (Miss.) Community College who are already on campus. (Schools may sign up to 25 scholarship players in a given year, although they're also restricted by an 85-man cap for the roster as a whole.) For the moment, that group still includes Jaleel Canty, which reflects the uncertainty and flux of the class in the home stretch. Barring a few surprises between now and signing day, Tuberville may find himself facing a few questions he doesn't necessarily want to answer.

Stupid People say Supid Things.

Big East won't have divisions in '13 Updated: January 18, 2013, 2:17 PM ET By Brett McMurphy | ESPN The Big East will have a 10-team league this fall without divisions after Boise State and San Diego State decided to remain in the Mountain West, sources told ESPN. Those defections forced the Big East to scrap its planned home-and-away opponents, which was announced in December. A new list of opponents was released on Friday. ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson writes about all things Big East in the conference blog. League members will play eight Big East games, facing every school except one. Big East teams that will not play each other in 2013: UCF and Cincinnati; UConn and Houston; Louisville and SMU; Memphis and Rutgers; and USF and Temple. Six Big East schools were scheduled to play both Boise State and San Diego State and had both games replaced in the new schedule. The biggest beneficiary of the new matchups appears to be Louisville, which is expected to be a preseason top-10 team next season. Instead of playing at Boise State and hosting San Diego State, Louisville will play at Temple and host Houston. Every school's conference opponents were altered by the new schedule with the exception of USF. Instead of playing the Broncos and Aztecs, Temple plays Cincinnati and Louisville; SMU plays Rutgers and Cincinnati; Memphis plays UCF and UConn; Houston plays Cincinnati and Louisville; Louisville plays Temple and Houston; and Cincinnati plays SMU and Temple. Game dates are expected to be announced in a few months, but the team's home and away opponents are as follows: UCF: • Home: UConn, Houston, Rutgers, USF. • Away: Louisville, Memphis, SMU, Temple. Cincinnati • Home: UConn, Louisville, SMU, Temple. • Away: Houston, Memphis, Rutgers, USF. UConn • Home: Louisville, Memphis, Rutgers, USF. • Away: UCF, Cincinnati, SMU, Temple. Houston • Home: Cincinnati, Memphis, SMU, USF. • Away: UCF, Louisville, Rutgers, Temple. Louisville • Home: UCF, Houston, Memphis, Rutgers. • Away: Cincinnati, UConn, USF, Temple. Memphis • Home: UCF, Cincinnati, SMU, Temple. • Away: UConn, Houston, Louisville, USF. Rutgers • Home: Cincinnati, Houston, USF, Temple. • Away: UCF, UConn, Louisville, SMU. SMU • Home: UCF, UConn, Rutgers, Temple. • Away: Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis, USF. USF • Home: Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis, SMU. • Away: UCF, UConn, Houston, Rutgers. Temple • Home: UCF, UConn, Houston, Louisville. • Away: Cincinnati, Memphis, Rutgers, SMU.

Jacksonville Jags just hired Jed Fisch the OC and QB & W/r coach for the CANES. Nery bad timing indeed as today is this weekend is when all the top recruits are in town. I would not mind seeing Cristobal become OC but the QB & W/R coaches become a priority.

Latest on the NCAA Situation: Tuesday 7 AM Report 7 AM TUESDAY -- I have confirmed from multiple sources that the NCAA has told multiple people that it will deliver the allegations early next week. However I will personally be surprised if they stick to this timetable. Would not be shocked to see it moved up a couple days. MIDNIGHT TUESDAY -- Sources have told CaneSport that the NCAA will be going hard at former coaches Aubrey Hill and Clint Hurtt when it issues its Letter of Allegations, likely trying to tag both coaches with "show cause" status. It is believed that their attorneys were informed of the allegations Monday, but it is not known if the NCAA is going as far as informing those charged with its intent as it pertains to penalties. All principles in the case are being sternly warned against leaking the content of discussions this week. Right now the timeline for a public announcement is believed to be early next week -- Monday or Tuesday. Miami is said to be planning to make the charges against it public at a press conference, but that has yet to be scheduled. The decision to try to prove show cause against the former members of Randy Shannon's staff could be part of a movement by the NCAA to make individuals directly responsible for NCAA violations more accountable, something critics of the NCAA have urged for years. A show-cause penalty is an order saying that for a set period of time, any NCAA penalties imposed on a coach involved in major rules violations at a university's athletic program will remain in force if he is hired by any other NCAA member institution. Both the school and coach are required to send letters to the NCAA agreeing to abide by any restrictions imposed, and report back to the NCAA every 6 months until the end of employment or the show-cause, whichever comes first. If the school wishes to avoid the NCAA restrictions imposed on that individual, it must appear before the NCAA Committee on Infractions and "show cause" as to why it should not be penalized for hiring him. An NCAA member school is allowed to hire a coach with a show-cause order outstanding. In practice, however, the show-cause restrictions make it prohibitively difficult for a coach with a show-cause order to get another collegiate job. "The NCAA often uses the "show cause" tag for institutional employees who it is alleging have not been 100% truthful to investigators during the investigation stage and sources told CaneSport that is what the NCAA will be alleging against Hurtt, Hill and others when it releases its charges. Hill has already resigned from the staff at Florida, but Hurtt, a key assistant at Louisville, has an enormous amountat stake if the NCAA tags him with a "show cause." CaneSport reported several months ago that it was believed that Hurtt was cooperating fully with the NCAA throughout the process and that because of that Louisville would stand by him even if he is forced to give up recruiting duties for a period of time because of his involvement with Shapiro. Both coaches may fight any allegations they don't agree with after the charges are delivered. All of the coaches involved have hired attorneys. Another former coach, Joe Pannunzio, is also believed to be named in the allegations, but not to the same degree as Hurtt and Hill, who admitted their involvement from Day 1. Sources close to the situation are also telling CaneSport that Miami's basketball program will receive equal treatment to football in the allegations. But it is uncertain whether the fact that Coach Frank Haith and staff are gone will give UM beneficial treatment when the case goes to the penalty stage. CaneSport is also being told there will be a couple of surprises implicating current UM athletic personnel when the final charges are revealed. But none of those are believed to involve major violations. In summary, based on conversation with dozens of sources, we believe that Miami has correctly projected both the level of charges with provability and the penalty level that those warrant. Those who have projected loss of some scholarships in addition to the 2 bowl games already served could be spot on. The bigger question could end up being what will happen to Miami's basketball program, which is in contention in the ACC this season and has yet to impose any penalties. There is legit question, with the charges set to be released soon, of whether Miami will be forced to self-impose penalties on its basketball program this season. 10:30 AM, MONDAY -- The notifications of individual allegations are being made reither directly to the attorneys of the individuals or the individuals themselves. Those conversations with attorneys are beginning today and have confirmed this multiple places. Most individuals involved have attorneys.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8838088/ncaa-reviewing-allegations-vs-miami-hurricanes-report-says

In a major coup for Head Coach Al Golden, former UM lineman and assistant coach Mario Cristobal, most recently the head coach at FIU, has been enticed to return to his alma mater as an offensive assistant. Cristobal was named Associate Head Coach and will coach tight ends with Brennan Carroll coaching receivers. Cristobal was among the best recruiters to work at UM during the Canes glory years. He became available when former Hurricane staffer Pete Garcia, now the AD at FIU, abruptly fired him in the wake of a disappointing 3-9 season in which FIU lost several close games and was beset by injuries. Cristobal's coaching career began in 1998 as a UM graduate assistant but he will play a much more critical role this time around. He spent the past six years recruiting the state of Florida as a Head Coach and has massive ties with the high school coaching community. He also personally recruited every major junior college in the country and brings a top-tier work ethic to Golden's staff. A year ago Cristobal was considered one of the top up and coming coaches in America and was on an ascent in the business that only was interrupted by the shocking turn of events at FIU in December. The 3-9 season came on the heels of an 8-5 season that saw Cristobal mentioned for several head coaching positions that he reportedly turned down, including Pittsburgh and Rutgers. Cristobal, who began coaching at FIU in 2007, was also named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 2010 after leading the team to its first conference championship. When he inherited the program , it was on probation and on the brink of disaster academically and on the field. Cristobal coached for three years at UM under former head coach Larry Coker, from 2004-06. The Hurricanes compiled a 24-12 record in that time with appearances in the 2004 and 2005 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowls and the 2006 Micron PC Bowl. Cristobal coached Miami's tight ends in the 2004 and '05 seasons, tutoring 2005 Buffalo Bills' third-round pick Kevin Everett, 2006 free agent signee Buck Ortega and 2007 Chicago Bears' first round selection Greg Olsen. In 2006 Cristobal took over a Miami offensive line that featured four new starters, including a true sophomore at left tackle and a true freshman at right tackle. Despite coaching a unit wrought with inexperience and riddled by injuries throughout the season, the UM offense saw a 39 percent decrease in sacks allowed from 36 to 22, only seven of which Cristobal's line was deemed responsible. Following that season, junior guard Derrick Morse was selected honorable mention All-ACC and true freshman tackle Jason Fox was named to the Rivals.com All-America Second Team. Cristobal coached at Rutgers from 2001-03. He helped set the table for one of the biggest success stories in the last 30 years of college football. Cristobal worked under head coach Greg Schiano, coaching the offensive tackles and tight ends for two seasons before shifting his focus solely to the offensive line in 2003. He was a critical factor in Rutgers' resurgence to competitiveness and helped lay the foundation in recruiting and coaching for a program that went from obscurity to college football's upper echelon in a matter of five years. During Cristobal's tenure at Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights improved from records of 2-9 and 1-11 to a 5-7 mark in 2003, the school's best record since 1998. One of Cristobal's brightest pupils was tight end L.J. Smith, the Philadelphia Eagles' second-round pick in the 2003 NFL Draft and current starter. It was at Rutgers that Cristobal put the first notches in his belt as a full-time coach and his talent as a coach and recruiter was recognized. "I knew early in my relationship with Mario that someday he would be a head coach," Schiano said. "FIU landed a great man for the job." Cristobal began his coaching career in 1998, when he joined the Miami Hurricanes staff as a graduate assistant, working with the Hurricanes for three seasons (1998-2000) under head coach Butch Davis. He helped his alma mater to a 29-8 record, three bowl wins and a pair of BIG EAST Conference championships in that time. "Mario Cristobal is an exceptional man with a great passion for football and people," Davis said. "He is an excellent recruiter and coach who has been around great football programs and I believe is an excellent choice for FIU. Coach Cristobal will make a huge impact on the program and will be dynamic in South Florida." A 1993 graduate of Miami (FL), Cristobal was a four-year letterman and member of the UM football team from 1988-92. He earned All-BIG EAST honors as an offensive tackle during his 1992 senior season. Cristobal signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted rookie in 1994 and played for the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe in 1995 and '96 before beginning his coaching career. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/um-hurricanes/sfl-mario-cristobal-hired-as-miami-receivers-coach-20130110,0,4806171.story

A team of scientists who analyzed the brain tissue of renowned NFL linebacker Junior Seau after his suicide last year have concluded the football player suffered a debilitating brain disease likely caused by two decades worth of hits to the head, researchers and his family exclusively told ABC News and ESPN. In May, Seau, 43 -- football's monster in the middle, a perennial all-star and defensive icon in the 1990s whose passionate hits made him a dominant figure in the NFL -- shot himself in the chest at his home in Oceanside, Calif., leaving behind four children and many unanswered questions. Seau's family donated his brain to neuroscientists at the National Institutes for Health who are conducting ongoing research on traumatic brain injury and football players. Click Here to Read ESPN's Coverage on Junior Seau A team of independent researchers who did not know they were studying Seau's brain all concluded he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease typically caused by multiple hits to the head. "What was found in Junior Seau's brain was cellular changes consistent with CTE," said Dr. Russell Lonser, chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at Ohio State University, who led the study of Seau's brain while he was at NIH. Patients with CTE, which can only be diagnosed after death, display symptoms "such as impulsivity, forgetfulness, depression, [and] sometimes suicidal ideation," Lonser said. Seau's family described to ABC News and ESPN a long descent into depression in the years prior to his death. Gina Seau, his ex-wife with whom he remained close following their divorce, said the linebacker had difficulty sleeping and became withdrawn and "detached emotionally" from his children. In one exchange, he described his mood as "low" and "dark." "A lot of things, towards the end of his life, patterns that we saw and things that worried us, it makes sense now," she said of the diagnosis. The night before his death, Seau sent a text message to his ex-wife and children in which he simply wrote, "I love you." They were the last words anyone would hear from him. More than 30 NFL players have in recent years been diagnosed with CTE, a condition once known as "punch drunk" because it affected boxers who had taken multiple blows to the head. Last year, 4,000 retired players joined a class-action lawsuit against the league over its alleged failure to protect players from brain injuries. The NFL has said it did not intentionally hide the dangers of concussions from players and is doing everything it can now to protect them. Gina Seau said she and her ex-husband expected physical injuries from playing professional football but never thought "you're putting your brain and your mental health at a greater risk." Junior Seau, she said, was never formally diagnosed with a concussion but routinely complained of symptoms associated with concussions after receiving hits to the head during games and in practices in 20 seasons in the NFL. "The head-to-head contact, the collisions are just, they're out of control," Gina Seau said. "He was a warrior and he loved the game," she added. "But ... I know that he didn't love the end of his life." For the Seaus, football gave them everything and, they believe, has now taken it all away. They understand its attraction and, all too well, its routine danger. "I think it's a gamble," Gina Seau said. "Just be extremely aware of what could potentially happen to your life." None of the Seau children play football anymore and their mother is glad of that. "It's not worth it for me to not have a dad," said one of the Seaus' sons, Tyler Seau, 23. "So, to me, it's not worth it."

Sources: Cotton Bowl Favored To Host First Finale Brett McMurphy discusses the choice of the AT&T Cotton Bowl as the "prohibitive favorite" to host the first college football national title game under the new playoff system.Tags: Cotton Bowl, Playoff System, National Title, Brett McMurphy, Cary Chow Sources: Cotton Bowl Favored To Host First Finale MIAMI -- The Rose and Sugar bowls will host college football's first national semifinals on Jan. 1, 2015, with the AT&T Cotton Bowl a "prohibitive favorite" to host the national title game on Jan. 12, 2015, sources said Monday. Under the 12-year deal, which begins after the 2014 season, the Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio and Allstate Sugar Bowl will be played on Jan. 1 every season whether they are hosting the national semifinals or not. During the 12-year contract, the Rose and Sugar will host the semifinals four times. In the years they aren't hosting, the national semifinals would be moved from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, sources said. The only exceptions would be on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, and Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, when the Rose and Sugar would move to Dec. 31, 2016, and Dec. 31, 2022, respectively. If the Rose and Sugar don't host the semifinals in those two seasons, the national semifinals would be played on Dec. 30, 2016, and Dec. 30, 2022. Six bowls, also to include the Orange, will rotate as hosts for the national semifinals. The other three have not been officially determined. Sources told ESPN they would be the Cotton, Tostitos Fiesta and Chick-fil-A bowls. Last month, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany told ESPN that the Rose and Sugar bowls would host the national semifinals in the same year as part of the six-bowl semifinal rotation. CBSSports.com initially reported the Rose and Sugar likely would be held annually on Jan. 1 with 4:30 p.m. (Rose) and 8 p.m. (Sugar) kickoffs during the upcoming new playoff format. The BCS commissioners met Monday and will meet again Tuesday in Miami as they continue to iron out details for the new playoff. Among the major topics of discussion: determining how and of whom the selection committee will be composed and finalizing the location of the semifinal rotations. In the upcoming college football playoff, the top four teams -- as determined by the selection committee -- will meet in the semifinals. After those four teams are selected, the league champion or top available team from the Pac-12 and Big Ten will play in the Rose Bowl, SEC and Big 12 teams in the Sugar Bowl and ACC in the Orange Bowl. The ACC's Orange Bowl opponent will be the highest-ranked team of either Notre Dame, an SEC team not in the national semifinals or the Sugar Bowl or a Big Ten team not in the semifinals or the Rose Bowl. However, in the years the Rose and Sugar bowls host the national semifinals, the BCS commissioners have agreed that the Big Ten or SEC champion will not be placed in the Orange Bowl, sources said. Instead it will be placed in one of the three other access bowls, which will be part of the national semifinal rotation. Also, the highest-rated champion from the Group of Five conferences (Big East, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt) will earn a berth in one of the six major bowls but will never be eligible for the Sugar or Rose bowls. When the Rose, Sugar or ACC is hosting a national semifinal, the champion from each league or next-best-available team if it's in the playoff would still receive a bid in one of the six major bowls. After all of those teams are placed, the remaining at-large selections to fill out the six major bowls will be based on the highest-ranked teams as determined by the selection committee, not already selected. Hancock also discussed Monday other aspects of college football's upcoming playoff: • More than a dozen cities have inquired about hosting the national championship game. The playoff needs a name, too. • The selection committee will try to stage the semifinals with geographic considerations in mind. However, No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will not be put at a "home-crowd disadvantage" in the semifinals. For example, No. 4 LSU won't play a semifinal in the Superdome against No. 1 Ohio State. • Neither conference affiliation nor a possible rematch will have any effect on the semifinal pairings. If it works out that Texas and Oklahoma meet in the semifinals, so be it. ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel contributed to this report.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/risks-college-football-powerful-painkiller/story?id=18114915

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8800479/pennsylvania-gov-tom-corbett-sue-ncaa-penn-state-sanctions

There are many rumors why he wanted out of LUBBOCK, TX. the Desert wasteland in west Texas. His wife is from OHIO and could be a good time to reinvigorate his resume with a team the has placed the last two coaches into very good H.C.positions.

I tried to delete this but I could not. This board is, way behind the times and I will NOT POST anymore.

Tennessee! A Flash across my TV screen. Am I too late on this one?

http://tracking.si.com/2012/12/14/uconn-cincinnati-new-conference/?sct=obnetwork