Special Admissions

[SANJAY]

In the water is wet category.  However, after Saban's prior comments about USF I did find this interesting.

At Alabama, 19 football players got in as part of a special admissions program from 2004 to 2006, the most recent years available in the NCAA report. The school tightened its standards for "special admits" in both 2004 and 2007, but from 2004 through 2006, Crimson Tide athletes were still more than likely to benefit from such exemptions.

Alabama coach Nick Saban offered no apologies.

"Some people have ability and they have work ethic and really never get an opportunity," he said. "I am really pleased and happy with the job that we do and how we manage our students here, and the responsibility and accountability they have toward academics and the success that they've had in academics."

http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-sports/2009/12/university_of_alabama_athletes.html

[usf97]

He sounds like he would make a perfect politician. Attack your opponent for the exact same things that you are doing.

[Mama_Bull]

What a joke.

[GaUSFBull]

Hmm, interesting, but my take is that Saban is saying that in defense of the seniors on the team, since any seniors that were special admits came in in 2006, the last year of the more loose standards.  Saban was hired in 2007, I believe, so he's not responsible for recruiting under any special admissions standards. 

Just trying to keep it real. 

[Matt]

Saben is the devil.

I really hope Texas crushed them.

How can he be so two-faced?

[USF_Grouper]

To be fair (and I have as low an opinion of Saban as the next guy) - this article is talking about special admissions to players who wouldn't otherwise qualify for the school.  Just about every school does this (UF, FSU, and yes USF).  What Saban was attacking USF for was taking partial qualifiers - that is athletes that don't meet the minimum NCAA clearinghouse qualifications.  At the time Saban said it, USF was no longer accepting them as I believe the BE doesn't allow it.  We did still have a few on our team who had gotten in that way though.

I think it is Apples and Oranges.

[Bullschmutz]

Who is this Nick Saban guy?

I only know of this Nick Satan coach that chased the highest dollar amount while ****ing over LSU, the Dolphins, and whoever got in his way.

[mikebeau]

To be fair (and I have as low an opinion of Saban as the next guy) - this article is talking about special admissions to players who wouldn't otherwise qualify for the school.  Just about every school does this (UF, FSU, and yes USF).  What Saban was attacking USF for was taking partial qualifiers - that is athletes that don't meet the minimum NCAA clearinghouse qualifications.  At the time Saban said it, USF was no longer accepting them as I believe the BE doesn't allow it.  We did still have a few on our team who had gotten in that way though.

I think it is Apples and Oranges.

The AP report stated that Alabama was one of the programs that used special admissions the most for football.

[SANJAY]

Bump for ee bull.