UCF recruiting violations fallout

[crambone]

O' Leary is old school and runs a completely clean program.

Wasn't the football program at UCF hit with NCAA punishment within the last couple of years?

Yes, i believe they were popped for improper contact last year or the year before. 

Correct.  They are on probation due to recruing violations.  This is not good for UCF's football or basketball programs.  Unless the NCAA turns a blind eye this could be very bad for them.

[Triple B]

This definitely has the tinge of bitter Louisville/Pat Forde to it.

I feel like UCF may not actually have anything to do with this, but this is a prime example of how messed up college recruiting is these days, and this "outside" guy can influence recruits to funnel them somewhere, and possibly get a whole institution in trouble in the process.

more on Forde:

Pat Forde -Prior to joining ESPN, Forde worked for 17 years as a journalist for The Louisville Courier-Journal.

Forde's op/ed writing for ESPN is sometimes perceived as controversial, particularly in the strong value judgments he casts on individuals and athletic programs. In a December 2007 column following the hiring of Bobby Petrino as the head football coach at the University of Arkansas, Forde called Petrino a "disingenuous drifter" and warned fans of the Razorbacks that any good will Petrino showed toward them would only be "the latest pack of lies in a career full of them.

Yet in 2008, Forde served as the co-author for the University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino's Rebound Rules: The Art of Success 2.0. He trashes an old UL coach personally but writes a very favorable book about the current UL head basketball coach who was guilty of N.C.A.A. sanctions while and assistant at Hawaii. Pitino was implicated in 8 of the 64 violations that led to the university being placed on two years' probation.

Sad that Forde left out the hiring of Shabaka Lands by Pitino. He wanted to trash UCF for using street agents but the very same person he wrote a biography about just a year and a half ago hired Shabaka Lands to be "special assistant to the coach." Oh Shabaka Lands also happens to be the former AAU assistant basketball coach of Marquis Teague, a five star recruit. Teague signs with UK and guess what, Shabaka Lands loses his job shortly after. Is it an NCAA violation no but it is dirty, is what UCF did an NCAA violation, not but it seems dirty. I must have missed that tidbit in Forde's writings.

Pat Forde is also the same guy that seems to have a never ending attack game against UK's coach John Calipari, going so far as to have Calipari ask him if it was personal for some reason. All the while, Forde has NEVER written anything about Pitino's extra marital affairs situation, not once.

I will end with this FACT. Pete Thamel and Pat Forde have done this before for UL. Those that say well the story is in the NY Times and ESPN so it must be true should remember the name Eric Bledsoe

moral of the story, maybe UCF should walk away from any recruit we have to go head to head w/ Louisville. All this trouble is all coming from the same place

Link to whichever pathetic UCF fans' blog this is from? I think this is my favorite line of this assclown's musing:

Forde's op/ed writing for ESPN is sometimes perceived as controversial, particularly in the strong value judgments he casts on individuals and athletic programs.

Really?? An OP/ed column controversial ... casting strong value judgments? Einstein here must not know what "op" stands for ...

[footnfan1]

If I am  correct, this is not from a pathetic UCF blog, it is from  UK fan that has tracks these two writers anti Calipari (SP?) and pro  Pitino articles.

http://kentuckysportsradio.com/?p=53115

[footnfan1]

Sorry, wrong source, my mistake.

[abababa]

From that it sounds like football is pretty clean. The basketball program may have a violation but hard to tell yet. Would be nice to see the NCAA actually take a stand against the runners and the AAU circuit especially in hoops. Its soooo dirty.

[Triple B]

Sorry, wrong source, my mistake.

The last line indicated a UCF source somewhere in there: "moral of the story, maybe UCF should walk away from any recruit we have to go head to head w/ Louisville. All this trouble is all coming from the same place"

[usf97]

Well it sounds like their football program may have only been moderately involved but it sounds like their basketball program could have the hammer laid to it if this is true. If Donnie and Tribble are so tied into this guy.....I could see them going down. The part about them letting UCF coaches listen in to conversations with the Ware family without letting them know sounds real shady.

I tend to think DeMarcus with the football team was probably the only instance where this guy was involved, but when all of the details come out about his recruitment.....you have to wonder if it will change whether they will release him from his LOI.

[CPR]

O' Leary is old school and runs a completely clean program.

Wasn't the football program at UCF hit with NCAA punishment within the last couple of years?

I was using sarcasm. My bad man, internet sarcasm is impossible to try and get across.

[redbird2001]

Funny to watch the UCF fans spin it.  Any how Pat Forde wrote on UL recruiting violations in the 90's and Jody Demling is a big UK fan so I see them keep saying 2 of the 3 guys are from Louisville which is true but there not exactly UL backers. Yeah Forde wrote a book with Coach P but I Also really dont see Pitino telling Forde to look into UCF because they lost a 4 star recruit in Kevin Ware who would be on the bench this year when UL already has a top 10 class coming in.  I mean you guys cant be that nieve.  Also UCF fans are right every team has runners its called assistant coaches not felons out of chicago who set up meetings with coaches and players.  UCF can try to spin it however you want but it looks like violations were committed and the BIg East is just a dream for you guys at this point.

[bullwark]

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