The Party's Over

[Papa_Bull]

The Party's Over

By JOEY KNIGHT jknight@tampatrib.com

Published: Jan 30, 2005

It was a decaffeinated version of an otherwise breathtaking football experience; more adrenalin walk-through than adrenalin rush.

Had Middleton receiver O.J. Murdock visited the University of South Carolina in a previous year, he might have heard the theme of ``2001: A Space Odyssey'' emanate from the Williams-Brice Stadium loudspeakers, seen white smoke bellow out of the tunnel from which the players emerge, and been allowed to race onto the field in a personalized Gamecocks jersey.

But when Murdock recently made an official visit to Columbia, S.C., many frills were absent. Coach Steve Spurrier's simulation of the Gamecocks' entrance was a cappella.

Which is to say, minus the instrumental accompaniment or smoke.

``As we were going out on the field, [spurrier] was like, `Just pretend we do the smoke and all that,' '' Murdock said.

Murdock and his fellow blue- chippers are feeling the brunt of new NCAA legislation prohibiting many of the extravagances used by coaches to lure a top- flight recruit to their program.

The steak-and- lobster gorges, private flights and private dancers, hot tubs and hot hors d'oeuvres?

All essentially have gone up in smoke.

``It was getting to be too much of a dog-and-pony show,'' Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said.

Question is, have all the dogs been called off? Because the new legislation is open to broad interpretation in a few areas, some suggest many coaches are still indulging prospects to exorbitant degrees and gaining recruiting advantages in the process.

As a result, more stringent mandates could be forthcoming.

``There's still some of it going on,'' ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. ``Believe me.''

Thank You, Willie Williams

The 2005 recruits who hoped to cut loose during their official visits can thank University of Miami freshman linebacker Willie Williams - and others - for the absence of strip steaks and strip clubs.

A SuperPrep All-American from Carol City High, Williams documented his recruiting indulgences - while on visits to Auburn, FSU, Florida and Miami - to The Miami Herald last winter.

He told of dining on lobster tails (at $50 a pop) in Tallahassee, relaxing in a hot tub on the balcony of his hotel room in Coconut Grove, and traveling on private jets in which he was the lone passenger.

The party ended, however, when Williams was charged with accosting a female student, punching a man at a nightclub and setting off fire extinguishers in a hotel during his official visit to Gainesville.

Soon thereafter, it was revealed Williams had violated an 18-month probation - imposed when he pleaded no contest to a burglary charge - and had 10 theft-related arrests since age 14.

Meantime, the University of Colorado had its own fires to extinguish.

The program was littered with allegations - some dating to 1997 - that women had been raped at recruiting parties, and that Buffaloes players were furnishing recruits with alcohol and strippers.

A high-level investigation ensued, and Coach Gary Barnett temporarily was placed on leave.

The NCAA responded immediately.

A task force, created in the wake of the arrests and allegations, submitted six recruiting reforms as emergency legislation to the Division I Board of Directors. Foley was a member of the task force.

On Aug. 5, the board passed all six.

Private flights were banned, as were the use of personalized jerseys or game-day simulations to entice recruits. Lavish meals and accommodations also were outlawed in favor of ``standard lodging'' and ``standard meals'' similar to those offered on campus.

Additionally, schools were required to establish written official-visit policies and have them approved by their respective CEOs and kept on file at their conference office.

``Getting this under control was good,'' said Miami coach Larry Coker, whose school admitted Williams after the player was placed on additional probation in July. ``It really helps you ... make it more like things would normally be for a student-athlete.''

Local Division I prospects now tell of recruiting visits far more subdued, but nonetheless enjoyable.

Wesley Chapel lineman Danny Tolley, who recently committed to South Florida, said he roomed with another player at a nearby Embassy Suites during his official visit to the school.

While the visit was highlighted by a dinner cruise on Tampa Bay, Tolley said the buffet on the ship was pedestrian (i.e. pork, fish, pasta, salad, etc.). A visit to school president Judy Genshaft's house the following day featured a sandwich buffet, he added.

Murdock said he didn't even walk onto the newly christened Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium during his visit to Tallahassee.

Clearwater Central Catholic lineman A.J. Trump, who has committed to Miami, said he was allowed to walk on the Orange Bowl field during his official visit with the Hurricanes, but the tour ended there.

``A couple of years ago, they got to put the jerseys on and run through the smoke, stuff like that,'' Trump said.

All confirmed they went out in the evenings with designated player-hosts, but they first had to sign an agreement saying they would abstain from illegal activities such as drugs, alcohol and escort services.

Tolley said he spent one night during his visit ``hanging out'' in a dorm room.

``It doesn't affect my decision. I'm going there more to see the players and the coaches and meet people, not to party,'' Trump said. ``Not being able to have a lobster dinner wasn't a big deal.''

Tolley concurred.

``I had a great time,'' he said. But beneath that veneer of contentedness, concerns about the new recruiting reforms linger.

So could more scandal.

A Commercial Failure?

The new mandates immediately spawned concerns from some coaches - and alleged efforts to skirt them by others.

Some located in remote areas (i.e. Virginia Tech, Penn State, Clemson) publicly worried the ban on private flights would put them at a disadvantage against schools near metropolitan areas with easy access to major airports. Others downplay that concern.

``We don't think [it's a problem],'' said Foley, whose town features only a regional airport with one gate and a handful of incoming commercial flights a day. ``Obviously, [recruits] can fly into Jacksonville or Tampa or Orlando.''

Others say the NCAA legislation set forth only parameters - such as ``standard meals'' - but stopped short of drawing distinct lines in the sand, leaving that to the discretion of each school.

``The NCAA has yet to come out with what a `standard meal' is or what `standard lodging' is,'' Florida compliance chief Jamie McCloskey said.

``You can't simulate game- day activities, but what does that mean? I think that there's a lot of questions that remain, in terms of what you can do and not do.''

To illustrate, FSU compliance coordinator Brian Battle said he recently reported a ``school in the Southeast'' to its league office for allowing recruits to walk onto its stadium field in jerseys with ``05'' on the backs.

``They weren't going out and trying to break the rule,'' Battle said. ``After they told me their thought process behind doing it, the two conferences talked and then they were told [by the NCAA] they couldn't do that.''

McCloskey said his school's written policy calls for a 1 a.m. curfew for recruits but pointed out there's no specific NCAA requirement for curfews.

As a result, the perception of the envelope being pushed exists at a number of places.

Orlando Edgewater lineman Matt Hardrick described on an FSU fan Web site a virtual simulation of the game-day experience during his Florida visit.

``They had jerseys with our numbers on it and had us run out of the tunnel like in a regular game,'' Hardrick said. ``They had the TV thing [video screen] on with the loud noise that they have in the stadium.''

Foley, however, said such a presentation complied with UF's official-visit policy because the jerseys weren't personalized, no personalized audio or video-scoreboard presentations were used, and UF's band wasn't present.

Murdock, meantime, said he visited no upscale restaurants during his visit to FSU but did have steak and lobster during a Friday night dinner with other recruits at FSU coach Bobby Bowden's home. Battle disputes that claim.

``We've looked at the menu when they are [eating at Bowden's house],'' Battle said. ``That might be an exaggeration. He might have had one or the other, but not both.''

The NCAA isn't waiting for another arrest or embarrassing scandal to discover potential cracks in its reforms.

Two other potential reforms were introduced by the Division I Management Council as legislative proposals and will be considered by the Division I Board of Directors in April.

One would allow schools to pay airfare for one parent or guardian to accompany a recruit during an official visit. The other would cut the number of visits in football and basketball from five to four.

``In some areas, it had gotten away from what would be normal for a student-athlete,'' Miami athletic director Paul Dee said. ``We've addressed those issues, and we've begun recruiting anew.''

Reporter Doug Carlson and correspondent Dylan Barmmer contributed to this report.

http://sports.tbo.com/sports/MGBMC2CLK4E.html

[smazza]

colorado backed off the tough rules i hear

it is always the underrepresented that suffers

why shouldn't the kids be pampered?