Miami NCAA investigation - NCAA hands out fines, suspensions to the 8 players

[2000bull]

We know Cygnus has never attended the U, do we know whether MM2k1 is an alumnus of "da illustrious U?" Judging by the lack of reading comprehension, my guess is that MM is just like 85% of the UM fanbase in that they've never even taken a class at the University of Miami.

wow, you think 15% actually attended classes there?

I slightly pissed off my brother-in-law, who never attended USF, but has become a huge fan who has season tickets and goes to road/bowl games, when insinuating that Miami fans never went to the school.

It's a give and a take.  We will eventually need/gain the ridiculous MM2K1's of the world as the fan base grows.

Being an alumni isn't required to be a fan.

kind of funny, but it's true

[Rizman]

We know Cygnus has never attended the U, do we know whether MM2k1 is an alumnus of "da illustrious U?" Judging by the lack of reading comprehension, my guess is that MM is just like 85% of the UM fanbase in that they've never even taken a class at the University of Miami.

wow, you think 15% actually attended classes there?

Probably less.  When you win you get fans who like winners.  Look at the Gators, they have more toothless fans than you can shake a stick at.    It takes time and marketing to build a program that gets those type of fans. 

I think most people just don't like the arrogance of U M fans. 

[Southshore26]

I slightly pissed off my brother-in-law, who never attended USF, but has become a huge fan who has season tickets and goes to road/bowl games, when insinuating that Miami fans never went to the school.

It's a give and a take.  We will eventually need/gain the ridiculous MM2K1's of the world as the fan base grows.

Being an alumni isn't required to be a fan.

Atleast your BIL has a connection through your family though.... I also never attended USF but my wife has two degrees from there and I'd wager I'm a bigger fan that some alumni also. In MM's case he's seems to come off more as the Homestead Ghetto type that never graduated high school... much less went to a center for higher learning.

[Dogma]

We know Cygnus has never attended the U, do we know whether MM2k1 is an alumnus of "da illustrious U?" Judging by the lack of reading comprehension, my guess is that MM is just like 85% of the UM fanbase in that they've never even taken a class at the University of Miami.

Meh... I don't see why people insult UM fans for not going to Miami.  Maybe because I'm from Miami.  Or maybe because I worked there.

You are basically insulting local fan support... yet its something we wish we could get more of.

U of Miami was for most of the time, the only nearby university with a D1 college football team.. the other closest being the Gators.

People chose to take the team as their home team.  They are the University of Miami.  Miami's team, and with it, the tri-city (Miami, Ft Lauderdale, W. Palm Beach) area's team

Similar to how local fans get pride of local Pro franchises.  They aren't part of the Pro team, the organization, or usually have anything to do with it.. but people take pride of those teams. They represent the city... the home town.  Why would this be any different just because its a college team.

Now I do not want to condone the ******* fans out there... but every team, pro, college, whether they attended or not, have them.

Nor do I condone the "pro-thug" behavior.

But I just don't see why people insult people who are big fans of a team just because they didn't go to the University.  Like i stated before.. wouldn't we want the whole Tampa Bay area (and outside regions) to become die-hard supporters of USF, whether they attended or not?

...But I still believe MasterMiami is still a joke and in denial. 

[2000bull]

We know Cygnus has never attended the U, do we know whether MM2k1 is an alumnus of "da illustrious U?" Judging by the lack of reading comprehension, my guess is that MM is just like 85% of the UM fanbase in that they've never even taken a class at the University of Miami.

Meh... I don't see why people insult UM fans for not going to Miami.  Maybe because I'm from Miami.   Or maybe because I worked there.

You are basically insulting local fan support... yet its something we wish we could get more of.

U of Miami was for most of the time, the only nearby university with a D1 college football team.. the other closest being the Gators.

People chose to take the team as their home team.  They are the University of Miami.  Miami's team, and with it, the tri-city (Miami, Ft Lauderdale, W. Palm Beach) area's team

Similar to how local fans get pride of local Pro franchises.  They aren't part of the Pro team, the organization, or usually have anything to do with it.. but people take pride of those teams. They represent the city... the home town.  Why would this be any different just because its a college team.

Now I do not want to condone the ******* fans out there... but every team, pro, college, whether they attended or not, have them.

Nor do I condone the "pro-thug" behavior.

But I just don't see why people insult people who are big fans of a team just because they didn't go to the University.  Like i stated before.. wouldn't we want the whole Tampa Bay area (and outside regions) to become die-hard supporters of USF, whether they attended or not?

...But I still believe MasterMiami is still a joke and in denial.   

I think it has to do with when those fans call our fans dumb, just a thought

[Dogma]

We know Cygnus has never attended the U, do we know whether MM2k1 is an alumnus of "da illustrious U?" Judging by the lack of reading comprehension, my guess is that MM is just like 85% of the UM fanbase in that they've never even taken a class at the University of Miami.

Meh... I don't see why people insult UM fans for not going to Miami.  Maybe because I'm from Miami.   Or maybe because I worked there.

You are basically insulting local fan support... yet its something we wish we could get more of.

U of Miami was for most of the time, the only nearby university with a D1 college football team.. the other closest being the Gators.

People chose to take the team as their home team.  They are the University of Miami.  Miami's team, and with it, the tri-city (Miami, Ft Lauderdale, W. Palm Beach) area's team

Similar to how local fans get pride of local Pro franchises.  They aren't part of the Pro team, the organization, or usually have anything to do with it.. but people take pride of those teams. They represent the city... the home town.  Why would this be any different just because its a college team.

Now I do not want to condone the ******* fans out there... but every team, pro, college, whether they attended or not, have them.

Nor do I condone the "pro-thug" behavior.

But I just don't see why people insult people who are big fans of a team just because they didn't go to the University.  Like i stated before.. wouldn't we want the whole Tampa Bay area (and outside regions) to become die-hard supporters of USF, whether they attended or not?

...But I still believe MasterMiami is still a joke and in denial.   

I think it has to do with when those fans call our fans dumb, just a thought

That's why i included the lines' "Now I do not want to condone the ******* fans out there"  and "But I still believe MasterMiami is still a joke and in denial."

But like i said.. all sports have stupid fans, like MM 

Just don't agree when people just bash UM fans for not attending the school, which does tend to happen.

[Triple B]

We know Cygnus has never attended the U, do we know whether MM2k1 is an alumnus of "da illustrious U?" Judging by the lack of reading comprehension, my guess is that MM is just like 85% of the UM fanbase in that they've never even taken a class at the University of Miami.

wow, you think 15% actually attended classes there?

I slightly pissed off my brother-in-law, who never attended USF, but has become a huge fan who has season tickets and goes to road/bowl games, when insinuating that Miami fans never went to the school.

It's a give and a take.  We will eventually need/gain the ridiculous MM2K1's of the world as the fan base grows.

Being an alumni isn't required to be a fan.

kind of funny, but it's true

True indeed. .... I think some would be surprised at just how many fans WE have out there that didn't go to USF ... and it's pretty obvious that we're needed NOW rather than eventually.

[Rizman]

That's the clearest conclusion to draw from the news this week that the players who apparently were involved with Shapiro won't be dealt with all that harshly. Five were suspended for just one game, one for six games and two players for four games. Four won't miss any games. All will pay restitution except for one player, who was cleared.

It makes things tough for Monday night's season-opener at Maryland, which counts in the ACC standings, but that can't be judged as an extreme penalty by any measure.

Which almost certainly means the nastier stuff is being reserved for the program in the long term.

No, not the death penalty. But something at least as severe as what, say, USC recently was assessed - a loss of 30 scholarships across three years plus a two-year ban on bowl participation - for its transgressions? Almost certainly.

Because the NCAA, when announcing the penalties Tuesday, was specific and detailed enough to suggest that many or most of ex-booster Nevin Shapiro's allegations are true.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/hurricanes/commentary-miami-hurricanes-players-got-off-lightly-but-1808657.html

[cygnus34]

Golden: 'Clearly, this was the first obstacle'

By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer 

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — On the day he was hired as Miami's football coach, Al Golden said his experience at Temple prepared him for just about anything.

He's about to put that notion to the test.

Golden caught Miami's attention by overcoming countless obstacles at Temple, such as massive reductions in scholarships along with a lack of any real tradition, and turning the Owls into a winner. And now his career at Miami will begin facing a new batch of challenges, mostly brought on by an extra-benefits scandal that might hang over the Hurricanes for years.

"All the reasons that you come to the University of Miami as the head football coach or as an assistant coach or as a student-athlete remain," Golden said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press. "Clearly, they remain."

The task of rebuilding the Hurricanes was daunting enough before the NCAA scandal — remember, Miami still has not won a conference title since leaving the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference, and last hoisted a national championship trophy a decade ago. With the scandal, it's a far bigger challenge now, but one that Golden welcomes.

"I really believe in my heart and I know the staff does too, that if we didn't have a foundation and a culture that was built on core values and built on principles obviously to teach life skills and to create self-reliant and independent young people, I think we would be struggling right now," Golden said, sitting at his desk with game plans strewn about. "We would be sitting here and there would be a lot of things collapsing."

The NCAA said Tuesday that 12 Miami players must pay restitution and eight will not be allowed to play in the season-opener at Maryland because of things they accepted from former booster Nevin Shapiro, a convicted Ponzi scheme architect serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Of the eight suspended players, five will return after a one-game absence. Two others will miss four games, and one will be sidelined for six contests.

"We're fighting through," Golden said. "This was the first obstacle and I think we're moving past that now and we'll deal with everything else that presents itself in the future."

The penalties, while certainly serious, were far less than some predicted the Hurricanes would receive. Golden said he heard a radio commentator say one morning that all 12 Miami players would miss the entire season. Because the school and the NCAA were jointly investigating Shapiro's claims — and promised each other to remain quiet about specifics — Golden had to restrain himself from shooting down the report.

"From that standpoint, I felt helpless to defend these young people," Golden said.

Still, the decisions unveiled Tuesday are only the first step in what promises to be a long process. The NCAA is still looking into Miami's compliance practices, and further sanctions when the investigation is complete seem quite likely. The fact-finding process will continue, even while Golden tries to turn Miami back into a title-contending program.

"If this can be done," said Penn State's Joe Paterno, Golden's college coach and longtime mentor, "Al will get it done."

Funny, just about everyone says that now.

Few people thought that to be the case five years ago.

Golden interviewed for the Temple job in 2006, one day after Virginia — he was the Cavaliers' defensive coordinator — beat the Owls 51-3. Golden met with Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw, who had already talked to some candidates and was on his way to talk to more, even though he quickly realized any further interviews were pretty much a waste of time.

"About 15 minutes into our initial interview with him, at a cramped hotel room in Charlottesville, I wrote on a legal pad: This is our guy," Bradshaw said in a telephone interview. "That impressive he was. That precise he was."

Temple had been forced out of the Big East and then went 0-11 in 2005. Players didn't want to lift weights or watch film, figuring — well, knowing — that they had no chance to win anyway. The school's Academic Progress Rate scores were awful and as a result the Owls could only offer 54 scholarships, 31 less than most schools.

Golden decided to seize the opportunity, when others winced at the notion.

"What he did was monumental," said former New York Jets standout Joe Klecko, a Temple alum. "Whether anybody else could have done that, I don't know. I know there's a lot of great coaches out there. But when Al Golden was there, I have to admit, I've never seen more efficiently run practices in my life. And I've been around football a few years. He had everything. I've never seen anybody so well organized."

Temple won 17 games over the past two seasons under Golden. The program has never been stronger. Even now, months after Golden left Philadelphia for Miami, Bradshaw insists that his former coach has built the Owls "to last."

"In the end, that's what leadership is, right? Setting a standard," Golden said. "You can't be a leader unless you have a moment of crisis, to be quite honest. You haven't been proven."

He stopped himself for a moment Wednesday and pointed out the window, the one that overlooks Miami's practice fields, gesturing to the school's future. The school is in the middle of some major development, including a totally refurbished athletic complex.

"You're really in the middle of an incredible triangle that's going to occur here of development in the next 18 months to two years," he said, arm outstretched. "You're talking about a medical center that's going to be right over across the canal there."

He turned to his right.

"Our facility that's going to be here," he continued.

And then he turned a bit more.

"And the student center. You're talking $50 million-plus of development," Golden said. "So there's a lot of people in America who would argue I'm in the right chair at the right time, given what our development is and my experiences with turning a program around and rebuilding and obviously the plan that we have."

Many people at Miami want him in that chair for a long time to come. Still, given the fact that Golden did not know the Shapiro mess was going to explode like this — "I had no warning. Clearly, there were entities involved that did," he said Wednesday — there are many around the Hurricanes who fear that Golden may decide to leave quickly.

On that point, the coach is defiant.

"I don't fear anything," Golden said.

"There's nothing that can happen that we won't be prepared for," he added. "But we won't be starting out in the situation that we started out at Temple."

On Wednesday, there was a return to some sort of normalcy. The team practiced for the first time since the NCAA penalties were announced. Starters worked in new roles. Things moved briskly, the only pace Golden will tolerate.

The reminders of what's happened remain, and what will happen next remains unknown. The line of television satellite trucks, a daily fixture outside the football offices since the story broke, were still there Wednesday when Golden made his customary before-sunrise arrival at the office — a stark reminder that, for now, Miami is making the sort of headlines he never envisioned eight months ago.

"I just started laughing," Golden said. "Anyway, that's why you want to come to the University of Miami. Hopefully all the stories won't be this sensationalized or this negative. You come to Miami because it's the University of Miami. And when it's good at the University of Miami, it's better than anywhere in the country. And we've got to get back to getting it good."

Follow Tim Reynolds on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ByTimReynolds

[cygnus34]

The investagtion is now on the Asst. coaches that took recruits to Shapiro.  They will get some hard time penalties for doing what they knew to be wrong.  Every outsider seems to want Shalala's head but she is in good standing with everyone at the U and I do not see her going.  There is something else to remember, everyone in the athletic dept.  during 2002 and 2010 are GONE, two A.D.'s and all coaches, in football and basketball.  I can not see any loss of recruit spots.  A Bowl, maybe but why?

The admin. may get hit with penalties for not cutting Shapiro out.  They wanted to and did hire a private detective to check up on Shapiro but he could not find anything he was doing wrong or illegal.