Schadenfreude (The UM Investigation)

[Hurricane Mutiny]

I agree with Trip. The general jist is that you don't believe Shapiro's story.

I've asked you to provide a link to a reputable source to provide some backup to your fabulous fairy tale. You have thus far failed to do so.

So, I ask again.

Link?

No, the general gist is that it is currently being proven that Shapiro's allegations are either unprovable or exaggerated.

What "link" do you want? Go to the Yahoo article yourself, and put the Shapiro claims against the 12 investigated UM players (11 were suspended) against the NCAA's findings that they took a combined $3,000 of extra benefits.

These fan websites have plenty of fans who have connections to their alma mater. If you choose to disbelieve everything I say because the NCAA is still open, that's up to you.

Look, the fact that I know details of the NCAA questioning of our assistant coaches is just a product of knowing people and talking to people. Maybe there will never be a link that can prove what I know, but I don't care.

You can judge my overall credibility when the case is over. So long as we stay on course (no new allegations), you can expect to see Clint Hurtt hit hard, but UM will only have modest sanctions. I'll be fine with anything under 20 scholarships, but based on Boise State and Ohio State, I think it will be 9.

[Who'sYourData?]

You are getting the optimistic spin from Miami insiders. Just like jwvvu is getting the optimistic spin from WVU insiders. From the currently available public information, what happened at Miami is a lot more serious than what happened at Ohio State.

Say what you want about Charles Robinson, but he spent months investigating and cooraborating. I seriously doubt you have spent 1/1000th as much time looking at the "evidence" as he did. In the end, we will all see what happens. But given the ridiculous extension Miami just gave Golden who hasn't proven anything yet, I have to believe it is going to be far worse than a slap on the wrist.

[Hurricane Mutiny]

You are getting the optimistic spin from Miami insiders. Just like jwvvu is getting the optimistic spin from WVU insiders. From the currently available public information, what happened at Miami is a lot more serious than what happened at Ohio State.

Say what you want about Charles Robinson, but he spent months investigating and cooraborating. I seriously doubt you have spent 1/1000th as much time looking at the "evidence" as he did. In the end, we will all see what happens. But given the ridiculous extension Miami just gave Golden who hasn't proven anything yet, I have to believe it is going to be far worse than a slap on the wrist.

Can you elaborate on this "currently available public information"? Are you talking about the Yahoo article? You can't possibly be referring to Shapiro's credit card bills and phone bills, which are NOT "currently available public information"?

And are you including the findings of the NCAA, which investigated the allegations against approximately 20 of the 70 named individuals who are still alive? Because IF ANYTHING can be considered "currently available public information", it would be the actual findings of the amateurism committee of the NCAA, which reinstated the amateur status of 11 formerly suspended UM players. Based upon the findings that approximately $3,000 of extra benefits were given to those 11 players. When combined with the absolute lack of evidence on the other 50 players and coaches, that would mean that the sum total of the "currently available public information" is still...$3,000 of extra benefits, which is far LESS than the extra benefits provided to Ohio State players.

Now, you can try to believe that I am BS'ing like the WVU fans are, but when the case is resolved, we will have ample opportunity to compare my statements to actual outcomes.

As for Charles Robinson, you have no idea what he spent "months" doing. He has claimed to have spent a large amount of time researching. But if you bothered to read the specifics that he provided to CaneSport, you would find that he spent a lot of time INTERVIEWING Shapiro, but not much time interviewing ANYONE ELSE. He made FACEBOOK REQUESTS to most of the current and former players a couple of days before the story was published. But the primary "verification" that Robinson made was comparing recollections told by Shapiro to things such as credit card bills and photographs. And, as stated above, many of Shapiro's photographs are not what he claimed them to be.

Bottom line, there is very little actual, provable evidence. Lots of allegations, sure. Very little EVIDENCE.

Single-digit scholarship losses. MAYBE one additional bowl game, likely not though.

We only get to 12-15 scholarship losses if there is something the NCAA can hang on Hurtt or Pannunzio or Morton.

[Who'sYourData?]

Now, you can try to believe that I am BS'ing like the WVU fans are, but when the case is resolved, we will have ample opportunity to compare my statements to actual outcomes.

Interesting that you feel WVU fans are BSing. You sound an awful lot like them right now.

[Rizman]

Find it interesting, that the University was sued and settled to pay some of the investors in the bankruptcy. Does that mean they had knowledge?

Miami will be fine, they will pay off the NCAA officials and continue in their BS ways.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/7401537/miami-hurricanes-repay-83000-nevin-shapiro-donations

Shapiro said he gave athletes money, cars, yacht rides and other benefits from 2002 through 2010. He is serving a 20-year prison term for overseeing a $930 million Ponzi scheme, and involuntary bankruptcy proceedings to recover at least some of the money his investors lost were initiated in 2009. When he was sentenced, federal officials said his grocery-distribution scam led to investor losses of at least $80 million.

The NCAA is expected to levy sanctions against Miami when its inquiry into the school's compliance practices concludes. Miami's football team did not make itself eligible for selection to a bowl game this season, a self-imposed penalty related to the NCAA investigation.

Previous court records show that Miami agreed in July 2010 -- more than a year before the full extent of Shapiro's claims were unveiled -- to repay $130,307 from debtors also involved in the bankruptcy proceedings.

According to the latest court documents, Tabas found "additional potential claims against the University and certain University prior and current athletes" after that settlement. The documents also show that the school and the trustee had some dispute about the new claims, but adds that the school believes resolving the matter is "in the best interests of all parties."

[Hurricane Mutiny]

Rizman, the 130K was a repayment of the money that Shapiro donated to UM, including the money that he donated for the student lounge that his name was on (his name was NEVER "on a building" as many have falsely claimed). So that money is not a settlement so much as a giveback of all the money that Shapiro donated to UM.

As for the investigation (since some of you doubted my info and wanted to disbelieve it since it had not yet been reported in the media), here is a post from Barry Jackson's blog in the Miami Herald:

As he sits behind a computer in a New Orleans prison, the rage still boils inside Nevin Shapiro.

The angry e-mails this winter paint the picture of a man determined to destroy the UM football program. But UM remains optimistic he won’t be nearly as successful as he claims he will be.

“The public is going to hate me worse in the next coming months,†Shapiro, serving a 20-year sentence for a Ponzi scheme, wrote in numerous e-mails over the past few months. “It’s going to be severe and catastrophic. My feelings are getting inflamed and I’m going to pop off pretty soon with regards to them and the NCAA. I’m coming for them both [uM and former players] and I’m going to be successful.

“I’m taking that program down to Chinatown and the former players and links to that program. Why? Because the U.S. government lined up 47 former players to testify against me in open court if I went to trial. That in itself is motivation to shove it up their collective [butts].â€

Nobody at UM believes Shapiro when he claims “UM is getting the death penalty or **** close to it.†The NCAA isn’t commenting on its investigation, which began last March, but here’s what people are saying, including UM administrators and Board of Trustee members:

### The NCAA has not told UM what punishment to expect, but there’s cautious optimism. UM’s understanding is the NCAA will dismiss any of Shapiro’s claims that it cannot corroborate and is highly skeptical about some of his allegations. Many of them have not been corroborated.

One top UM official said if Shapiro were under oath, UM could punch holes in much of what he says. UM expects to hear from the NCAA by early summer.

### One UM official said he expects “one more bowl ban, maybe two at most†plus undetermined scholarship losses. But that’s speculative, because UM hasn’t been told anything on either issue. Some are hopeful of escaping further bowl bans after last year’s self-imposed one.

### Al Golden said: “We think the worst is behind us. The [current] coaches and 95 percent of the players weren’t here when that thing went on. There’s a shift by the NCAA to go after the perpetrators and that’s not us.â€

### Surprisingly, the NCAA hasn’t contacted many former players implicated by Shapiro. Samuel Shields said his son Sam, whom Shapiro claimed he gave a television, was never called by the NCAA and said Shapiro’s allegation is false.

The school believes none of the former Canes, excluding those still attending college elsewhere, are talking to the NCAA. The NCAA called several college players who aren’t at UM; some gave information that could hurt UM but others, such as ex-Cane Storm Johnson did not. Johnson, now at UCF, told the NCAA he had no contact with Shapiro, his father said. (Remember, only current college players, current coaches and current college employees are required to speak to the NCAA; all others are not.)

### Former UM basketball coaches Frank Haith, Jake Morton and Jorge Fernandez denied wrongdoing to NCAA investigators and claimed no knowledge of Morton’s alleged payoff intended for DeQuan Jones’ family, according to friends. The NCAA hasn’t corroborated the Jones allegation. "DeQuan Jones didn't do anything wrong, but that won't stop the proof of the cash payouts to Morton, with Haith's knowledge," Shapiro e-mailed. The NCAA apparently has no such proof, as of this time.

### Former assistant football coach Joe Pannunzio, now at Alabama, said he would do nothing to implicate UM, according to a friend, though one active player told the NCAA that Pannunzio was to blame for taking him to Shapiro. More problematic is Louisville assistant Clint Hurtt, who was implicated by several players for providing lodging during recruiting trips.... Also still problematic, among other things: Shapiro's co-ownership in a sports agency that signed Vince Wilfork and Jon Beason and recruited lots of others. But his partner, Michael Huyghue, has disputed Shapiro's claims and denied NCAA violations.

### The owner of one prominent local business where Shapiro allegedly took players said he did not return the NCAA’s call. Fashion Clothiers owner Shelly Bloom said the NCAA hasn’t called him, notable because Yahoo! claiming Bloom confirmed that Shapiro spent thousands of dollars on suits and clothing for Devin Hester, Tavares Gooden and Willis McGahee. Bloom disputed that Yahoo portrayal, saying he didn’t know for whom Shapiro bought the clothing.

### Shapiro said “114 is the true number†of players he has implicated “and that’s what the NCAA is working off†– not the 72 mentioned by Yahoo! But aside from the eight who were disciplined last year, allegations against many will be difficult or impossible to prove.

### Shapiro spoke of claims that have not “been brought to light yet†and that “the NCAA is aware and involved.†If there are such claims, UM people we spoke with aren’t aware of them.

### After a December agreement ensured that no current or former UM players will be asked to testify in front of the bankruptcy trustee, Shapiro said the former players “are going to have to tell the truth, but it’s not going to be [to] a trustee.†He has suggested UM players will be required to speak to the government.

But Michael Ward, who’s in charge of Newark’s FBI division (which investigated Shapiro's Ponzi scheme), said Shapiro’s allegations “against the players would not rise to the level of a federal crime. There is no FBI investigation of Shapiro’s allegations.â€

Overall, Shapiro sounds like a desperate man, willing to say anything to exact revenge and still furious that "once the [ex-UM] players turned pro, they turned their back on me.'' Incredibly, he says of himself, "I'm more of a victim than a Ponzi schemer and assailant." The federal government doesn't see it that way.

A member of the Federal Department of Justice said Shapiro, 42, must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, equal to 17 years, for orchestrating the $930 million Ponzi scheme. He pled guilty, in September 2010, to one count of securities fraud and one count of money laudering.

Read more here:

[Rizman]

Your link sucks and can you use your UM education to provide cites for those sources. Linking to the bullspen thread is a joke. Just pay off the NCAA and you will have not problems just like in the past.

[Rizman]

As a major booster to the program Shapiro had access to the Orange Bowl press box and that’s where he spotted David Reed, the school’s associate athletic director for compliance. Shapiro felt Reed had been implementing rules that were too stringent, trying to keep boosters and players apart.

To Shapiro, the results of Reed’s efforts were manifesting themselves on the field. A once-powerful program was a competitive disgrace.

“So I tried to kick his ass,†said Shapiro, who despite standing just 5-foot-5 was always willing to fight. “I was screaming at him, calling him a sissy over and over, at least five times. I shouted, ‘these guys are a bunch of [expletives] playing for a real [expletive] [head coach Randy Shannon] and, by the way, you’re a (expletive) too.’

“I had to be held back from hitting him. I wanted to punch him in the face.â€

The scene was confirmed to Yahoo! Sports by a separate source who helped break up the situation. The University of Miami declined comment and didn’t make Reed available for an interview.

http://sports.yahoo.com/investigations/news?slug=dw-why_miami_is_in_trouble_081611

[Hurricane Mutiny]

Your link sucks and can you use your UM education to provide cites for those sources. Linking to the bullspen thread is a joke. Just pay off the NCAA and you will have not problems just like in the past.

Hey, genius, I didn't insert that link, your website did.

I tried to post once, and your site froze. I cut and pasted my first post, and then tried again. I never tried to link to Bullspen.

If you are so desperate to find Barry Jackson's blog, it's on the Miami Herald website. It isn't difficult to find. It's not some big secret. Heck, it's even being referenced on Sports Illustrated's "Truth and Rumors" aggregator.

Sorry that my Top 40 education didn't prepare me for the fact that this website inserts its own citations based on where you cut and pasted from. My mistake.

But since you are so bitter about that insertion of an autolink, here's the Miami Herald website link. Enjoy.

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/2012/02/ncaa-investigation-update-nevin-shapiro-rants-from-prison-um-optimistic.html

[Hurricane Mutiny]

As a major booster to the program Shapiro had access to the Orange Bowl press box and that’s where he spotted David Reed, the school’s associate athletic director for compliance. Shapiro felt Reed had been implementing rules that were too stringent, trying to keep boosters and players apart.

To Shapiro, the results of Reed’s efforts were manifesting themselves on the field. A once-powerful program was a competitive disgrace.

“So I tried to kick his ass,†said Shapiro, who despite standing just 5-foot-5 was always willing to fight. “I was screaming at him, calling him a sissy over and over, at least five times. I shouted, ‘these guys are a bunch of [expletives] playing for a real [expletive] [head coach Randy Shannon] and, by the way, you’re a (expletive) too.’

“I had to be held back from hitting him. I wanted to punch him in the face.â€

The scene was confirmed to Yahoo! Sports by a separate source who helped break up the situation. The University of Miami declined comment and didn’t make Reed available for an interview.

http://sports.yahoo...._trouble_081611

And?

I'm sure we're not the first program to have a jackass booster yell at someone in the Athletic Department.

Does your quotation prove that any extra benefits were provided to players? Does it provide details of NCAA violations? It's just a drunken, out-of-control booster. He's not the first, he won't be the last, not for Miami or any other Division I program.

So the "scene" was confirmed (a high-school-like attempt at a fight), but the quotes are 100% from Shapiro's "recollection". Notice a pattern?

The entire Yahoo article is predicated upon Shapiro's (mostly false) claims and exaggerations. The credit card summary bills and the phone bills prove nothing. And CNBC ("American Greed") established that Shapiro employed guys who were experts at faking documents such as financial statements and invoices.

But I'm sure you will continue to believe the worst about Miami.