Will Facts Matter?
Is it in the NCAA’s interest to rule former USC tailback Reggie Bush ineligible no matter what it finds regarding the living arrangement of his parents, etc.?
It often seems like the agency makes decisions to set an example and prevent future offenders, and if Bush is cleared, imagine the number of college athletes who might be tempted to use the ``I didn’t know what my parents were doing’’ defense. I’m certain that thought is going through the mind of NCAA officials right now.
Remember USC coach Pete Carroll, along with other USC administrators, felt the NCAA made its decision to rule former wide receiver Mike Williams ineligible before a review of how much money he accepted and paid back to an agent even started.
Scott, one case had facts(MW), so I guess they do matter. He signed with an agent, college over.
Scott,
What is your prediction as to what happens in this case?
Scott,
What is your prediction as to what happens in this case?
Scott,
I agree with the analysis that the NCAA will take some action. There appears to be evidence of a connection between the family and the agent.
However, the fact that the agent is pursuing back rent, would indicate at least that the property was not rent free.
The NCAA is so selective. It did practically nothing to Penn State, Tenessee, Alabama, Auburn with their RECRUITING scandals that directly involved the competitiveness of those schools. In the case of Reggie Bush the ALLEGATION is that his family engaged in some business as agents/and/or in cooperation with agents. This would only harm USC's ability to be competitive as it would lure the player out of school early.
Just as important is the fact that this player at USC is being singled out and treated with an unfair hand, no doubt due to USC's singular success, that has drawn attention and income away from other schools. And that is what this witch hunt is all about.
I dearly hope that USC and the PAC 10 does not let the NCAA engage in selective prosecution and unfair penalization with 'SC as the target.
scott, with mike williams, carroll and the others at the usc ftbl team simply forgot to read the ncaa rule book. having signed with an agent, williams had no chance of being reinstated. there was no ncaa discretion involved.
carroll and crew should learn how to read and to learn that the rules apply to them and usc, just like every other school.the same problem could exist in bushgate for the same reasons.
of course, the facts will matter.however, all of this negative stuff is a direct product of the very loose ship run by carroll and garrett.
with respect to bush's parents living in a house with rent to be paid when bush got drafted and collected money and the other issues, that is serious, if true.
the fundamental issue is simple: were bush and his family illegally getting advances on bush's future pro earnings?
at least,unlike sanchez, bush and usc are not being punished before a careful investigation takes place and everyone get's to present evidence.
usc's being a have program will work in usc's favor, no matter what the facts are.
but remember, michigan is also a have program and they got whacked for the fab 5 in basketball. ohio state also got whacked in basketball quite recently. they had to give up conference and other titles and forfeit games, among other penalties.
with respect to fault, dan grennspan hit it right on the head in a 4/26/2006 article in the daily trojan " usc is already at fault" in which he places the blame, not with bush and his family, but with the loose ship run by carroll and his crew. in fact, grenspan finds it difficult to believe that some people in the usc ftl program did not know about the bush house and other monetary machinations all along.
dan is a usc student on campus and at the heritage house on a regular basis.why would he lie?
we would all be very happy if usc finally got its ftbl program in line with the rest of usc. having been the university for spoiled rich kids and dumb jocks for years, usc has been making trememdous strides in becoming a truly fine academic institution. if usc wants the rest of the world to take all that progress seriously,the remains of the spoiled rich kid and dumb jock culture simply have to go.
they have no place at the new usc.
of course, that is a task for the usc community, whatever the outcome of bushgate.
good luck to the new usc,
robert t. gilleran
One MAJOR difference between Ohio st and Michigan with whats going on at USC is that there was no booster involvement here or anyone close to the program. What it appears happened here is a player and his parents on their own tried to start a company based on having their son as a client.
most of Gilleran's previous posts were fairly accurate ... this latest one - regarding "Griffin-Gate" (let's be honest, it's about Lamar, not Reggie) ... it totally off-base.
When do you think was the last time that Pete Carroll, any Trojan coach, or any coach across the country was at their player's parents house ?!?!? - WHEN THEY RECRUITED THEM! Thereafter, the coaches DO interact intimately with the parents - AT USC!!! - at practices, after practices, in the locker-room after games ... NEVER, and I mean, NEVER has a coach been to my hometown house AFTER I arrived on campus. C'mon people - think! ... "Griffin-Gate" may screw the Trojan Family in the end; but, this isn't a Pete Carroll misstep.
Scott:
It seems that robert t. gilleran sure has a lot of time on his hands. Of course that would make sense......
Robert Thomas Gilleran - #70962
Current Status: Disbarred
This member is prohibited from practicing law in California by order of the California Supreme Court.
Status History
Effective Date Status Change
Present Disbarred
8/23/1997 Disbarred
1/27/1997 Not Eligible To Practice Law
8/23/1997 Disbarment 92-O-19361 Disbarred
1/27/1997 Inactive - Irreparable injury (6007c) 96-TE-8205 Not Eligible To Practice Law
A Los Angeles attorney who "penalized" his clients by billing them for "obnoxious behavior" was disbarred Aug. 23. Although ROBERT THOMAS GILLERAN [#70962], 50, had no record of discipline, the State Bar Court found his misconduct, which spanned five years, serious enough to warrant disbarment. "He has shown contempt for his clients, has attempted to mislead and lie to trial courts, has ignored the disciplinary system in the early stages of its investigation and has, in turn, attempted to stymie its efforts at every turn," wrote Judge Carlos E. Velarde. "His acts of moral turpitude, his charging of unconscionable fees, and his disregard for his duties to his client and the bar go to the heart of this issue."
Gilleran, who was admitted to the bar in 1976 after receiving his law degree from Yale Law School, solicited clients to participate in civil RICO actions against four different tax shelters. The participants had made an initial investment, signed promissory notes, and took deductions against payments on the notes which were later denied by the IRS.
Others were invited in a letter from Gilleran to employ him to file a civil RICO case which he suggested had "an excellent chance of receiving a recovery equal to many times the amounts which you paid in connection with the transaction." He included a retainer agreement under which fees varied depending on the extent of the clients’ participation in the tax shelter.
When asked for specifics about their cases, Gilleran provided status reports without answering his clients’ questions. At the same time, he asked for additional payments from the clients.
After one client complained about Gilleran to the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Gilleran advised the client to stop engaging in "obnoxious behavior" and included in a later invoice a $500 "penalty" for his "obnoxious letters and comments."
Gilleran admonished another client to change her attitude as well, warning her he would "fire" her and ordering her to communicate with him only in writing.
Gilleran told a third client, who complained to the State Bar, that he would end his representation if the client did not pay a $750 "penalty" and write a letter of apology to him. Gilleran never filed any of the RICO cases.
In a case in Los Angeles Superior Court, Gilleran tried to disqualify two judges and made false statements in affidavits supporting the disqualification petitions.
He was sanctioned twice for a total of nearly $5,000, but did not pay the sanctions or report them to the State Bar.Gilleran also issued 16 bad checks on his client trust account.
The misrepresentations to the court and the bad checks amounted to moral turpitude.
In addition to commingling personal and client funds, Gilleran engaged in financial improprieties which included five counts of failing to return unearned fees totalling $13,750 and three instances of charging unconscionable fees.
He also failed to communicate with clients and provide competent legal services in three instances, and did not cooperate with the bar’s investigation in five instances.
The bar court found that because Gilleran’s actions spanned a five-year period, they constituted a pattern of misconduct.
BB....This Gilleran guy might be just a schmuck that gets off by being the devils advocate..but I gotta admit that no matter how big a jerk he may seem to be, you really have got to be a bigger schmuck to even bother to post the kind of garbage that you posted above this one. What the hell does that dis-bar stuff even have to do with the Trojans or SC sports period? I strongly recommend getting a life or getting lost pal.