Wow. An alum that urged recruits to play for his alma mater? Unbelievable! Throw the book at 'em. This is right up there with SMU, right?

I've been a few times, it's not very expensive and you get belly dancers, viollin players, an owner that goes table to table and talks to everyone (not just athletes). And on one occasion a busboy who's studying to be an opera singer performed.

It's a very fun place and there is a painting of the three members of the family that played football over the kitchen door but I don't really see how it's different than any other recruit dinner where the owner is a fan. I bet you can't find a single establishment in Lincoln, Nebraska that doesn't have a fan as an owner.

As a side note, we went on a weekend and Petros was waiting and busing tables. I guess he helps out when someone calls in sick. I think that says a lot about his character.

Oh, and one of the violin girls that goes table to table knows the Fight Song.

Scott, things pretty lean in the newsroom? That's an awfully dead-dead horse to kicking. How about another rousing update on Reggie's Bush's parents?

why would the coaches take players back there after last years report. Whether it is ok or not, it just doesn't look good and SC doesn't need this kind of crap. there are enough other restaurants out there that don't have the appearance of something improper.

Nothing, it seems, is too trivial for our friends over at the NCAA.

As long as USC paid for the meals, who cares what the owner of a restaurant says. Does that mean that all alumi owned restaurants are potential recruiting violations because the owner of the restaurant may say good things about the school he attended and loves. I guess recruits will not be allowed to go to any store or restaurant around USC because those places all support USC and are too associated with the university. This is a ridiculous use of resources. Investigate those cases where recruits are being offered tractors, cash or clothes.

Just to make sure that I understand what is being investigated I must ask this question. does the NCAA want to determine whether or not recruits chose USC based upon dinner and a cardinal and gold speech given by a former player??? I'm almost certain that kids go home to talk with their parents about one of the most important decisions of their young lives and the final decision is made due to free dinner and a cardinal and gold speech. Nevermind pete's NFL experience, forget about two national championships and three heisman trophy winners. All these young men wish to attend the storied University of Southern California because they had a nutritious dinner at the Papadakis Taverna. "WOW" it's good to know that the NCAA is on the job.

The lamb at the Taverna is sooooo good that I am pretty sure it is an NCAA violation.

From my understanding, the main violation that is being investigated is that the meals at the Papadakis Taverna cost significantly more than the NCAA rules allow for a recruitment visit.

oh have fun proving that the meals cost "significantly more" bla bla bla. I ate there. You can eat there for $25, or more... how is that price significantly more than is allowed by the NCAA? Good grief.

This story was brought up by the idiot reporters from the state of Texas... they had nothing better to do that make an ocean out of a puddle.

Maybe, just maybe, the NCAA is checking to see if USC is doing what every other school is doing? Rules, however bad you may seem to think they are, are rules! When everybody obeys them but a few then the advantage goes to the few.

If a recruit get's to have a $100 dollar free meal at school A and a $10 dollar meal at school B then whom do you think is going to be considered the cheap school? Also, if a school flaunts the rules and says, "We're school C we do what we want?" the advantages grow logrithmically! Thus giving an unfair advantage!