By Jay Jones, June 26, 2008
On Wednesday, The Sports Idol, Justin Myers, caught up with former University of Oregon basketball player Byrce Taylor and talked to him about today’s NBA draft.
Hear Jay on The Writer’s Block with George Schroeder each Friday at 9 a.m. on KSCR 1320-AM in Eugene.
Get all your sports news on the Oregon Ducks at DuckSportsNews.com.
Innappropriate comment? Let us know.
Spam filters are set on high. Please be patient for your comments to be posted.
[Update: Listen to my segment on The Writer's Block here.]
By Jay Jones, June 4, 2008
O.J. Mayo, you think you’re untouchable?
Think again.
From today’s Los Angeles Times:
The FBI, IRS and U.S. attorney’s office have begun a joint investigation into potential income tax evasion and fraud stemming from the alleged misuse of charitable organization funds by basketball star O.J. Mayo’s former advisor, an attorney familiar with the investigation said Tuesday night.
And that got me to thinking about a question that has dogged local, regional, and national media-types: what can prevent one-and-done collegiate athletes from taking the money?
The school they’re leaving can’t penalize them.
The NCAA can’t penalize them.
The professional league they are headed to doesn’t want to penalize them.
Ahhh…but the federal government can. More specifically, the IRS can. And will. Just ask former University of Michigan “Fab 5″ member Chris Webber.
And that might be the solution to this one-and-done question: follow the money. And make sure they pay taxes on it.
While I would like to think I’m the only one that has come up with this obviously brilliant solution, alas, I am not.
Here’s NBA Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban on his blog:
Bring in the IRS. I think I can say with certainty that there were not any contracts signed between the parties giving and receiving money on the behalf of High School students. Agree ?
I think I can also say with certainty that those who gave more than 10k dollars in gifts did not pay any gift taxes on amounts given to individuals. If the amounts were given to charities, I’m guessing some, if not most of those charities were either not qualified or did not live up to their certification requirements.
Get the IRS involved, and I bet not only would the investigation pay for itself with untold millions coming back to the US Treasury in taxes and penalties, but the agents would clean up their acts very , very quickly. It would also clean up much of what ails “amateur” basketball. Its a world that has become dependent on a thriving underground economy. its a cash business. Just the kind the IRS should and could step in to clean up.
Up until this point, one-and-done athletes have been concerned about…well, not much. Do you think they’re really scared of their school or the NCAA? No. There’s no reason for them to be.
But the federal government is a different matter, as the Conquest Chronicles notes:
Having almost gone through my interview with the DOJ on a business matter I can tell you that these guys need to buckle up because it’s going to be a bumpy ride. They deserve it!
Who has the most to risk in this situation? The person with nothing or the person with everything? It’s going to be the person with everything, all the time.
That’s why O.J. Mayo is going to become the poster boy for “One-and-Done Athletes Gone Bad”. Do I really think he’s going to be cellmates with Wesley Snipes’ Sidney Dean? I doubt it. But he’s muckin’ with the G’s now. And as the Conquest Chronicles observes, he’ll probably be facing some tough questions:
I have seen elsewhere where the thought process is that with the Feds now involved that SC will finally get hammered. People need to understand one thing here; SC is not implicated in this. I am sure Mayo will have to answer some questions and he should. That’s a good thing, as it will either clear him or it won’t.
One-and-done athlete, Kevin Costner, and Robert Stack, got Capone. That means they can get you, too. And if they can’t get you, they can get the people around you. Agents. Go-betweens. Runners. Friends. Maybe even family.
So, what are you prepared to do? One-and-done? Or 5 to 10?
Here endeth the lesson.
Get all your sports news on the Oregon Ducks at DuckSportsNews.com.
Innappropriate comment? Let us know.
Spam filters are set on high. Please be patient for your comments to be posted.
Don’t want to miss a DSN Blog Exclusive, make sure and bookmark the blog or subscribe to the blog.
[Update: If you're just seeing this blog entry for the first time, there have been a couple of developments concerning this situation. The recruit in question, Dewitt Stuckey, will not be facing charges. And I have changed my position on this matter, too. Instead of a threshold of being arrested and charged with a felony as grounds for revoking a scholarship, I've raised, or lowered, that standard to being indicted on felony charges. And that change in position can be directly attributable to the discussion on this blog. Who says good things can't happen on blogs? - Jay, DSN]
Jay, here.
Yesterday, The Oregonian’s John Canzano addressed the legal issues surrounding Oregon recruit Dewitt Stuckey on his sports talk radio show, The Bald Faced Truth.
Here’s the link to the audio. It’s about half-way through the audio file. In addition to his commentary, Canzano also talks to a Stockton Record reporter familiar with the situation.
As an editorial note, I’m a hard-liner on stuff like this. Regardless of innocence or guilt, any recruit arrested for a felony should have their scholarship immediately revoked. There is no upside to a “second chance”. Maybe on the football field. Maybe. But is it worth it? Probably not.
However, there is an upside for establishing a precedent that the University of Oregon will not willingly welcome student-athletes who put themselves in the position to be arrested for a felony, or felonies. Once they get to campus, that’s a different story. They’re there, and Oregon is stuck with them. But knowingly awarding a scholarship to a student-athlete facing a felony is completely unacceptable.
Considering Oregon’s PR problem of the “appearance of impropriety” on several issues, this should be a no-brainer. Actually, I would advocate that Mr. Brand make this a stipulation across the NCAA board.
Is there a path for a “second chance”? Sure. And that begins with two steps. First, an institution has to establish itself as intolerant of this type of behavior. Second, the student-athlete in question would have to attend a community college for a probationary year.
Too draconian?
In the third hour of Canzano’s show, he talks to former Duck, Terrell Brandon.
Here’s the link to that interview. That’s a just a couple of minutes into the hour.
Only one editorial note: he has a son graduating from high school next year!
I’m old.
No, not really. That just makes me feel old.
Get all your sports news on the Oregon Ducks at DuckSportsNews.com.
Innappropriate comment? Let us know.
Spam filters are set on high. Please be patient for your comments to be posted.
Jay, here.
One of the things that makes DSN fun is hearing from visitors to DSN - you make this fun for us to do. Hopefully, you’re having a good time on the site, as well.
And there have been a lot of you, too. Since August of 2007, we’ve had over one million visitors to DSN. So, thank you for being a part of our history.
Well, one of visitors alerted us to the fact that a former Duck will be making a little bit of history herself. Carrie sent this to us last week:
Hi,
I thought you and the “One Click Sports News” readers might be interested in some exciting news about a former alumni of the Ducks, Catherine Kraayeveld. As a current member of the New York Liberty, Kraayeveld will be taking part in the upcoming history-breaking “Liberty Outdoor Classic.” On Saturday, July 19th the Liberty will play the Indiana Fever in what will be the first regular season outdoor game in professional basketball history. The game will take place at Arthur Ashe Stadium (the home of tennis’ U.S. Open), and a portion of the proceeds from the historic game’s ticket sales will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Come be a part of professional basketball history on July 19th!
Actually, there will be even more history made than that:
In addition to making professional basketball history, the Liberty Outdoor Classic, sponsored by American Express and The Hallmark Channel, will be the first non-tennis sporting event to take place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, which is the largest public outdoor tennis facility in the world.
You can read more about it here.
Thank you, Carrie.
Get all your sports news on the Oregon Ducks at DuckSportsNews.com.
Innappropriate comment? Let us know.
Spam filters are set on high. Please be patient for your comments to be posted.
Jay, here.
Don’t know much about the Mississippi State Bulldogs?
Other than being a family friend of a famous MSU Bulldog, I don’t know much about them either.
Well, I won’t make this a John Grisham thriller. Here’s the “Sport Idol” Justin Myers’ interview with Mississippi Sports This Afternoon’s Ben Ingram about Oregon’s matchup with the Bulldogs.
Jay, here.
Actually, according to Sports Illustrated’s Luke Winn, the Ducks are the worst.
2008’s defensively challenged 1-8 seeds:
Team Off. Eff. Def. Eff.
(Seed) (Nat’l Rk.) (Nat’l Rk.)
Notre Dame (5) 118.9 (11) 93.9 (61)
Drake (5) 120.4 (6) 94.5 (67)
Miami Fla. (7) 113.5 (39) 95.0 (72)
Vanderbilt (4) 114.3 (33) 95.8 (77)While this quartet has some real offensive firepower, I didn’t pick any of them to go past the second round. It’s also worth noting that Oregon, which was handed a No. 9 seed, is the worst major-conference defensive team in the entire NCAA tournament. The Ducks rank 125th in ADE. I don’t recommend picking them against Mississippi State.
You can read his “Bracket Math: Part Two” entry here.
Thanks to Tad for the tip.
For Jeff in New York, it’s March Madness all season.
Honestly, though, I don’t know if Jeff in New York actually exists. But his lists do. And they make for some interesting March Madness fodder. Here are some of the highlights as they pertain to the Ducks and Bulldogs:
8. Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State: His combo of size and strength make him nearly impossible to stop going to the basket.
9. Mississippi State (Jamont Gordon, Charles Rhodes): Gordon is one of the toughest players in the country, while Rhodes provides a very solid inside option.
South Region:
No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Oregon
So, how do you think the Ducks will do against the Bulldogs? What are going to be the keys to the game? And if they happen to win, what do you think about the matchup against Memphis?
- Jay, DSN
March 16, 2008
Hello Hoop Fans!
The brackets are out and the Madness is about to begin.
We’d like to invite you to join in this year’s College Hoop Fix 2008. It’s back and better than ever.
Just like last year, you’ll have the chance to fill out our brackets online and keep track of how you’re doing against the field after each game is completed.
Also back again this year is the “Cinderella” and “Lock” picks which is what makes Hoop Fix more than just your typical bracket pool.
This year, registration is FREE and the winner will take home a Slingbox!
So don’t delay, register now, and start entering your picks now!
For those of you who participated in Bowl Bash 2007-08 you won’t have to register. Simply log in with the same username (email) and password and click the “Active” link.
Registration and the ability to make picks ends Wednesday, March 19 at 11:59am.
Challenge your friends, family and co-workers!
- Ducks Sports News Team
Jay, here.
Earlier this evening, Duck Sports News was at the Civil War game in Corvallis. And RW was on the baselines to snap a few photos. Not surprisingly, the story of the game was the Maarty Leunen’s play.
Malik Hairston goes up for up for two of his six points.
Maarty Leunen drives to the basket. Leunen was 8 of 10 from the field.
Leunen inbounds the ball. In addition to 32 points, he grabbed three rebounds and made two assists.
Leunen was 9 of 12 from the free-throw line.
Leunen had a game-high 32 points and 35 minutes.
While this Duck looks alone, there were plenty of Duck fans to join him at Gill Coliseum.
LeKendric Longmire came off the bench to score 19 points.
Jay, here.
Bill Harbaugh wants a piece of the Duck. And it looks like he’s putting up a little bit more of a fight than the Houston Cougar.
Yesterday, we linked to a column by Steve Duin in The Oregonian (UO Professor: Frohnmayer Needs To Build The Damn Arena, Then Retire) detailing the University of Oregon Behavioral and Experimental Economics Professor’s challenges against the administration’s supposed “culture of secrecy” in regards to the plans for the new basketball arena.
I’m not even going to attempt to explain, or even summarize, all of the issues involved in this drama worthy of the WWE. And I’m not trying to take sides here, either. But I will tell you this. While neither side looks like the good guy, one side is looking is like a bad guy. I’ll let you be the judge of that in this grudge match.
But as a follow-up to his column, Duin posted this on his blog yesterday:
“UO is only able to show such disdain for public records law because Attorney General Hardy Myers and the Department of Justice let them get away with it.”
Well, looks like that rang the ringside bell because Oregon’s very own version of Judge Mills Lane (Attorney General “I Ain’t Giving You A Laurel or A Hardy Handshake” Myers) wants a piece of this RAW WAR, too.
According to the Oregon Daily Emerald, Harbaugh received a letter from the State of Oregon’s Department of Justice about an hour after Duin posted his blog entry. Now the State is looking into Harbaugh’s allegations against the University, specifically the University of Oregon’s General Counsel Melinda Grier.
What does this all mean?
Much like a WWE wrestling match, I think the outcome has already been determined. None of this is going to stop the new basketball arena from being built.
But while the WWE wrestling matches are “fake” in outcome, the action is very much real (Right, Sea Bass?). And somebody, if not everybody, is going to get bloody.
They say blood is thicker than water. I just wish that the Donald Duck family looked more like a Disney family and less like the Vince McMahon family.