Being highly sought-after during one’s high school years can be a lot to handle for a young athlete. Colleges began pursuing the first athlete in this investigation early in his sophomore year.
“They told my mom, ‘What do you need to get your son to come here, anything you need, whatever you need,’ he said. “They offered me large amounts of money, three thousand dollars… five thousand dollars… a month’s pay on top of (the monthly stipend) you get already.”
Once his senior season rolled around, he began exploring a number of viable colleges throughout the country, ranging from a handful of East Coast schools, to others more locally, such as USC. He said he was certain right off the bat that he could get whatever he wanted in terms of money, clothes, and cars, if he chose to seek it out.
“During the dead period (the timeframe when colleges are prohibited from talking to prospective athletes), I got a call from an unknown number,” he explained. “I didn’t know the number. I got this call from the head coach, and he said ‘I know it’s late, but we were watching your tape, and we’d like to bring you in on an official visit.’ ”
He described one trip to an SEC (South East Conference) school, in which he was given money, clothes, and girls during his recruiting trip.
“It was the best trip of my life,” he said. “They had girls lined up, they had everything. It was amazing. It was like a dream come true. They almost got me. They sold me a dream.”
But he ultimately decided to attend USC, where, he suspects, he could have received the same offer if he looked for it.
“I’m not saying cheating is good. Cheating is never good,” he stated, when asked about the recruiting process. “But if you are trying to make a program and build something good, everybody does it. If you are not doing it, someone else is going to do it.”
He says that he was never told explicitly what was allowed and what wasn’t on these recruiting trips. He only knew that there was a general “Don’t ask, don’t tell policy.”
“If you go out on an official (visit) and someone gives you $400, you’re not going to talk about it,” he said. “That’s money in your pocket. You’re not complaining.”
But he said that problems can certainly arise if a player accepts the money.
“I think it goes bad when you accept money from the school, but then you turn them down, and go somewhere else.”
The high school recruiting process, he explains, is only the beginning of the courting ritual. The real attention comes from sports agents once an athlete arrives at college and starts playing his sport.
“You get tired of people calling you, sending you mail, always trying to get a hold of you. Just let me play. All this stuff that you are doing isn’t going to help me make my decision.”
But he does say that if he decided he was truly interested in accepting inducements from an agent, it would be easy.
“If you tell them that you need money, you need a car, you need shoes every day, and you say ‘I’m with you,’ ” he explained, “they’ll give you the world. They will open up heaven’s doors and give you whatever you want.”
Problems arise, however, when players decide to accept money from competing agencies. Recent run-ins with NCAA officials have put USC under a critical microscope. He explains further, using examples such as current New Orleans Saints running back, Reggie Bush, and Memphis Grizzlies guard, OJ Mayo, who were each cited for “taking money” while at school.
“If you tell one guy, ‘I’m going with you,’ and then you tell another guy, all of a sudden you have eight guys that think you are messing with them, and you are getting money from everywhere. Then when it comes down to the wire, and you are deciding on an agent, someone is going to make you go down.”
He says that players can certainly hide the fact that they are taking money, if they want, but some guys just can’t resist showing off.
“You don’t need to tell people about your business. You can’t talk. Word travels fast now, and in ten seconds one thing is out to everyone. You can’t say anything. You ask yourself, can you keep your mouth shut, and it’s hard for people to do.”
He concluded by saying that, although he may accept a drink or dinner here and there, he knows how to lay low.
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