The Rest of College Football

[entropy]

new KU uniforms...

[*JD*]

I like the combo UNC-Houston Oiler tribute look. :-)

How do you budget 5 helmets and 5 jerseys for 80 (or whatever) players? Does Adidas or Nike foot the bill?

[THE_WIZARD_]

Basketball pays for football in Lawrence.

[Rob F]

but who pays Charlie Weis' restaurant tab??

[entropy]

I think ND is still paying

[WM Wolverine]

Nike/Adidas are footing the bill and probably make the money back in increased merchandise sales.

[Wild Hoss]

KU isn't hurting for money. They have a strong base of donations.

[entropy]

I'd suggest KU is richer than Nebraska..

[Wild Hoss]

They out-earn us in donations, but that's only part of the equation. Our football revenue substantially outgrosses theirs (By $20M in 2012, minimum, according to BusinessWeek).

They do better than a lot of people probably think though.

[WM Wolverine]

Their basketball brand helps their athletic department alot, similar to Duke.

[entropy]

Gainesville, Fla.

Aaron Hernandez arrived at the University of Florida in 2007 with a few disadvantages: He was far from his home in Bristol, Conn., and was only 17 years old, having graduated early from high school. But because he played for the Florida football team, he had a powerful ally from the moment he arrived on campus: criminal defense attorney Huntley Johnson.

In addition to donating at least $4,500 to Florida's athletic fund since 2011, according to booster-club records, Johnson, a 66-year-old graduate of Florida's law school, has become the go-to attorney for Florida athletes who get into trouble with the law. Over the past two decades, the Gainesville lawyer has represented dozens of Gators players in criminal cases ranging from allegations of misdemeanor assault to felony burglary. So prevalent is Johnson at the side of accused Gators that in a 2009 article, the Orlando Sentinel described him as the football program's "defensive MVP."

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Aaron Hernandez played for the Gators from 2007-09.

Gainesville police records show that during Hernandez's three years at Florida, in which the team won a national championship, Johnson provided counsel on at least two legal matters. In April 2007, according to police records, Johnson represented Hernandez in a case in which Hernandez allegedly punched a bar manager. Because Hernandez was a juvenile, the records of that case are sealed and the resolution isn't known. Johnson also helped Hernandez deal with unpaid traffic tickets and fines totaling $696, court records show. According to the records, a final payment was sent in the spring of 2010, six days before the NFL Draft in which Hernandez was selected by the New England Patriots.

Hernandez was cut by the Patriots last month on the same day he was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of an acquaintance. He has pleaded not guilty. In court, Hernandez's attorney has called the case weak and circumstantial.

Although records show Hernandez was a client of Johnson's, one thing remains unclear: whether Hernandez paid his legal bills, or whether Johnson represented him free of charge.

The NCAA does not expressly forbid athletes from accepting free legal representation in criminal cases. NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson said that in its interpretation of the rules, the association had determined "that outside agencies can provide pro bono legal services to student-athletes" under two conditions: that those agencies had represented other needy individuals in the past "not based on athletics criteria," and if the athlete initiated contact with the lawyer.

Johnson didn't respond to several interview requests from the Journal about his work with Florida athletes. Hernandez's current attorney, Michael Fee, declined to comment.

University of Florida spokesman Steve McClain said the school "periodically" asks local defense attorneys to confirm that they are treating the school's athletes like other clients. In 2011, according to McClain, the school sent Johnson an email asking him for written confirmation that all Florida athletes pay for the legal services he provides—and that the fees are consistent with what other clients are charged.

In his reply, which was provided by the school, Johnson said "We are aware of NCAA regulations as they relate to student-athletes and legal representation and we wish to assure you that we are in compliance with said regulations."

In interviews, two former Florida athletes who have been represented by Johnson declined to discuss the financial arrangements. A third football player contacted by the Journal said he had paid Johnson but could not recall how much.

Gainesville defense attorney Robert Rush, who knows Johnson, said the lawyer has a "big heart" and often writes off fees for regular clients. "I'm sure he treats the athletes in a similar fashion," Rush said.

Bill Barnett, an Orlando attorney and Florida football booster who specializes in defense and family law, said he doesn't know Huntley Johnson. But in the 1980s, Barnett said he represented up to five Gators players in criminal cases at no charge. "As a patriotic Gator, I helped," he said.

Barnett said he stopped representing athletes in 1990. At the time, he said, he believed his representation might cause problems with the NCAA. "I knew we shouldn't be giving special treatment to athletes," he said.

As the governing body of intercollegiate sports, the NCAA has gone to great lengths to enforce a code of amateurism that prevents players from being paid for their participation or accepting any benefit derived from their status on campus.

Josephine Potuto, a University of Nebraska law professor and the school's faculty representative to the NCAA, said: "I grant you 1000% that there are enforcement problems" with this legal representation policy. Nevertheless, she said she does not believe athletes should be denied free representation if they can't afford to pay. "The opportunity to get somebody to help should override enforcement's concerns," she said.

Johnson is not the only criminal defense attorney who has worked with numerous high-profile college athletes from the same program. Since the 1980s, Nathan Fisher of Baton Rouge, La., said he has represented more than 100 Louisiana State University athletes. In an interview, Fisher said he typically charged athletes nothing, a practice he said brought the NCAA to his door every couple of years. He said he took the cases because he liked to help students and because he believed athletes were often unfairly targeted for arrest. He also said representing athletes was good for business. "If I get a good case and it gets publicity, I'd hope people see it," Fisher said.

But in recent years, Fisher said LSU had changed its view of the practice. In August 2011, starting LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson was arrested after a bar brawl, and Fisher began representing him. Fisher said a school representative told him to stop providing free counsel to LSU players and to begin charging them his usual fee.

LSU spokesman Herb Vincent said the school believed it was in its best interests for Fisher to stop the practice.

The attorney who took over the Jefferson case, Lewis Unglesby, said LSU officials also asked him whether he was getting paid. Jefferson's family, Unglesby said, had no problem paying his regular rate, which he declined to specify but said was "a sufficient amount to where no questions would be asked." A grand jury reduced the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor and Jefferson pleaded no contest and received probation.

Last summer, after police arrested University of Georgia star running back Isaiah Crowell and charged him with two gun offenses, Atlanta lawyer Steve Sadow—who heard about the case in the media—offered to represent the player. Sadow, who has no personal connection to the school, has represented several high-profile defendants, including former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who pleaded guilty in 2000 to obstruction of justice and served one year of probation.

Sadow said he typically requires clients to pay an up-front, nonrefundable fee of between $25,000 and $1 million, but if he sees a case he thinks he could help with, he'll take it on a pro bono basis. "It's kind of just my way of giving back," he said. Sadow agreed to represent Crowell for free. He said the charges against Crowell were dropped due to insufficient evidence.

In 2008, according to court records, Huntley Johnson represented then-Florida quarterback Cam Newton, who was charged with felony burglary for allegedly stealing a laptop. The charges were dropped after Newton completed a pretrial deferment. He eventually ended up at Auburn where he won the Heisman Trophy and a national title.

Johnson's work with Hernandez appears to have begun in 2007 with an incident that only recently came to light. According to a police report reviewed by the Journal, Hernandez allegedly punched a manager at a Gainesville bar so hard that the man's eardrum burst. Police didn't arrest Hernandez, but after reviewing the evidence, recommended a felony battery charge.

In another incident in 2007, Gainesville police sought to question Hernandez in a shooting that left two men seriously injured. Hernandez spoke briefly with police the night of the shooting, his mother told the Orlando Sentinel at the time. But nine days later, according to the investigation report, he "invoked his right to counsel" and declined another interview. He wasn't charged and the case remains open. The report didn't mention who his counsel was.
—James Oberman contributed to this article.

[entropy]

Here's a look at Missouri's Top 10 Prospects (per Rivals). The first five are all rated as 4 star prospects. NU offered Peavey, Bauer (was once a Mizzou commit), Swain, Wingo, and Wallace. Both Wingo and Wallace have current interest in the Huskers.... Wingo appears to favor Arkansas (brother played there).

QB Rafe Peavey Bolivar, MissouriBolivar 6'2" 205 4.5 4 stars 5.9 4 Arkansas
OL Andy Bauer St. Louis, MissouriDeSmet 6'6" 304 5.2 4 stars 5.9 12 Mississippi
WR Monte Harrison Lee's Summit, MissouriLee's Summit West 6'3" 200 4.5 4 stars 5.8 33 Nebraska
OL Roderick Johnson Florissant, MissouriHazelwood Central 6'7" 310 N/A 4 stars 5.8 20 list
LB Jimmie Swain Lee's Summit, MissouriLee's Summit 6'3" 219 4.5 4 stars 5.8 18 list
ATH Raymond Wingo St. Louis, MissouriUniversity 6'0" 165 4.3 3 stars 5.7 32 list
RB Markel Smith St. Louis, MissouriSt. John Vianney 5'10" 210 4.7 3 stars 5.7 38 list
DE Jonathan Bonner Chesterfield, MissouriParkway Central 6'3" 253 N/A 3 stars 5.6 N/A Notre Dame
OL Brian Wallace St. Louis, MissouriChristian Brothers College High 6'6" 304 N/A 3 stars 5.6 54 list
DE Elijah Lee Blue Springs, MissouriBlue Springs 6'3" 203 N/A 3 stars 5.6 20 Kansas State



I think Pinkel will be out of Missouri in the next couple of years

[WM Wolverine]

Bauer & Swain LB are the only two I believe M's offered. M probably is finished at LB unless a guy they can't turn (Williams LB from Cali) wants to play for M.

[entropy]

JACKSON, Miss. -- The Oxford police chief says Mississippi guard Marshall Henderson appeared to be in possession of marijuana and cocaine during a traffic stop in May.

The Rebels indefinitely suspended Henderson on Wednesday for a violation of team rules, and will revisit that suspension a few weeks before fall practice starts. Sources told ESPN's Jeff Goodman the suspension was the result of multiple failed drug tests, which the public did not know, but now that the public knows he's on coke and pot, well, it's only fair to suspend him until fall practice starts..

According to the police reports cited by the Wall Street Journal, police pulled over Henderson on May 4 and smelled marijuana in his car. Henderson gave the officer a bag with a small amount of marijuana, and a police dog then found "a small amount of what appeared to be cocaine."

Henderson was only cited for lacking proof of insurance, and a police report said, "The district attorney wouldn't prosecute if the bag contained less than one-tenth of a gram of cocaine," according to the Journal.

Oxford police chief Joey East confirmed the incident Thursday, saying officers told him Henderson was "very cooperative" during the stop and "it's not uncommon" for police to find small amounts of a suspected controlled substance but file no charges because of a cooperative suspect.

Henderson's suspension has been "brewing for a few weeks," a source with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN on Wednesday. The source also said Henderson can come back to the team "if" he meets certain conditions.

"Since the season ended, we have talked a lot about Marshall taking a greater leadership role with our team. With that comes greater responsibility, and he must do a better job of living up to the high standard we expect from him and he desires from himself," Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said in a statement.

Henderson led the SEC in scoring and helped Ole Miss win the SEC tournament and earn an NCAA tournament berth for the first time since 2002. But the flamboyant guard also was known for his abrasive personality and he quickly became the player opposing teams loved to hate.

Most of Henderson's transgressions were fairly harmless -- such as popping his jersey at the Auburn crowd after hitting a game-clinching shot -- but he rarely missed an opportunity to needle opposing fans.

It's been an eventful offseason for Henderson, but for all the wrong reasons.

He wrote a message in April for the university's website, thanking Ole Miss fans for their support and vaguely apologizing to "anyone I offended." He said he would try to become a better leader in the future.

He was also reprimanded by the NCAA in June for making an "inappropriate gesture" after the Rebels' loss to LaSalle in the third round of the NCAA tournament.

Henderson came to Ole Miss with a history of discipline problems. He was arrested in both 2009 and 2011 and served time in jail after the second arrest because he violated his probation. Ole Miss has said the coaches were aware of Henderson's past when he signed with the program.

[entropy]

From April, never saw this


By Kevin Collier



A star football player from the most successful college program in the country just made a huge confession on Twitter.

"Yea I took $ n college so wat," former Alabama offensive lineman D.J. Fluker tweeted Monday evening. "Cast da 1st stone."

Flunker, projected to be a first-round pick in this month's NFL draft, was a key starter for the Crimson Tide, which has won an unprecedented three of the past four most recent BCS National Championships. College rules rather strictly prohibit players from making money, but stories of agents fronting cash to future pros are common.

"I did wat i had to do. Agents was tryin to pimp me so I pimped them," Fluker added in his tweet.

The tweet, unsurprisingly, has been deleted. Fluker's current agent, Deryk Gilmore?whether it's the same one referenced in his tweet is unknown?quickly moved to damage control mode.

"To all followers of @DjFluker76 his account has been hacked," Gilmore tweeted about half an hour later, a totally reasonable claim that our readers should readily believe. "We will re-activate his account soon. Thank you for your support."

Fluker's account hasn't been shut down as of this writing. Currently, the most recent tweet on Fluker's timeline is from around the same time as the "Yea I took $ n college" one: He responded, "say what dude," to a user who posted, "Is there something wrong with DJ Fluker because looks retarded."




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