"Bag Men"

[northgajacket]

What I don't understand is why USC Trojans have not been able to maintain a Bama type grip on being a football/BB power. I had a basketball friend, in college '50s who transferred from USC after his soph. year. He talked of how USC had "sponsers" to whom players were introduced and from whom they could get help, borrow cars, money for dates. "Bag man" not a term I heard before this board however.

Finding paying jobs for players, a long term practice, and as long as players clock in and do meaningful work seemed OK. I was given a job, on school custodial staff, to earn some spending money at NAIA level. I believe it was A &M that got in trouble over players not showing up and still being paid.

SMU's violation that got them the death penalty? Money, paid apartment....
https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/co...gets-ncaa-death-penalty-worse-than-penn-state

IMO manipulation of grades and academics is worse than money under the table. If they can cheat with money, why won't they also cheat on the academics.

Oklahoma's Quarterback Rhett Bomar was caught basically having a "paper job" at a booster's car dealership about ten years ago which led to an investigation by the NCAA.

 

[Techster]

Oklahoma's Quarterback Rhett Bomar was caught basically having a "paper job" at a booster's car dealership about ten years ago which led to an investigation by the NCAA.

LOL...SA working at a car dealership. That's the biggest stereotype "bag man" type summer job you could think of. In fact, any current SA that works at a car dealership should automatically be investigated out of principle.

 

[Sideways]

I got into a conversation with a friend of mine that's a UGA fan and general college football fan... it was his opinion that all P5 schools have bag men, and that it's a widespread part of the game today.

I told him I would highly doubt GT is buying players, not because we are "better than that", but because we haven't brought in a single top 100 player in Johnson's tenure. I'm sure it's happened in the past, maybe with Cremins or Hewitt or Gailey or O'Leary... but I just don't buy that we're handing kids cash to come to GT.

I know we've joked with the slogan "Be your own bag man" and get a serious education at GT that can set these kids up for life... but I'd love to hear from everyone else if you think this is something that is as widespread as my friend believes.

Not having "bag men" is the least of our recruiting problems. As to your question of how widespread this practice is, the correct answer in my opinion is nobody knows. However, as one poster said it is widespread where you would expect it to be: UGA, LSU, Alabama, Miami, FSU, Auburn, Ole Miss, etc. This will continue to be the norm as long as the NCAA continues with its selective enforcement policies: One set of rules for the factories that bring in the money and another for the Tulanes and Iowa States of the world who better not get out of line or they will be hammered.

 

[northgajacket]

Not having "bag men" is the least of our recruiting problems. As to your question of how widespread this practice is, the correct answer in my opinion is nobody knows. However, as one poster said it is widespread where you would expect it to be: UGA, LSU, Alabama, Miami, FSU, Auburn, Ole Miss, etc. This will continue to be the norm as long as the NCAA continues with its selective enforcement policies: One set of rules for the factories that bring in the money and another for the Tulanes and Iowa States of the world who better not get out of line or they will be hammered.

I couldn't agree with you more.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

Why would someone brag about being a bag man?

According to the article, that is the last thing a real bag man would do. No room for self-importance or notoriety. Maybe the article was embellished, or maybe the marshal at the Masters was building himself up to a buddy. It would seem to me that nobody involved with being a bag man would ever call attention to themselves. Announcing that "I paid Leonard Fournette a bundle to commit to LSU" might be a certain way to land on probation.

 

[alagold]

I think it is widespread and has been going on forever. College football has been money driven for 75 years or more. All you have to do is consider how in the hell did Robert Nkemdiche ever "decide" to go to Ole Miss instead of a dozen better and more logical programs. Artis Gilmore had a part time job at a booster's company for $40/hr back in the sixties--and he never was at the job. The degree of the corruption may vary from year to year and from school to school, but it certainly exists. And I think it exists EVERYWHERE to a certain extent, even on North Avenue. The difference is we are offering two glorified steaks and rings at the Varsity, and the booster in Louisville is offering a Lexus SUV and $25,000 in cash, and a stripper.

I know a guy who was a Tech team manager in the 50's--he knew of "appreciative cash handshakes " from alumni then and it still goes on now I'm sure everywhere.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

A buddy of mine lived across the hall from Deion Sanders at FSU back in the day. He told me a ton of stories. One was about how half the team had "summer jobs" on farms in Florida. He also said the ganga was in full view (and smell) at any time day or night as were the women.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

A buddy of mine lived across the hall from Deion Sanders at FSU back in the day. He told me a ton of stories. One was about how half the team had "summer jobs" on farms in Florida. He also said the ganga was in full view (and smell) at any time day or night as were the women.

The women smelled too? OMY !!!

 

[DCSS]

The Trans-Am incident didn't involve $325 worth of shoes, so it came in below the NCAA's radar.

I've heard the story that Herschel was a lock for Clemson if they'd only offered him a different color El Camino.

 

[SlawDog]

Robbie Benson once got paid in college for turning on the automatic sprinkler system

 

[Sideways]

Gotta love this quote from the article: 'What I did may be wrong according to the NCAA, but I was just trying to do what society teaches you to do -- help your fellow man,' he said. 'The NCAA has its rules and I broke those rules. But personally, I have a rule of my own, and that's to do unto others as you would like for them to do for you." Gee, I wonder if he would have give me, a FELLOW MAN, some help when I was in need. Yeah, right.....LOL

You have to understand the mentality involved here. These people have limitless capacity to rationalize their behavior in any given set of circumstances. The only reason why some of them are not criminals is that they lack the drive and ambition to become one.

 

[Sideways]

Thanks. I remember reading this a few years ago as a good read and just reread the entire thing. There are many points that hit home as true in here - from the crib classes to getting the players through but also allowing them to go back to their hometowns as coaches and proselytize there for the school.

Overall, it is a commentary on what we value in life and how we go about obtaining it. I won't go all political; but we are in deep sh!t and I just hope my son doesn't get killed to satisfy someone's ego.

Are there "bagmen" for GT? Probably but far far fewer than the SEC "schools" he talks about. First off, we don't have as many alumni. Second, most of our alumni don't care about athletics. Third, GT alumni I know are fairly "thrifty".

"Thrifty" you say. Listen, my dad and my brother in law were both Tech graduates and made a good living at what they did but both of them could squeeze a nickle so hard it would come out a quarter.

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

I wouldn't be shocked but.......if Tech really does have bag men.....dontcha think we'd have landed at least one 5star by now?

If we did not (and we need to get a lot better at it) don't you think we would be turning in all these other schools left and right?

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

If we did not (and we need to get a lot better at it) don't you think we would be turning in all these other schools left and right?

Where would our evidence come from?

 

[Sideways]

If we did not (and we need to get a lot better at it) don't you think we would be turning in all these other schools left and right?

Your sentiments and your heart is in the right place but do you honestly think it would make any difference to the NCAA if we caught one of them red handed on video with "Benjamins" scattered about like so much confetti?

 

[Sideways]

I was at GT during the late 90's early 2000's. My walk to classes (my freshmen dorm was Smith) passed BDS and up the Hill. One day while walking back from class, there's was a big shiny white Mercedes stopped at the intersection of Bobby Dodd and Techwood. I looked into the car and saw probably one of the biggest and most high profile BBall players to ever come to GT. He was still an SA at GT. That shiny white Benz was seen around campus a lot during my freshmen year. Could have been someone else's Benz he was driving around, but I doubt he had the means to get it himself...

A HS football teammate of mine played at an SEC West school, and later for the Titans. He started as a true freshmen. During Fall practice before his freshmen year, he got homesick and a friend picked him up and took him home to GA. Coaches pleaded with him to come back, and he said he loved the school, but he missed home a lot and he couldn't afford a car to go back and forth during the weekends. Coaches had one of the graduate assistants who he was close with call him to tell him to go back to school ASAP, he'd find something there to help him with homesickness. He returned that night to find keys to a shiny tricked out Nissan 240. He also said there was an understanding that as long as he stayed in school, he'd find an envelope of cash every week in his gym bag on Thursdays. His head coach got fired after his JR season, and those cash envelopes he was accustomed to getting on Thursdays stopped when the new coach came in. He declared for the NFL shortly thereafter.

Bag men exists.

"Bag men exist" By now, I don't think anyone doubts it. These people are living vicariously through athletes just to be noticed. A sad commentary on what is going on in college football today.

 

[augustabuzz]

Hey guys, Bag men are people too!

 

[DrJacket]

Don't you ever, just once in awhile, wonder what a kid (or their family) means in an interview when they say,"Well....right now I'm just waiting to talk with __________________ (school) and see what their offer is."

If everybody is allowed to provide the same tuition, per diem, expense offset, boarding, food, etc., then what are these "offers" that prospects talk about? Yes, I know there are promises of early playing time, etc. But, I don't usually think the kid means that kind of thing.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

Don't you ever, just once in awhile, wonder what a kid (or their family) means in an interview when they say,"Well....right now I'm just waiting to talk with __________________ (school) and see what their offer is."

If everybody is allowed to provide the same tuition, per diem, expense offset, boarding, food, etc., then what are these "offers" that prospects talk about? Yes, I know there are promises of early playing time, etc. But, I don't usually think the kid means that kind of thing.

Could be a lot things other than money. Such as what position he would be playing, would he redshirt, would his cousin get an offer, how much playing time could he expect. But you are right, it begs the question what else is on the table.

 

[DrJacket]

Could be a lot things other than money. Such as what position he would be playing, would he redshirt, would his cousin get an offer, how much playing time could he expect. But you are right, it begs the question what else is on the table.

Yep, I threw all those things in with what I said. That's the stuff everybody is covering. Playing time vs. redshirt, etc.