Mom hated son's college, hopes for best in NFL

[vamosjackets]

Please see the UGAg's lawyer's statement of defense for what they do during the Jan Kemp case:

In trying to defend themselves, Georgia officials portrayed Kemp as naive about sports. “We have to compete on a level playing field,” said Fred Davison, the university president. During the Kemp civil trial, in 1986, Hale Almand, Georgia’s defense lawyer, explained the university’s patronizing aspirations for its typical less-than-scholarly athlete. “We may not make a university student out of him,” Almand told the court, “but if we can teach him to read and write, maybe he can work at the post office rather than as a garbage man when he gets through with his athletic career.” This argument backfired with the jurors: finding in favor of Kemp, they rejected her polite request for $100,000, and awarded her $2.6 million in damages instead. (This was later reduced to $1.08 million.) Jan Kemp embodied what is ostensibly the NCAA’s reason for being—to enforce standards fairly and put studies above sports—but no one from the organization ever spoke up on her behalf.

This is the factory attitude. And, it was found to be illegal. What I don't get is why it's still allowed to go on in these subtle (not really) ways.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

if you're from Lousisiana, you most likely do belong in the SEC. Because you probably can't read.

That Napoleonic Code in Louisiana law is a quirky thing, too. It is my understanding if you and your wife are married in Louisiana, but then move to Texas, you are still brother and sister.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

Bits of a Bleacher Report story:

“Landon Collins’ mother, April Justin, became a polarizing figure three years ago for her blunt disagreement with her son’s nationally televised decision to hop across LSU’s state borders to play for rival Alabama.

At LSU, I was convinced he could play immediately, wind up a Freshman All-American and build the momentum to be a first-rounder after his junior season.

At ‘Bama, I was worried he’d be buried on Nick Saban’s notoriously deep depth charts.

Miami was a long shot, but at least he had a better chance of playing as a freshman. He used to fawn over Sean Taylor highlights on Youtube before every game in high school (and ended up wearing Taylor’s number, No. 26, at Alabama), but Miami was ACC, and the SEC was where he belonged. The culture, the physicality and the competition would better prepare him for the next level.

Alabama won a national championship in Landon’s freshman year, but he played special teams and backed up a junior on defense. If the starter (Vinnie Sunsheri) hadn’t suffered a season-ending knee injury in Landon’s sophomore season, he would have sat that season as well, and who knows if he’d be entering the draft this year.

Landon’s recruiting process compelled me to educate myself on recruiting for Gerald and advise other parents about how to navigate the recruitment of student-athletes through my Momma Knows Best Recruiting Summits.”

Two comments: love the continuing myth about the SEC vs ACC; and rumor has it that Momma Truitt was the first to join the Recruiting Summits.

I am sure the ACC/SEC comment was verbatim from some SEC recruiter spiel.

 

[LongforDodd]

I am sure the ACC/SEC comment was verbatim from some SEC recruiter spiel.

I'm confused as to what she wrote and what the reporter wrote?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Please see the UGAg's lawyer's statement of defense for what they do during the Jan Kemp case:



This is the factory attitude. And, it was found to be illegal. What I don't get is why it's still allowed to go on in these subtle (not really) ways.

And UGA never ceased operating in that fashion. They simply got much smarter about how they go about doing this. I have an anecdote from a friend who attended UGA post-Kemp which would illustrate it well but don't want to be as long-winded as I typically am.

Since one can be in meaningful degree programs at UGA or Bama, or anywhere else really, I suspect there may be some exceptions to the general rule so far as athletes in junk degree programs and "keep 'em eligible" courses, if that student-athlete has the gumption to buck the "system" and seek his own best interests. But when someone speaks ill of a factory it is pointing a finger at the athletic and university administration in their complicity to, on the whole, exploit athletic talent without adequate compensation through provision of a meaningful education.

The fact that Jabari Hunt has been sidelined for over a year now based on his academic progress, despite his NFL caliber athletic prowess is frankly a point of pride to me. I think it has great value as proof of the legitimate interest Tech as an institution of higher education takes to being in loco parentis and not just an exploiter of revenue-yielding talent. Does it mean that Tech has always been or will always be perfect in this regard? Of course not, as human nature tends to prevail everywhere. But it at least illustrates what I have in mind when I decide to mock Bama or another SEC factory. I am not specifically mocking that university's alums, in fact I hope they are embarrassed by the way athletes are handled. Instead I am peeved at the way the education of athletes happens to be administered (or at least usually seems).