Bledsoe report released today....

#1
Hardwood_fanatic

Hardwood_fanatic

Bluegrass OG 4 life
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#1
The external investigation results of the Eric Bledsoe drama were released today and there is reason for some worry for UK fans. Many think there is not "enough" concrete evidence to overturn their decision to clear him twice with an extended review. However, there is obviously some conflicting information in this report.

FYI, this is the most in-depth and fair breakdown that has been written to this point. Its worth the read if interested.

Conflicting grades recorded on Eric Bledsoe's high school transcript and a night-school grade report from Parker High School call into question whether the basketball star should have been eligible to play his one year at the University of Kentucky.

Bledsoe's four-year transcript shows he made an A in Algebra 3 in night school as a senior by receiving a 90 during each of the two sessions. However, a grade report from those night sessions showed Bledsoe was recorded as making a C average, with a low C recorded in the first session and a low B recorded in the second.

By receiving an A in Algebra 3, Bledsoe barely qualified for initial eligibility in college, based on the standardized test score his former coach said Bledsoe made. The NCAA determines a player's eligibility through a sliding scale based on grade-point average in 16 core classes and an ACT or SAT score.

Former Parker coach Maurice Ford was quoted in a New York Times story in May as saying Bledsoe's sum ACT score was a 69. That meant Bledsoe needed to jump from a 1.75 core GPA in almost three years at Hayes High School to a 2.475 by the end of his high school career at Parker, his transcript shows.
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Records differed on Eric Bledsoe's Birmingham prep grades | al.com
 
#2
#2
Not sure how this would be any different from Derrick Rose. Seems like much more proof actually.
 
#3
#3
Gcrop said:
Not sure how this would be any different from Derrick Rose. Seems like much more proof actually.
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Actually, its quite different than Derrick Rose. Its almost identical to the Darrel Arthur situation in Kansas during their title run a few years ago.
 
#8
#8
#9
#9
Will the Cats have any games vacated if he is found to be ineligible or if the high school is to blame, does that exonerate the Cats?
 
#10
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BasketvolsFan said:
Will the Cats have any games vacated if he is found to be ineligible or if the high school is to blame, does that exonerate the Cats?
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Thats a whole new can of worms that only the AA' can decide. Technically (if the findings are true) it was an issue with the school system and the teacher, and the discrepancies had nothing to to with UK whatsoever. It was an internal issue at that high school. Most say that because of this, UK will receive no infractions. Furthermore, the NCAA cleared Bledsoe twice. Once initially, and then again after a second indepth review.

However, we all know the many quirks of the NCAA. Some say nothing comes of it, some say it leads to games vacated. My gut feeling is that nothing happens. and while I'm at it, I think Kanter will be eligible by December.
 
#12
#12
Hardwood_fanatic said:
Thats a whole new can of worms that only the AA' can decide. Technically (if the findings are true) it was an issue with the school system and the teacher, and the discrepancies had nothing to to with UK whatsoever. It was an internal issue at that high school. Most say that because of this, UK will receive no infractions. Furthermore, the NCAA cleared Bledsoe twice. Once initially, and then again after a second indepth review.

However, we all know the many quirks of the NCAA. Some say nothing comes of it, some say it leads to games vacated. My gut feeling is that nothing happens. and while I'm at it, I think Kanter will be eligible by December.
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The bottom line is that the 'AA already set precedent on this issue with Darrell Arthur. If it's internal to the school system, the school has no liability. If they're going to change that stance, they better figure out what to do with the 2008 title, since both teams in the final are to have their seasons vacated.
 
#13
#13
hatvol96 said:
The bottom line is that the 'AA already set precedent on this issue with Darrell Arthur. If it's internal to the school system, the school has no liability. If they're going to change that stance, they better figure out what to do with the 2008 title, since both teams in the final are to have their seasons vacated.
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Indeed. I brought up the Arthur situation a few weeks ago, and thats my basis for believing things will not change. If they rule otherwise, it will cause a Shat storm.
 
#14
#14
Gee, where are all the people who were saying Bledsoe's grades were going to be a huge issue for Cal? Thamel? Thamel?
 
#16
#16
hatvol96 said:
Exactly. If there's no evidence showing actions external to the school system, nothing happens.
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Maybe I am dense, but I fail to see the logic in this. How can a University be responsible for alleged, not proven, shady ACT scores, but not responsible for falsified grades from a High School/night school?

Ineligible is ineligible. Everyone knew the Bledsoe kid had questionnable grades. In fact, when the recruiting came down to UK and Memphis, people in Memphis were saying that if he came here, he wouldn't be eligible anyway. If you are willing to take the risk, you gotta be willing to live with the consequences.
 
#17
#17
The ESPN article begins by saying that Bledsoe's grades have been upheld. But, it then goes on to quote the superintendent saying the instructor's reasons for changing the algebra grade were "not credible." It goes on to say that this teacher changed grades for Bledsore more often than any other student. The article further discusses that additional grades were changed for Bledsoe and that the majority of his grades were either changed or not turned over in the investigation, in part due to one if his schools having since closed.

Ruling: Eric Bledsoe keeps grade; was eligible at Kentucky - ESPN

The bottom half of the article makes me wonder how he's getting cleared. That situation reeks.
 
#18
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hatvol96 said:
Gee, where are all the people who were saying Bledsoe's grades were going to be a huge issue for Cal? Thamel? Thamel?
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Thamel is a douche, whom I wouldn't piss on if he were on fire. He abandons ethical and proper journalism looking to make a splash and continues to look like a fool.

Tomorrow I will say how I really feel.
 
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#19
#19
CALISKING said:
Maybe I am dense, but I fail to see the logic in this. How can a University be responsible for alleged, not proven, shady ACT scores, but not responsible for falsified grades from a High School/night school?

Ineligible is ineligible. Everyone knew the Bledsoe kid had questionnable grades. In fact, when the recruiting came down to UK and Memphis, people in Memphis were saying that if he came here, he wouldn't be eligible anyway. If you are willing to take the risk, you gotta be willing to live with the consequences.
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Simple. The agency that administered Rose's standardized test invalidated the score and declared it a fraud. The agency that issued Bledsoe's grades upheld his marks. It's that simple.
 
#20
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ukvols said:
The ESPN article begins by saying that Bledsoe's grades have been upheld. But, it then goes on to quote the superintendent saying the instructor's reasons for changing the algebra grade were "not credible." It goes on to say that this teacher changed grades for Bledsore more often than any other student. The article further discusses that additional grades were changed for Bledsoe and that the majority of his grades were either changed or not turned over in the investigation, in part due to one if his schools having since closed.

Ruling: Eric Bledsoe keeps grade; was eligible at Kentucky - ESPN

The bottom half of the article makes me wonder how he's getting cleared. That situation reeks.
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If you think that well meaning high school teachers don't change the grades of elite athletes with regularity to get them eligible, you're probably naive enough to think Pearl's tears were sincere.
 
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hatvol96 said:
If you think that well meaning high school teachers don't change the grades of elite athletes with regularity to get them eligible, you're probably naive enough to think Pearl's tears were sincere.
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I have personally seen teachers change grades for kids being offered obscure baseball scholarships to DII or NAIA schools without blinking an eye. Imagining them doing it for a D1 recruit who will knowingly land in the NBA isn't hard to fathom either.
 
#22
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Hardwood_fanatic said:
I have personally seen teachers change grades for kids being offered obscure baseball scholarships to DII or NAIA schools without blinking an eye. Imagining them doing it for a D1 recruit who will knowingly land in the NBA isn't hard to fathom either.
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True story. Back about 10 years ago, when I was still around the summer scene a great deal, a coach from here in the area approached me. Good guy, but he'd never really had any prospects. Now, he had a kid who had blown up enough in the summer to get some low and mid major looks. Having never had a kid go higher than NAIA, he asked me about the 'AAs eligibility standards. I explained the sliding scale. He said, "So, the kid just needs to have a big improvement on his test?" I explained that a jump big enough to get him eligible with his grades would be immediately red flagged and probably be invalidated. He looked at me and said, "Guess I know what needs to happen." Kid 4.0'd his entire senior year, went on to a nice college career at a mid major, got a degree, and has done very well for himself. That scenario plays out over and over and over in high schools across America every year.
 
#23
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hatvol96 said:
True story. Back about 10 years ago, when I was still around the summer scene a great deal, a coach from here in the area approached me. Good guy, but he'd never really had any prospects. Now, he had a kid who had blown up enough in the summer to get some low and mid major looks. Having never had a kid go higher than NAIA, he asked me about the 'AAs eligibility standards. I explained the sliding scale. He said, "So, the kid just needs to have a big improvement on his test?" I explained that a jump big enough to get him eligible with his grades would be immediately red flagged and probably be invalidated. He looked at me and said, "Guess I know what needs to happen." Kid 4.0'd his entire senior year, went on to a nice college career at a mid major, got a degree, and has done very well for himself. That scenario plays out over and over and over in high schools across America every year.
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I watched a few years ago at a local high school where an investigation was launched into a kids grades after a board member got a "tip". Turns out the kid in question received over 10 grades of "A" on tests. When the attendance record was checked at the school, 7 of the 10 days the tests were taken the kid was absent. The kid in question received a track scholarship, if I am not mistaken.


Its an everyday occurence.
 
#24
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hatvol96 said:
If you think that well meaning high school teachers don't change the grades of elite athletes with regularity to get them eligible, you're probably naive enough to think Pearl's tears were sincere.
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My point is they bothered to investigate Bledsoe's transcript and they seem to have found reasons to deny him, yet they just let it go. If this was going to be let go, because teachers do it all the time in these cases, then why bother looking into it?

So, the reasons given for the grade change weren't satisfying, but he's cleared anyway.
 
#25
#25
And, it's not like they can take anything away from Bledsoe other than damage his reputation a little bit. Losing his NCAA eligibility wouldn't have cost him his NBA contract.
 
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