UF's Sharrif Floyd adopted by booster who gave him impermissible benefits

[golfballs]

Florida's Sharrif Floyd adopted by family that gave him benefits

Though the path the Lahns have taken could provide a blueprint for boosters or agents looking to get around NCAA rules, those interviewed who know him paint a picture of Lahn as a kind man who has taken joy in helping the athletes involved in the foundation.

"He has no need for notoriety," Gordon says. " His only thing is to make sure that Sharrif gets through all this."

The Lahns have also taken legal responsibility for another athlete they met through the foundation. They are the legal guardians for Hendrix Emu, a Nigerian basketball player who Lahn and Gordon say has political asylum in the United States.

 

[TennesseeOrange]

Lahn, who was disassociated from his alma mater, South Carolina, by the school in September 2011 as part of a major NCAA infractions case, declined requests for an face-to-face interview.

hmm...

 

[golfballs]

"The boys have someone to lean on for counseling, guidance and support, and Tiffany and I have the opportunity to enrich our lives by being parents, helping them with their classwork, following their games in person and on TV and looking forward to someday being grandparents.

"None of my family members are good athletes, me included," Lahn continued, "so with my genes I would never have the opportunity to give birth to kids who play football or basketball in college at such a high level. Sharrif and Hendrix have given me that opportunity."

:unsure:

 

[UT_Tix79]

Seems legit...

That's a lot to go through just to provide someone with benefits if it was just for the sake of benefits.

This guy isn't even a Florida booster, seems very odd

 

[bamacheats]

I got no problem with it.

 

[bamacheats]

I bet he's tapping the old lady though.

 

[golfballs]

He talks about it like he's adopting a poor orphan child. Sharrif is an adult.

Yet he feels enriched by helping him with classwork and that Sharrif will produce them a grandchild?

Weird

 

[BIG BOI 23]

yep adoption is a great loophole lol not really

 

[davethevol]

It seems like they really are trying to help someone, so good for them.

 

[vols-1]

"After his suspension, Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd was adopted, at age 20, by the man who provided those benefits.

Floyd, a junior for the seventh-ranked Gators and a possible first-round pick in the NFL draft, now receives far more from his adoptive father, Kevin Lahn, than he was punished for taking last year. Under NCAA rules, there are virtually no limits to what a parent can provide to an athlete but a slew of restrictions on what a player can receive from anyone else.

"(The adoption) was not something we planned, but it's been a natural fit," Lahn said in an e-mail to USA TODAY Sports.