UT under potential NCAA investigation for NIL

[Dadof2Vols]

Couple things. 1) You really don’t know Stewart Mandel? 2) I was hoping the rule broken was a grey area of where the NCAA has been inconsistent at best. But getting a free private jet ride has always been a no-no. It’s never been ok and it isn’t covered by state laws either. That is considered an extra benefit. One that I would like to have personally.

Bs that it only has to do with jet ride. Nico is football, the rumors say 11 sports. They are going after collective and all 11 sports not Nico.

 

[utvolpj]

I think that's going to be the issue. The plane ride was to Knoxville to visit UT. UT knew about it. Did they arrange it? Did UT invite him?

If UT invited him, then knew a donor was picking him up....... I'm not sure that kind of thing has ever been allowed.

It was to visit Spyre and since he had just flown 3000mi he decided to visit the great school down the road. There's no way Plowman sends her response letter without that base being completely covered

 

[secking]

Just the flight itself is not even the issue and it doesn't matter as transportation was provided for their client which is permitted. They are allowed to represent their client in all their opportunities. That's what TN law says and what the Supreme Court ruled.

You sure you've followed any of this?

Yeah, SCOTUS did give NCAA power over pay for play. IOW, recruits before they get to campus. Like I said, courts will decide who has the authority here as NCAA has already told states they don’t have the power. We will see if they are right.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

The plane ride was specifically issued by spyre and to discuss nil. Something that has nothing to do with the coaching staff. The plane ride was not arranged by the coaching staff so it’s not a problem for the coaches or AD. This is purely a spyre issue

If that's true, why is UT being investigated? Spyre, technically, isn't a UT entity.

I know Spyre lawyered up and answered, but why did Donde need to "answer" if the NCAA was only going after Spyre?

It seems UT is connected to this in some way and it can't be connected to Spyre, so where's the connection?

 

[RockyTop140]

If that's true, why is UT being investigated? Spyre, technically, isn't a UT entity.

I know Spyre lawyered up and answered, but why did Donde need to "answer" if the NCAA was only going after Spyre?

It seems UT is connected to this in some way and it can't be connected to Spyre, so where's the connection?

It doesn’t sound like the NCAA knows either. That’s why they’re launching an investigation. They are throwing **** and hoping it sticks, which is part of the reason we are filing a lawsuit against them.

 

[secking]

Bs that it only has to do with jet ride. Nico is football, the rumors say 11 sports. They are going after collective and all 11 sports not Nico.

I agree, but I believe Nico is the headliner the NCAA was going for. Same with Rashada and UF. It’s almost like they want to pick a fight and use these as examples. I don’t think the other allegations are public, are they? Sorry if I’ve missed them but it smells like a witch hunt to me or NCAA last attempt to flex what very little muscle they have.

Here is the absolute hypocrisy of the NCAA. They investigate Florida, but nothing of Arizona State? They expect us to believe he went to ASU for free?

 

[Sara Clark]

If that's true, why is UT being investigated? Spyre, technically, isn't a UT entity.

I know Spyre lawyered up and answered, but why did Donde need to "answer" if the NCAA was only going after Spyre?

It seems UT is connected to this in some way and it can't be connected to Spyre, so where's the connection?

I think the NCAA is associating Sprye as a TN booster. Although, I mind you, we actually haven't had clarification on that either. All we know is a plane ride provided by a booster. I for one find it interesting that the "plane ride" hasn't been addressed in any response. Don't know what that means or doesn't mean. For the record, maybe it has, and I missed it.

 

[utvolpj]

Yeah, SCOTUS did give NCAA power over pay for play. IOW, recruits before they get to campus. Like I said, courts will decide who has the authority here as NCAA has already told states they don’t have the power. We will see if they are right.

Have the ncaa power? They were smacked around. This isn't pay for play and that has already been demonstrated. Anything done for Nico in CA by Spyre was already covered under their laws as well.

This is the ncaa trying to designate any collective as a booster org. It's a fools errand when going up against an org like Spyre given the lack of rules formed by the ncaa

 

[utvolpj]

If that's true, why is UT being investigated? Spyre, technically, isn't a UT entity.

I know Spyre lawyered up and answered, but why did Donde need to "answer" if the NCAA was only going after Spyre?

It seems UT is connected to this in some way and it can't be connected to Spyre, so where's the connection?

Ut is now fully connected to Spyre. They are also trying to call Spyre a booster org which would give them power. Except their rules at the time show it wasn't

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

It doesn’t sound like the NCAA knows either. That’s why they’re launching an investigation. They are throwing **** and hoping it sticks, which is part of the reason we are filing a lawsuit against them.

If it's true this is just a "can Spyre have a donor fly a player around" issue, UT falls out of this quickly without needing to sue or nuke the NCAA like Donde did.

They can just shrug and say, "not our flight, not our business. I think we have the number to Spyre around here somewhere. Call them."

Given the reaction, UT seems to see more than random crap being thrown at them by the NCAA.

 

[volbound1700]

One thing that I am confused about is that aren't schools (even before NIL) allowed to provide transportation to athletes for recruiting visits?

 

[MemphisVol77]

Historically, the NCAA rarely backs down once they get a whiff. They may not bring the hammer every time and they may drag it out over a couple of years but they usually don't just go away.

With NIL issues, they've settled things relatively faster than the Pruitt fiasco years long slog. They handled the FSU case pretty rapidly, I think.

Donde and UT have clearly been waiting on this to drop because they had both barrels loaded and it's reasonable to think the NCAA wasn't ambushing them. The NCAA and UT had already talked before they squared off in public with the leaks and the letter.

Expecting the NCAA to walk away now isn't what we've seen them do before.

The bold summarizes my stance. Going by Plowman's letter, as it was leaked through a FOI request, I think she knows damn well that anymore FOI requests for phone or computer records won't be able to pull up anything.

Short of FOI or visual/audio evidence linking UT to impropriety, I say let it burn before we accept Level 1 violations and let them make us a whipping boy.

 

[DaddyChad]

On the negative recruiting angle, I get that teams will try it but couldn’t it possibly backfire? If I was a blue chip recruit, I want the money so I’d take my chances, especially if I’m planning on leaving early for the NFL. That and the fact that the NCAA is notorious for taking forever on cases and I can always transfer anyway.

Doesn’t work like that. Recruits and their families see this crap on news outlets. Tennessee will still recruit well regardless but those elite guys they aren’t taking a chance when they have so many options.

 

[RockyTop140]

If it's true this is just a "can Spyre have a donor fly a player around" issue, UT falls out of this quickly without needing to sue or nuke the NCAA like Donde did.

They can just shrug and say, "not our flight, not our business. I think we have the number to Spyre around here somewhere. Call them."

Given the reaction, UT seems to see more than random crap being thrown at them by the NCAA.

Possibly. They may be trying to nail us on a number of NIL related violations, despite the rules being unclear. Which would explain why Donde responded the way she did, and the law suit being filed. None of us really know. You’d have to hope with a response like that from Donde, we’d have our bases covered.

 

[Franklin_Vol09]

I think that's going to be the issue. The plane ride was to Knoxville to visit UT. UT knew about it. Did they arrange it? Did UT invite him?

If UT invited him, then knew a donor was picking him up....... I'm not sure that kind of thing has ever been allowed.

They asked the NCAA for guidance and the NCAA gave them ZERO.

A collective can do whatever it wants and the NCAA has zero jurisdiction over them. In fact, if the collective decides to file a law suit as well for defamation, the NCAA has zero grounds and will be forced to capitulate.

The NCAA thought they had an easy target since we cooperated before. They bit off way more than they can chew.

This is the end of the NCAA.

 

[Sara Clark]

 

[Volfan39]

If it's true this is just a "can Spyre have a donor fly a player around" issue, UT falls out of this quickly without needing to sue or nuke the NCAA like Donde did.

They can just shrug and say, "not our flight, not our business. I think we have the number to Spyre around here somewhere. Call them."

Given the reaction, UT seems to see more than random crap being thrown at them by the NCAA.

Do you think if spyre got hammered it would affect UT? This would void almost all player contracts and would have problems for everyone who has ever had contact with Spyre. Including the AD. Spyre is the university’s problem and something they are willing to fight for. What if they rule that a contract was wrong or spyre did something shady. Players would be ruled ineligible or forced to transfer. Wins could be vacated. Hell there may even be a bowl ban. So yes this is the university’s fight even if they aren’t the ones directly under the microscope

 

[rjd970]

So what if the NCAA bans Tennessee’s football program from being eligible for the college football playoff? Does the team just show up at one of the games and say, “We got next”?

You get the courts involved, file an injunction barring the NCAA from doing that and let the courts settle it. Meanwhile UT plays in the playoffs.

 

[Franklin_Vol09]

I think the NCAA is associating Sprye as a TN booster. Although, I mind you, we actually haven't had clarification on that either. All we know is a plane ride provided by a booster. I for one find it interesting that the "plane ride" hasn't been addressed in any response. Don't know what that means or doesn't mean. For the record, maybe it has, and I missed it.

The use of the plane was a donation to Spyre. Wasn’t provided directly from the booster to Nico.

Every SEC school and I would contend that every major college football program has done this. We are just an easy target that decided to say F U.

 

[DaddyChad]

Yeah. NCAA screwed up here. Let’s see how quickly this goes away now. A public apology needs to be issued. You’ve got the university, collective, and now the state aligned against you.

 

[utvolpj]

TN governor
TN Attorney General
Tom Mars
Donde Plowman and Danny White (who both just spent 2 years learning the ncaa methods)

I'll take our starting 5 vs the ncaa right now. We're also building a bench soon

 

[Franklin_Vol09]

Yeah. NCAA screwed up here. Let’s see how quickly this goes away now. A public apology needs to be issued. You’ve got the university, collective, and now the state aligned against you.

There will probably be support from other state schools here (FL) very soon and I would bet that every SEC state will be added soon too.

If you saw the money being thrown around in TX, you would be shocked.

 

[MemphisVol77]

TN governor
TN Attorney General
Tom Mars
Donde Plowman and Danny White (who just spent 2 years learning the ncaa methods)

I'll take our starting 5 vs the ncaa right now. We're also building a bench soon

Vols by fiddy

 

[Mccage]

If that's true, why is UT being investigated? Spyre, technically, isn't a UT entity.

I know Spyre lawyered up and answered, but why did Donde need to "answer" if the NCAA was only going after Spyre?

It seems UT is connected to this in some way and it can't be connected to Spyre, so where's the connection?

If someone implies your family is doing something wrong you keeping your mouth shut?

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Do you think if spyre got hammered it would affect UT? This would void almost all player contracts and would have problems for everyone who has ever had contact with Spyre. Including the AD. Spyre is the university’s problem and something they are willing to fight for. What if they rule that a contract was wrong or spyre did something shady. Players would be ruled ineligible or forced to transfer. Wins could be vacated. Hell there may even be a bowl ban. So yes this is the university’s fight even if they aren’t the ones directly under the microscope

That's what I'm not following. How does Spyre, which the NCAA mandates cannot be connected to any school, having an NCAA issue get UT a bowl ban?

If my neighbor commits fraud, I am not in trouble.

Spyre <> UT. UT can't get punished directly with sanctions or bans based on what Spyre did.

I get that UT isn't just a passive bystander here and has a close relationship with Spyre, but I don't see why they are in this UNLESS these folks are right in saying the NCAA is trying to change the definition of collectives to boosters.

That attempt makes zero sense to me, if true, because boosters have always been forbidden to do EVERYTHING collectives were designed to do.