UT under potential NCAA investigation for NIL

[Franklin_Vol09]

Nope. It was leaked on March 11, 2023. The exact day he signed.

Dude, you think a state AG, a governor, a chancellor an AD and the head of Spyre don’t have their ducks in a row on this? You are a dumb ass.

 

[butchna]

Sure, Spyre can. But UT can’t host with recruiting activities when the trip was being paid for by anyone other than Nico’s family. That is the part you keep ignoring. The actual rules around unofficial visits.

UT Compliance has a document the coaching staff must submit where who paid for the trip was documented by the player and the coach acknowledging that he/she has no knowledge of anyone else paying.

Recruits unofficially visit multiple times “on their own dime”. It’s only illegal for them to be on campus if they’re doing the OFFICIAL niceties. If you’re hosting official recruits, there’s nothing precluding a visitor from talking to coaches. Did Nwaneri only visit you guys once?

I think your second paragraph is more contrived bull. Coaches have to legally certify they HAVE NO IDEA WHO paid for their trip? Does that require a forensic accountant be on call 24/7/365? Makes more sense if Heupel could simply acknowledge UT had no financial involvement…that’s doable.

 

[RockyTop140]

That’s not true. You’re just pulling stuff out of your ass. I don’t know why you’re cheating so hard for Tennessee to get screwed in this. As they would just come after your pussy cats and Luther burden next

They probably wouldn’t honestly. The NCAA is trying to gain respect by making an example of top brands in college sports. Mizzou is not that. Lol

 

[Chomper]

Dude, you think a state AG, a governor, a chancellor an AD and the head of Spyre don’t have their ducks in a row on this? You are a dumb ass.

You think this is the only allegation? It’s not. It’s not the focus of anything Spyre’s lawyer has said, what UT has said, etc.

But this is an allegation that has nothing to do with NIL, but violating a long standing rule on unofficial visits.

None of those people you mentioned have said anything about unofficial visits.

 

[Volfan39]

You think this is the only allegation? It’s not. It’s not the focus of anything Spyre’s lawyer has said, what UT has said, etc.

But this is an allegation that has nothing to do with NIL, but violating a long standing rule on unofficial visits.

None of those people you mentioned have said anything about unofficial visits.

How do you know so much of this information?

 

[Chomper]

Recruits unofficially visit multiple times “on their own dime”. It’s only illegal for them to be on campus if they’re doing the OFFICIAL niceties. If you’re hosting official recruits, there’s nothing precluding a visitor from talking to coaches. Did Nwaneri only visit you guys once?

It was an unofficial visit. The official visit was March 24-25.

A recruit CAN meet with coaches, get general admission tickets to three sporting events from the school on an unofficial visit. But it is against the rules for any third party to pay for a trip that has an unofficial visit with these recruiting activities.

 

[Weezy]

Sure, Spyre can. But UT can’t host with recruiting activities when the trip was being paid for by anyone other than Nico’s family. That is the part you keep ignoring. The actual rules around unofficial visits.

UT Compliance has a document the coaching staff must submit where who paid for the trip was documented by the player and the coach acknowledging that he/she has no knowledge of anyone else paying.

Ya, we broke a rule. An illegal rule. Here's Kavanaugh's opinion.

"Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate," Kavanaugh wrote. "And under ordinary principles of antitrust law, it is not evident why college sports should be any different.

"The NCAA is not above the law."

NCAA cannot legislate pay for play until they bargain directly with those players. Tennessee could have given Nico $8M and they would be fine.

 

[Franklin_Vol09]

You think this is the only allegation? It’s not. It’s not the focus of anything Spyre’s lawyer has said, what UT has said, etc.

But this is an allegation that has nothing to do with NIL, but violating a long standing rule on unofficial visits.

None of those people you mentioned have said anything about unofficial visits.

Ha ha. This is rich. You really are clueless.

 

[butchna]

You think this is the only allegation? It’s not. It’s not the focus of anything Spyre’s lawyer has said, what UT has said, etc.

But this is an allegation that has nothing to do with NIL, but violating a long standing rule on unofficial visits.

None of those people you mentioned have said anything about unofficial visits.

Rules changed. Families can be financed by collectives. Get the internet…it’s awesome!

 

[Ttucke11]

I guess everytime there's a 7 on 7 in LA and recruits stop by USC they need to make sure their guardians paid the HS coach or another parent gas money to get them there. And no buying them a water or providing any snacks from anyone besides the legal guardian. At least according to Chomper. Also wtf is a Mizzou fan chiming in? They have the most egregious laws of anyone in NIL.

 

[DooleyOrangePants]

All of you are missing a big issue.

Unofficial visits where recruits are provided recruiting activities by the school cannot have transportation and lodging provided for by anyone other than the recruit’s family or legal guardian.

Nico is on the record talking about his March 4-6, 2022 unofficial visit to UT. He admitted in interviews meeting with the coaches, had photos taken with coaches, went to the UT-Arkansas basketball game.

Nico was not the only player on the trip. Jordan Anderson was as well. Anderson is now a commit to Oregon State.

The Tennessee Compliance department requires recruits and coaches to fill out an “Unofficial Visit Declarations form”. That form asks the recruit to declare who provided transportation and by what means. It requires details on lodging and that no meals were paid for. A coach must attest to having no knowledge of anything being paid for by anyone other than the recruit or the recruit’s family.

A booster flying Nico out to Knoxville on March 3. Nico spends March 4-6 on an unofficial visit at UT and flew back either March 6 or March 7.

UT cannot argue he just stopped by. It was a scheduled unofficial visit with the flights scheduled around the visit arriving the day before and leaving the last day or the day after. A flight using a booster’s plane.

UT cannot schedule an unofficial visit, with recruiting activities, when a third party pays for the trip. That has long been against the rules. It doesn’t matter if Nico went to Knoxville as part of a choir singing competition team or a Spyre client. As long as anyone but the recruit’s family or legal guardian are paying for the trip, there can be no recruiting activities planned.

And a slam dunk Antitrust and violation of interstate commerce laws if they try to argue that he can’t do that.

 

[Ttucke11]

And a slam dunk Antitrust and violation of interstate commerce laws if they try to argue that he can’t do that.

Nah not according to chompie. He knows better than 2 AGs. Bootlicking the NCAA. Embarrassing.

 

[chatt.vol]

It was an unofficial visit. The official visit was March 24-25.

A recruit CAN meet with coaches, get general admission tickets to three sporting events from the school on an unofficial visit. But it is against the rules for any third party to pay for a trip that has an unofficial visit with these recruiting activities.

So you've read the NOA from the NCAA? You know the nonsense your sharing is what is in there? You know anyone can go over to the campus and buy tickets to a basketball game right? So this Unofficial Visitation Declaration that you say has to be filled out for an unofficial visit you've seen that also and can tell is what is on it? You say he's on record saying he's unofficially visiting when asked in an interview. That could mean he wasn't on his Official visit and just decided to stop by while he was in town doing business. Did you follow him around that weekend and watch him eat and sleep?

 

[Volprofch05]

 

[Franklin_Vol09]

It was an unofficial visit. The official visit was March 24-25.

A recruit CAN meet with coaches, get general admission tickets to three sporting events from the school on an unofficial visit. But it is against the rules for any third party to pay for a trip that has an unofficial visit with these recruiting activities.

You are leaving out a very important part which is convenient for your your sake and also very intellectually dishonest.

The third party can’t be a booster that it acting on behalf and at the behest of the university. Spyre isn’t part of the university. But again, you are too stupid to understand this.

 

[chatt.vol]

Your timeline is wrong. Nico signed with Spyre on March 11, 2022 five days after the unofficial visit. Two weeks after signing with Spyre, he was at UT for an official visit and announced his commitment to UT.

That trip was Spyre recruiting Nico as well as UT recruiting Nico.

The problem is the UT part was done against NCAA rules on unofficial visits.

Yeah your timeline is wrong.
You don't know when he signed. March 11th is just a date that an article was written about an alleged athlete getting 8 million in NIL. He could have signed earlier. There are no articles stating the exact date he signed.

1st unofficial was Nov 2021

Next unofficial March 4th the one you referenced. Do you have flight information that is when this flight took place because I can't find one article that says what date he flew with Spyre.

He committed from his house in California not on an official visit to Tennessee on March 21st not 5 days after the unofficial March 4th visit.

April 8th he came to Tennessee for another unofficial visit.

June 24th he arrived at Tennessee for his Official visit.

He also returned for unofficial visits on September 24th and October 29th.

Signed with Tennessee on Dec. 16th and Early Enrolled.

So anytime between that Nov and March visit he could have signed with Spyre.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

You are leaving out a very important part which is convenient for your your sake and also very intellectually dishonest.

The third party can’t be a booster that it acting on behalf and at the behest of the university. Spyre isn’t part of the university. But again, you are too stupid to understand this.

It's my understanding that boosters, folks who've helped out for the school before, could never do things, even on their own, like provide a kid with a car or Dodge Charger if you're in Tuscaloosa.

It's also my understanding, firsthand, that Rex Chapman sometimes drove a really nice Mercedes AMG convertible while at KY which he didn't own or lease. I was pretty certain then that a booster providing him with transportation, even if KY didn't know about it, was an NCAA violation.

 

[Franklin_Vol09]

It's my understanding that boosters, folks who've helped out for the school before, could never do things, even on their own, like provide a kid with a car or Dodge Charger if you're in Tuscaloosa.

It's also my understanding, firsthand, that Rex Chapman sometimes drove a really nice Mercedes AMG convertible while at KY which he didn't own or lease. I was pretty certain then that a booster providing him with transportation, even if KY didn't know about it, was an NCAA violation.

This happened at every university. I can name several specify situations in the past with Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia and Auburn. There was an unwritten rule to not be obvious and it was mutually assured destruction between schools.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

This happened at every university. I can name several specify situations in the past with Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia and Auburn. There was an unwritten rule to not be obvious and it was mutually assured destruction between schools.

Right. I'm not sure this is a smoking gun because it was common. Many, many athletes had cars "loaned" to them regularly.

I am unsure that boosters providing flights for unofficial visits was common.

 

[DaddyChad]

Wrong. Nico’s family did not pay for the trip. That is what is required under NCAA rules for an unofficial visit with planned recruiting activities.

Had there been no recruiting activities planned by UT then it would not matter.

Third parties cannot be involved in paying for any trip that also are an unofficial visit with recruiting activities.

Kiffin arranged for kids to get a ride here from third party handlers during his time here. This crap happens everywhere.

What Spyre and Nico arraigned as far as travel is irrelevant to the school as far as an unofficial visit. You seriously going to say okay this is an unofficial visit, how did you get here? Their travel plans are independent the purview of the program unless someone within the program knew.

 

[NO SIR EEE]

 

[Franklin_Vol09]

Right. I'm not sure this is a smoking gun because it was common. Many, many athletes had cars "loaned" to them regularly.

I am unsure that boosters providing flights for unofficial visits was common.

There were $1,000 handshakes after games too.

We all know who our bag man used to be. Cash is hard to track.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

There were $1,000 handshakes after games too.

We all know who our bag man used to be. Cash is hard to track.

Exactly.

I've zero idea about what is and what isn't permitted these days. I'd always heard the difference between "official" vs "unofficial" visits was "who picks up the check" though a well placed envelope has taken care of a lot of dinners and hotels over the years.

A private plane ride could be under the radar too and should be. "Stoerner Fumbles" mentioned that the AD and Spyre were pissed about someone running their mouth too much about "helping out."

It's still speculation but airplane traffic definitely leaves a trail.

 

[Franklin_Vol09]

Exactly.

I've zero idea about what is and what isn't permitted these days. I'd always heard the difference between "official" vs "unofficial" visits was "who picks up the check" though a well placed envelope has taken care of a lot of dinners and hotels over the years.

A private plane ride could be under the radar too and should be. "Stoerner Fumbles" mentioned that the AD and Spyre were pissed about someone running their mouth too much about "helping out."

It's still speculation but airplane traffic definitely leaves a trail.

If the use of a plane was a donation to Spyre, then it’s all legal.

This is 100% the NCAA’s fault. They refused to issue any guideline. Im sure people with close athletic department connections, know better than me, but I was told we reached out to the NCAA for guidance and they didn’t respond.

 

[VolArmy74]

The simple fact is, the NCAA has always been powerless to prevent people from entering into contracts. They basically for years tried to rake in billions and pay nothing. It blew up in their face in the 9-0 ruling and the Kavanaugh letter let them know how future rulings would go with them trying to prevent people from earning money.

The next step after this is collective bargaining and salary caps as member institutions have to divide the pie with players.