Brett McMurphy and Lindsay Peterson, Tampa Tribune: South Florida has asked Pasco County school officials to explain "an unusual number" of grade changes on the transcript of a recent graduate the Bulls recruited to play football. Kamran Joyer, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound offensive lineman, reportedly had nine grade changes, amounting to more than 40% of his college preparatory coursework. Joyer had a Biology I grade changed from a "D" to a "B." He was eventually denied admission to South Florida, but could end up playing this fall. Joyer spent Wednesday visiting Louisville.
Steve Hanlon, The Munster Times: Offensive lineman Kurt Wermers does not like Michigan's coaches and as a result has decided to transfer to Ball State. "They were bringing in a lot of different kids that were not my kind of crowd. Coach [Lloyd] Carr's staff was a whole different ballgame. It was like a family. But when Rodriguez came in it was a whole different feeling. It was more of a business. I figured I'd get out while I could."
Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech punter Jonathan LaCour has been suspended six games by the Big 12 Conference for violating a conference rule. Coach Mike Leach declined to discuss the reason. One punter expected to walk on is Ryan Erxleben, a son of former Texas All-America kicker Russell Erxleben.
Joseph Goodman, Miami Herald: If you plan on attending the Florida Gators' fan day on Aug. 16, then don't expect quarterback Tim Tebow and the guys to sign any helmets or footballs. Officials announced that players and coaches will sign only Florida posters. The reason? Florida says it doesn't want to violate any NCAA rules.
Bart Wright, Greenville News: Tommy Bowden's long-distance shot at Clemson does no favor to his reputation.
Kristina Peterson, New York Times: While some colleges accept considerable responsibility for medical claims by athletes, many others assume almost none, according to a review of public documents from a cross section of universities and interviews with current and former athletes, trainers, administrators and NCAA officials. "The coach says: 'You’re on full scholarship. If you ever get hurt, we’ll make sure to take care of you,' " Jason Whitehead, a former player at Ohio, said. "There’s a lot of us out there that get used."
Rachel Bachman, Oregonian: Oregon is raising its single-game ticket prices. The cheapest ticket will jump to $55, up from last year's lowest price of $39. The most expensive ticket, to the Civil War game against Oregon State, is $70.
Patrick Magee, Hattiesburg American: Southern Mississippi coach Larry Fedora disputes a report from ESPN that receiver DeAndre Brown has suffered a setback in his recovery from a broken leg and will miss the start of the season.
Gentry Estes, Mobile Press-Register: Alabama's Nick Saban has granted permission for sophomore receiver/defensive back Chris Jackson to speak with other teams in the coming week about a possible transfer before the 2009 season.
Sal Interdonato, Times Herald-Record: Army is reportedly planning on announcing a new TV contract with CBS College Sports next week.
Chloe White, Knoxville News-Sentinel: Tennessee is moving "The Rock" to make way for a 109,242-square-foot Student Health Center.
The Quad: Paul Myerberg takes a look at No. 48 Nevada.
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Re: Kristina Peterson article - I continue to believe schools are facing a ticking time bomb in that sooner or later players are going to start making disability claims and coming after schools for damages. To the extent the NCAA limited what schools could provide in terms of medical care, the NCAA is going to find themselves the subject of some of that.
Re: Bart Wright/Tommy Bowden article - What a garbage article that was. So what if Tommy Bowden finally called what happened for what it was? We all know he was dismissed. There is no such thing as a multi-million dollar "buyout" for a coach that leaves of his own volition. Wright takes one phrase as an opportunity to vent and rant, and it is unprofessional and bitter.
Re: Gators article - How transparent can they be? They claim not to want autographed items showing up on EBay, so why then are they still allowing some items to get autographed? Plus, what right does the NCAA have to control an individual player's right of publicity? They are so desperate to avoid sharing the money that they just don't care about players' rights or welfare (see the Peterson article on medical problems above).
Posted by: Chris | July 16, 2009 at 09:31 AM