Do college football or basketball teams cheat in athletic recruiting?

Everyone who thinks they know anything about college sports feel that the big schools around the country cheat in football recruiting and basketball recruiting. These so call experts feels that even though the college game is for amateurs, it is extremely dirty and anyone who coaches at that level cheats as well.

But when those accusations are made, it is strange because there is only a small number of programs and coaches that actually get caught cheating in recruiting. So if everyone is doing this, then why are so few of the coaches and programs having to pay the penalty? Is it because the NCAA is turning a blind eye to this making billions of dollars? I can’t say for sure but this is definitely an interest subject to talk about.

The most recent big college coach to get in trouble on the recruiting front has been Indian’s head basketball coach, Kelvin Sampson. While leaving Oklahoma, he was in trouble for making extra calls to recruits and not following the NCAA rules as to when they can call. Recently while with the Hoosiers, he got in trouble for this exact same offense. It may have helped him land one of the top freshman in the country in Eric Gordon but was it worth it? Well, considering Sampson cares enough that he has done it multiple times and been caught, the answer would be yes.

When talking about a coach who has been in trouble twice in only a few years, there is also a good chance that he has done “other things” that may have gone unnoticed by the NCAA. It may be that he visits a recruit when he is not supposed to or visits a coach at an illegal time. But chances are good that he is doing something.

A few years back, there was a recruit that seemed pretty confidently heading to Alabama and I was speaking with for an article on a website. In the article, I spoke with him and he made it sound like he was open in the recruiting process. When talking to my boss about this recruit, he made it sound like this recruit was looking for “a better offer” to have him go elsewhere. While he didn’t exactly go into what a better offer meant, one can only guess that it has something to do with financial assistance outside the realm of a scholarship.

But an Alabama recently turned the table on the NCAA. This is an article which actually came out today and favored in the side of the booster enough that the NCAA will have to pay him five million dollars. Here is some of the article (Click here for the entire article):

In February 2002, Keller was one of three unnamed boosters lambasted in a report and a news conference detailing recruiting violations by the University of Alabama football program. Thomas Yeager, then the chairman of the NCAA Committee on Infractions, used harsh language, referring to “Boosters A, B and C” – later revealed as Keller, Logan Young and Wendell Smith – as “rogues,” “pariahs” and “parasites” while announcing their permanent disassociation from Alabama athletics.

But a jury of eight women and four men agreed with Keller’s argument that the NCAA went too far, damaging his reputation and inflicting harm on his ability to do business as a Stevenson lumberman. “I’m thankful after eight years for me and my family,” Keller said. “I made a big deal (in court testimony) about me going to church. I just don’t want to embarrass my God.” Keller asked for a $35.5 million judgment. Instead, the jury returned a $5 million verdict in his favor.

That shows that maybe jumping to conclusions about boosters helping out in the recruiting process can be a bad move. But then again, Oklahoma, recently got in some serious trouble for this as well. This is the type of job that I would love to have (Click here for the entire article):

Oklahoma said that two players had been dismissed by the team but did not identify them. The school said in a statement that the players violated NCAA rules by working at a private business and taking “payment over an extended period of time in excess of time actually worked.” Bomar apparently filed for 40-hour work weeks at a Norman, Okla., auto dealership, making up to $18,000, when he only worked 5 hours a week, Schad reported.

The car dealership in question is Big Red Sports/Imports in Norman, Okla., reports Schlabach. When contacted by phone, the person answering referred requests to attorney Jeffrey Atkins of Oklahoma City. The dealership is part of the Sooner Schooner Car Program, which supplies vehicles to coaches and athletic department officials.

Considering the amount of coaches and players that are caught, the NCAA seems to be doing a solid job. But the fact of the matter is that a lot of college coaches cheat in recruiting. They need to bring in the best athletes to help them maintain their head coaching position while earning millions of dollars per year. All you have to do is look at most college basketball rosters and you will see one coach that has deep AAU connections. This type of thing, in my opinion, is extremely shady. But if everyone is doing it, then it is still cheating?