Ex-Auburn Players say they received thousands in payments (and sexual favors):</font>
Excerpt:
McClover said he also got money handshakes from Auburn, Michigan
State and Ohio State and other enticements such as sexual favors. He
committed to Ohio State but switched to Auburn. McClover asked for money
to change his commitment; he said the cash was delivered in a bookbag.
Whole Story:
Four former Auburn football players detailed a "pay to play"Â
arrangement that included payments totaling thousands of dollars before
and after they decided to attend the university.
The players -- Chaz Ramsey, Troy Reddick, Stanley McClover and Raven
Gray -- spoke on camera with reporter Andrea Kremer for a segment on
HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel." The report is set to air
Wednesday; the sports blog SportsbyBrooks.com received an advance copy
of the show and posted a transcript.
"Somebody came to me, I don't even know this person and he was like,
‘We would love for you to come to LSU and he gave me a handshake and it
had five hundred dollars in there,"Â McClover told Kremer, according to
the transcript. "That's called a money handshake."Â
McClover said he also got money handshakes from Auburn, Michigan
State and Ohio State and other enticements such as sexual favors. He
committed to Ohio State but switched to Auburn. McClover asked for money
to change his commitment; he said the cash was delivered in a bookbag.
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Stanley
McClover, who was draftead by the Carolina Panthers in 2006, told HBO's
"Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" he was paid $4,000 for his performance
in an Iron Bowl game against Alabama. He said he got more money for that
game because "no other game matters."Â (AP Photo)</span></div>
"I almost passed out. I literally passed out I couldn't believe it
was true. I felt like I owed them,"Â McClover was quoted as saying in the
transcript.
Ramsey and Gray also said they received money handshakes. Ramsey
estimated he received $300 to $400 per game and between $5,000 and
$6,000 total; Gray estimated that he got $2,500 to $3,000 to go to
Auburn.
McClover, who was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2006, said he
was paid $4,000 for his performance in an Iron Bowl game against
Alabama; based on his quote about making "four sacks" -- it was 3.5
officially -- that would have been the 2005 game.
He said he got more money for that game because "no other game matters."Â
Reddick said in the report that he was offered money during his
recruitment but did not take it. He said his stance changed after AU
coaches pressured him to change majors so that his class schedule would
not interfere with football practice.
Reddick said that, at that point, he knew he was at Auburn only to
play football. He made noise about leaving school, until he was told by a
coach that he had some mail for him.
"I followed him up to his office and he gave me an envelope,"Â
Reddick said. He said the envelope contained about $500. He said he
received "two or three" additional payments that season, and "six or
seven" more payments his senior year.
Ramsey recently had a medical claim lawsuit against Auburn related
to an injury dismissed. He insisted, however, that he has no axe to
grind.
"I'm not out to get anybody,"Â Ramsey told Kremer. "I want high
school athletes to know what they're getting into. This is what college
football is really about it, it's a business."Â
Ramsey and Reddick also talked about selling items made available to
them by the school such as tickets and SEC championship watches.
Reddick said he sold his championship rings to help his sister avoid
foreclosure on her house.
McClover played for Auburn from 2004 to 2005. Reddick played from
2002 to 2005. Ramsey played in 2007. Gray committed to Auburn in 2007
but never played for the Tigers because of an injury.
In a statement released by Auburn, the athletic department declined
to comment on the allegations and characterized the four men's stories
as "alleged claims apparently made by a few former football players."
The statement continued to say, "compliance with all NCAA and
Southeastern Conference rules is a major emphasis and top priority for
all of our athletic programs at Auburn University."
HBO said the NCAA declined repeated interview requests.
The former players' revelations come less than five months after
reports surfaced that the father of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback
Cam Newton shopped his son's services to Mississippi State for $180,000.
Auburn was not implicated in the reports, and Cam Newton denied
knowledge of the scheme. The NCAA upheld Newton's eligibility after
suspending him for a day.
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When is the NCAA going to step in and put an end to this madness? I agree with what Ralph Nader said recently...end athletic scholarships...it's not like many are given to highly qualified and deserving White players anyway.