OSU Sports Illustrated report ‘fundamentally unfounded'

[jerrywall]

NCAA, OSU issue joint statement claiming 2013 Sports Illustrated

The NCAA and Oklahoma State University issued a joint statement on Tuesday concerning an inquiry into the OSU football program.

This comes after Sports Illustrated published a series of stories last year alleging a number of serious allegations of misconduct.

Although officials say a few individuals outside the university refused to cooperate, investigators reviewed approximately 50,000 emails and interviewed nearly 100 individuals involved with Oklahoma State's football program, including current and former coaches, administrators, student-athletes, students and prospects.
OSU President Burns Hargis said that after the thorough review by the NCAA Enforcement Staff and an outside consultant hired by OSU, “we learned that the Sports Illustrated claims of monetary payments for athletic achievements, improper academic assistance provided by our academic services staff, rampant drug use and inappropriate interaction with football players during recruiting trips were fundamentally unfounded.”

For more and a video message from OSU officials, click here.
http://response.okstate.edu/

Where's our resident expert on all things dirty and secret at OSU who was 100% and had insider information that major revelations were going to come of the investigation? It looks like there may be a couple of possible level 2 violations but nothing to the level that some folks were claiming (or the articles themselves).

[jn1780]

Should we expect firings at SI now? Probably not since their no better than a tabloid now.

[jerrywall]

With John Talley's lawsuit still out there, I'm not sure SI/Time will want to do anything that makes it seem like they are admitting being wrong.

[Laramie]

Sports Illustrated has really gone downhill (the dirt). They search more for scandals and 'smoking gun' type stories; when they walk onto a campus, sometimes they will interview the most misinformed campus zombie they can find to get a story.

I dropped my subscription with them back in the mid 80s. They use to be a very reputable magazine. Now, their magazine has taken on a new meaning; it's loaded and aimed at institutional reputations.

[OSUMom]

The only good thing to come from that whole fiasco was that someone was inspired to create this:

6 Scandals That Could Tear Apart Your Local Pee-Wee Football Team - SportsPickle | SportsPickle

[mugofbeer]

I thought I had seen where SI was standing by their story?

I wonder if the school is going to call up the lawyers?

Defi itely more of a Sooner than a Cowboy but I hope the new findings are accurate. Our state doesnt need any of this

[jerrywall]

Yeah, SI is doubling down. I don't think they have a choice. They're moving into "defend, deny, and deflect" mode, to protect themselves from the lawsuits. The last gasps of a failing publication...

[Urbanized]

[OKCisOK4me]

Poor ou48a...what a moral loss for him...

[Rover]

According to Pat Jones, they still have a scary meeting with NCAA compliance committee regarding level 2 allegations. Pat says level 2 is not like level 2 of old (there are now 4 levels and level 2 is the second most serious) and is now something that might have serious penalties. He says the local papers got it wrong...they are not out of the woods.

Take that for what it is worth. Pat said this all this morning and he is usually pretty blind when it comes to OSU.

[jerrywall]

Almost all the experts and "insider" sources are saying they expect at worst a loss of a scholarship or two for 2 years.

[onthestrip]

That same resident expert said this would be cause for the death penalty and even called on the governor to investigate into things and possibly remove university funding...

[Rover]

That same resident expert said this would be cause for the death penalty and even called on the governor to investigate into things and possibly remove university funding...

Pat Jones (the ex OSU coach who wears orange boxers) said this? Hmm. He must be schitzo as I heard him talking about it very differently at the time.

[Wambo36]

Pat Jones (the ex OSU coach who wears orange boxers) said this? Hmm. He must be schitzo as I heard him talking about it very differently at the time.

I believe he was talking about the resident "expert" referred to in post #9.

[OSUFan]

Pat Jones doesn't know what he is talking about on this. Just about everyone who follows the story said OSU is probably going to walk with no penalty when all is said and done. At most they might lose a scholarship or 2 for a year but even that is less likely now. The NCAA investigated the program for a year and basically found nothing.

[OKCretro]

Pat Jones doesn't know what he is talking about on this. Just about everyone who follows the story said OSU is probably going to walk with no penalty when all is said and done. At most they might lose a scholarship or 2 for a year but even that is less likely now. The NCAA investigated the program for a year and basically found nothing.

lose a scholarship? like 1 whole scholarship ?

ask USC how its been for them when they lost 5-10 for a couple of years. It hurts

The problem with losing just 5 scholarships a year is when "Johny 4-star" flames out, and you need a replacement, "billy 3-star" who you have as a back is somewhere else because you didn't have a scholarship for him.

Its called depth, and if you ever wonder why Nebraska is irrelevant now is because now there are strict restrictions on how many scholarships and pseudo scholarships a school can give out

[OSUFan]

One scholarship for one season is not the bad. Just about every team gives a walkon a scholarship before a season because player leave/get kicked off. However, a lot of people doubt OSU will even lose a scholarship over this deal. What ever they get will be a slap on the wrist.

[jerrywall]

I remembered a post made over a year ago by a sound minded sooner fan on this topic...

Just a Sooner Fan's Opinion - SI Thing | Orange Power

Let me preface this by saying I know my opinion does not matter and not one of you care about it..But that's what the internet is for. Blasting thoughts nobody cares for.

Sports journalism is dead and has been dead for quite a while. Sports Illustrated has relegated itself to being National Enquirer with an emphasis on sports, and am thankful I do not subscribe to them.

For the last 10 years, maybe longer, writers have been able to put things in print without substantial evidence with little or no repercussions for false reporting..So now, we have this "investigative" report.

Honestly, when I first heard of these allegations, my reaction was that they probably were true..Not because of how I feel for OSU but because of how I feel about Les Miles. He's a man with no integrity and I have never liked anything about him.

As I began to read, I remembered my own crossings with Thayer Evans. His inabilities to be anything of a journalist goes beyond his disdain for your university. I believe he despises success in others. How Cam Newton kept from removing Thayer's head from his body is a miracle in itself. There is nothing more Evans wanted than to bring Newton and Auburn down. I also believe he has the same thing in store Manziel, who he left off of his Heisman ballot.

There are a lot of issues I take with this article, too many to really list, so I will talk about the thing that it boldly lacks..Logic.

You see, as someone who worked in NFL scouting groups heavily from 2002-2008, I recognize some of these names..Names with the giant red flag flying somewhere close. Many who lacked integrity in different areas.. Names that Coach Gundy had to deal with decisively. The types of players that perhaps Coach Miles would tolerate but not Gundy.

A player pay system that is directed at guys who, to be honest, who were not very good? To wrap your investigation around players with little credibility? To happen to include players who are dead and can not refute the claims of others? Please SI. We do not need another TMZ.

I know on some of your Facebook pages, Sooner fans may be gloating, saying something obnoxious. For me as a Sooner fan, I have NO right to blast any university for its shortcomings as at least our SI downfall had pictures to back it up.

Your university, in the long run, will be OK. I feel that it will not have the effect many are convinced it will. I think of this scripture. Proverbs 12:19, "The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment."

[Spartan]

I am looking forward to the lawsuits that are coming. Glad that OSU is finally taking action on the Wickline and Pistol Pete issues, so hopefully there is some strong capacity left to take on SI. It's already pretty much been proven as libel now. The issue is much larger though because SI isn't a news organization, it's a sports organization.

Pat Jones (the ex OSU coach who wears orange boxers) said this? Hmm. He must be schitzo as I heard him talking about it very differently at the time.

Pat Jones and the OSU world have been at odds ever since Pat became a disgruntled former employee. If he wears orange boxers it's because he's an incontinent crazed old man now.