More Info On the HBO Real Sports Thing...

[wesfau2]

Can one of you fine counselors answer me this?  Would the money that they admitted to taking be taxable income, and thus the subject to fines from the IRS for not reporting it?

Yes, it would.  Not sure if that's a tactic I'd like to see pursued, though.

[Buzz Killington]

I think this guy is broke and needs the money. I also find it odd the big dogs are not getting paid.

Duh!  They all got the debit cards from Uncle Miltie.

[GH2001]

Its just another media outlet riding piggy back on the whole Cam Newton non-story. I don't subscribe to HBO anyway so fuck'em. They haven't been relevant since Boxing was worth a shit. The sad part is what JR said, the statements from tons of other ex-Auburn players will be totally overlooked. Sani is right though, the NCAA is what matters but the media is on a witch hunt and I'm sick of it.

And the worthless bastard who is perpetuating most of it is the same one who perpetuates most other non-frontpage newsworthy items in sports. Brooks.

[AUChizad]

[djsimp]

And the worthless bastard who is perpetuating most of it is the same one who perpetuates most other non-frontpage newsworthy items in sports. Brooks.

BINGO! He's a cockaroach.

[AUChizad]

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2011-03-30/key-auburn-starters-lee-ziemba-and-ryan-pugh-say-i-didnt-see-a-dime

Key Auburn starters Lee Ziemba and Ryan Pugh say, 'I didn't see a dime'

Ken Bradley
Sporting News

As a true freshman in 2007, Lee Ziemba started Auburn’s first game of the season against Kansas State. Four years later, when the Tigers captured the BCS national title, Ziemba wrapped up his college career with a school-record 52 consecutive starts dating back to that win against the Wildcats.

Ziemba says he never received money from Auburn coaches or anyone else affiliated with the program. An HBO special to air tonight reveals four former Auburn players saying they received money while at the school.

Lee Ziemba, who played for Auburn four years, starting in 2007, says he wasn't paid to play there, and he doubts anyone else was. (AP Photo)
“I think the guys who have come on the air obviously had something against Auburn,” Ziemba told Sporting News. I played with two of them (Chaz Ramsey and Raven Gray). … Two of them I know had bad divorces with the university. (Ramsey) got involved in a lawsuit that he didn’t win and obviously, must hold a grudge because we went on to win the national championship and were very successful with the guys he came in and was recruited with. I’m not sure what they’re trying to say. I walked out the same locker room doors as they did after games. I was recruited by the same men, and didn’t see a dime. I did things the right way.”

Rivals.com rated Auburn’s 2007 offensive line class as the best in the country. Ziemba was the crown jewel, the highest-rated player Auburn signed that class. He said after four years on campus and starting every game and seeing players come and go, he would have heard something.

“No, I absolutely did not (receive money),” Ziemba told Sporting News. “In fact, it was the other way around. Everybody is complaining about (not having) money in college. I remember trying to figure out—I was just talking to my girlfriend about this yesterday—I just got my first credit card yesterday and I was talking about how nice it was not to have to choose between eating food and putting gas in my truck for once. Even though now I have money, I told her that would be helpful back when I was in college. That’s the way things were. They were late giving us our scholarship checks, we were getting money on the 17th or something like that, late on our rent checks and stuff. We struggled in college. As much as you whined and complained and tried to get money, you weren’t getting a dime. So I don’t know where all this is coming from.”

Center Ryan Pugh was also a four-year starter from the national championship team and a key piece from that 2007 recruiting class.

Pugh said that team leaders, like himself and Ziemba, would have known if teammates were getting handouts.

“There was probably some bad blood between some of those players who made comments and some things that happened while they were there,” Pugh told Sporting News. “I know with Chaz, he had unfortunate situation with an injury and was no longer able to play. I don’t know what the motive is behind this, really.

Ramsey recently lost a lawsuit filed against a former Auburn head athletic trainer, Arnold Gamber. The lawsuit stated that Ramsey reinjured his back and the injury ended his career while he was performing exercises during rehabilitation after back surgery.

“We played together, we came in as freshmen together so we definitely were close” Pugh said of him and Ramsey. “Since that freshman year, we haven’t been close at all. He was no longer on the team, we continued to play and some other things probably hindered that relationship since that time, but I’m sure he would have told us if there was something going on.”

In fact, Pugh said he and his teammates would have known if this happened.

“If things like that are going on, you tend to see your players who have produced more for the university,” Pugh told Sporting News. “There are things going on out there in Division I college football as far as receiving money from boosters. If that stuff is going on, you would think that some of the major players who are the face of the program would see some of that. For us to have played for four years and to have never seen anything like that, it really makes it hard to believe that stuff like that was really going on.”

Ziemba agreed.

“You get a fistful of cash, it’s hard not to tell anybody,” he said. “I haven’t heard that. I’m telling you. I was around that program, I did everything that program … I was part of a national championship program—undefeated. I didn’t see a dime, I’m telling you there’s no way these folks saw it.”

[Snaggletiger]

Nice read.  No one outside the AU family will believe it but....

[AUTiger1]

Nice read.  No one outside the AU family will believe it but....

I told a co-worker just a couple of minutes ago that no one will believe the Zimbea article nor the Groves interview.  I still think that we are looked at as the new U.  "We are dirty thugs who rob people at gunpoint, we pay our players, we bought our championship, you name it, we are doing it.  At least that is the national perception about us.

[dallaswareagle]

Nice read.  No one outside the AU family will believe( or see it) it but....

[AUChizad]

Another similar article.

http://auburn.scout.com/2/1060175.html

Ziemba Disputes Claims In HBO Show

All-American Lee Ziemba
By Jason Caldwell
Inside the Auburn Tigers
Posted Mar 30, 2011

Former Auburn football star Lee Ziemba comments on his experience with the Tigers and how it doesn't match up with claims made by what he says look to be disgruntled former players.

Auburn, Ala.--On Tuesday night reports surfaced that ex-Auburn football players Troy Reddick, Chaz Ramsey, Stanley McClover and Raven Gray have claimed in interviews for HBO’s Real Sports television program that they received money from unnamed boosters as recruits or while at Auburn.
That episode of Real Sports is scheduled to air on cable for the first time at 9 p.m. CDT on Wednesday.

Lee Ziemba, a 2010 All-American offensive tackle who set an Auburn record for the most games started by any player, made it clear he is skeptical of the accusations.

“I started 52 games in the SEC,” Ziemba told Inside the Auburn Tigers on Wednesday. “I was part of a 14-0 national championship team. I played here four years. I walked out the same doors and locker room doors after games that these fellows did. I hung out with them after games.

“I was recruited by the same coaches just as hard as they were, and I didn’t see a dime from anyone--not from a booster, not from the school, not from a fan, not from anybody,” said Ziemba, a high school All-American who had scholarship offers from colleges from around the nation.

“The way I figure it is the guys who are coming out obviously have a bone to pick with the university,” Ziemba adds. “I don’t know why. Maybe they didn’t think they were treated fairly.

“None of this happened,” Ziemba added. “It’s just a story that is going to sell some subscriptions to HBO. That’s all it is.”

Another former player, wide receiver Jeris McIntyre, said he was approached by someone who claimed he was working for HBO and tried to get him to him make comments critical of the Auburn football program.

I didn’t really have any idea,” McIntyre said of getting the unexpected contact. “In this day and age you have all these media outlets and a guy hit me up saying he was doing a story on big time college football. I went to Auburn and we just won the national championship so I decided to go ahead and do it. I gave him my number and he called me.

“He started out by asking me questions about Auburn,” McIntyre said. “I thought I was just doing an interview. He asked me if I thought players should be paid. I was trying to answer the question as far as legally and through the university how it would be nice because of all the money that the football program brings in. I think it makes some sense.

“Then he asked me if players get paid under the table at Auburn? I told him ‘no way.’ We were pretty much struggling, maybe not everybody was struggling but nobody was living the life. I told him absolutely not. He just got off the subject and talked about college football itself and the Cam Newton situation and things like that. I told him Cam Newton was a great player, but I don’t know anything about the situation because I was there in 2003.”

McIntyre added that knows of dozens of former players who were contacted trying to dig up dirt on the Tigers, who won the 2010 national championship, but those players were just like him in defending the program against allegations of improper conduct.

Of the four players reported to be part of the HBO program, offensive tackle Reddick and defensive end McClover were the ones who saw significant playing time at Auburn.

Reddick and teammate Marcus McNeil were both considered NFL?prospects at tackle. McNeil has become a star for the San Diego Chargers and Reddick did not make an NFL?team.

McClover left Auburn early to enter the NFL draft. A seventh round pick for the Carolina Panthers, he was active for just 13 games in two years for the Panthers and made 12 tackles one sack before being cut. He was signed by the Houston Texans, but was cut by that team without playing a down.

Ramsey started 10 games as a freshman in 2007 as part of an offensive front that included Ziemba, who was also a freshman that season. Ramsey never played after that due to a back problem. Deciding to put the blame on Auburn for his injury, he sued former AU offensive line coach Hugh Nall and former trainer Arnold Gamber. That lawsuit was dismissed in early February of 2010.

Coming out of Enterprise High, Gray signed with Auburn but failed to qualify academically and attended Copiah-Lincoln Junior College in Mississippi. His second year there he suffered a knee injury that required surgery and was never the same after that. He re-signed with Auburn, but stayed at Auburn briefly after having off the field issues. He left the team prior to the 2008 season.

[AuburnChopper 3.0]

Posted by David Irons on Scout earlier this afternoon:

Stanley Mclover and any others who make this claim are full of $$$it.  I had 2 guys there who played pretty good during their Auburn careers we never got offerd any cash. so there are a lot of NFL stars who played for Auburn that will say the these cats are full of it. All the good out weighs BAD.

Don't be MAD at AUBURN cause you left school early were doing bad in class anyway and your NFL career never went the way you wanted. I told your A$$ to stay in school cause you couldn't play in a 3-4 D


All I can say is MAN up stick with the cards you played and enjoy life

[Homer Samford]

David Irons should tell his brother son (Kenny) to put down the weed.

[The Prowler]

Now HBO (Andrea Kramer) is saying that Auburn has a history of pay for play schemes...SERIOUSLY??? People can't be that fucking stupid.  Also, she said that you can't deny that it didn't happen, regarding $$$ handshakes...Btw, Kramer covered the Eric Ramsey case too.  And, bammers ALL OVER are having Super Bowl style parties to watch this.  LMFAO.

[AUChizad]

David Irons should tell his brother to put down the weed.

I believe that was from David Sr.

[Homer Samford]

I believe that was from David Sr.

Fixt above

[AUChizad]

On ESPN now...

Finebaum just said Auburn sure hopes the NCAA doesn't start digging further into the Cam Newton situation because of this, because in his opinion there is a lot more there to find, and it will all be bad for Auburn.

Joe Schad was there too and said his initial thoughts were that the statute of limitations would prevent the NCAA pursuing this further, but "several based on conversations he had today", his opinion on that has changed, and he believes the NCAA will be pursuing this, because "Let's face it, the Cam Newton investigation is still ongoing."
 

[JR4AU]

On ESPN now...

Finebaum just said Auburn sure hopes the NCAA doesn't start digging further into the Cam Newton situation because of this, because in his opinion there is a lot more there to find, and it will all be bad for Auburn.

Joe Schad was there too and said his initial thoughts were that the statute of limitations would prevent the NCAA pursuing this further, but "several based on conversations he had today", his opinion on that has changed, and he believes the NCAA will be pursuing this, because "Let's face it, the Cam Newton investigation is still ongoing."
 

NCAA SoL
    32.6.3 statute of Limitations. Allegations included in a notice of allegations shall be limited to possible violations occurring not earlier than four years before the date the notice of inquiry is forwarded to the institution or the date the institution notifies (or, if earlier, should have notified) the enforcement staff of its inquiries into the matter. However, the following shall not be subject to the four-year limitation: (Revised: 10/12/94, 4/24/03)

    (a) Allegations involving violations affecting the eligibility of a current student-athlete;
    (b) Allegations in a case in which information is developed to indicate a pattern of willful violations on the part of the institution or individual involved, which began before but continued into the four-year period; and
    (c) Allegations that indicate a blatant disregard for the Association’s fundamental recruiting, extra-benefit, academic or ethical-conduct regulations or that involve an effort to conceal the occurrence of the violation. In such cases, the enforcement staff shall have a one-year period after the date information concerning the matter becomes available to the NCAA to investigate and submit to the institution a notice of allegations concerning the matter.

[Kaos]

And the worthless bastard who is perpetuating most of it is the same one who perpetuates most other non-frontpage newsworthy items in sports. Brooks.

He's not to blame here. 

He's only reporting what's there. 

[Homer Samford]

[JR4AU]

Homer, is this all you can contribute?  Stupid pics you cut and paste?  No movie quotes?