Tom Al-Betar Continues to Sell Autographed Bama Gear...Now Exclusively

[Townhallsavoy]

http://outkickthecoverage.com/disassociated-alabama-booster-continues-to-own-bama-program.php

Remember our old friend Tom al-Betar, the owner of T-Town Menswear, a shady suit and Alabama memorabilia store, in the local Tuscaloosa mall?

A couple of years ago Alabama disassociated the booster from the program after he sold lots of player autographs. Alabama argued -- wink and nod -- that the players had no idea their autographs were being sold.

Well, our old buddy Tom has a new website and a new business, he's dropped the suits. Now he just sells Crimson Tide memorabilia.

So what's on the front page of the website?

Autographed jerseys from AJ McCarron, TJ Yeldon, and Amari Cooper.

Two of these guys are current players for the Crimson Tide.

That's an NCAA violation. 

Displaying the jerseys in this manner is also a direct violation of the requirements Alabama laid out in this disassociation letter that it sent nearly three years ago to Al-betar.

In its letter disassociating him from the program Alabama instructed Al-betar as follows, "You should refrain from obtaining any items of memorabilia from our student-athletes, including used equipment and apparel. You should also refrain from obtaining autographs from our student-athletes when they are in your store."

Despite Alabama's hectoring letter, Al-betar didn't just "refrain from obtaining any items of memorabilia from our student-athletes," he opened a memorabilia store designed to sell these objects!

Just scroll through the products available for sale here -- whether it's the gloves that Christion Jones wore in the Virginia Tech game -- just $1200 -- Kenyan Drake's LSU game gloves, also just $1200, or Vinnie Sunseri's gloves from Texas A&M. Heck, how about CJ Mosley's gloves too, also from the big Texas A&M game.

How about TJ Yeldon jerseys and signed gloves too?

He's got that too.

But what if you want wide receiver Amari Cooper's signed gloves or footballs? Don't worry, Al-betar's got you covered there too.

But maybe you're thinking, screw that, I need the whole 2012 team's autograph on a helmet.

You're in luck!

Just scroll through the gallery, if you're a top player you've probably got gear for sale.

Heck, even if you aren't a top player, you've probably got gear for sale too.

It's amazing how all these Alabama players are kind enough to just give away their gear for free to a memorabilia store owner.

They're so nice!

I'm sure they had no idea it would be put up for sale.

And I'm sure they're getting nothing for it either.

Just the sweetest boys possible.

Al-betar seems to have a very good relationship with bunches of Alabama players, including quarterback AJ McCarron, who even liked to hang out in the store with his girlfriend Katherine Webb.



You can see a whole series of AJ hanging out in the store photos here.

AJ's in at least 13 or 14 different outfits, meaning he made a regular habit of signing autographs and hanging out in a mall store that then sold his autographs.

He even brought his mom by.

That's completely normal, right?

I mean, raise your hand if you weren't friends with an old guy who ran a mall store while you were in college.

There's nothing to see here at all.

Move right along.

Alabama's compliance office has got this covered.

They're on it, guys.   

Look, I don't begrudge any player getting paid for his autograph, but if you don't think it's hysterical that a mall-store owner in Tuscaloosa holds Nick Saban's entire legacy in the palm of his hand, you aren't a college football fan. 

If Al-betar ever talked, Nick Saban's dynasty would be a smoldering pile of ruins.

Indeed, Al-betar may be the only guy in Tuscaloosa who doesn't give a damn what Nick Saban says. (That's probably why the players like him.) Because he's still hanging out with players and violating NCAA rules by having current players sign jerseys, cleats, wrist bands, and gloves that they know will then be sold.

God bless you, Tom, I'm actually becoming a fan of yours. Unlike the NCAA, at least you're paying the players for their work.   

But I think it's definitely time for Alabama to send him another letter.

Roll -- disassociated booster -- Tide, y'all. 

[WiregrassTiger]

How do you get the scoop on all these stories man. Damn I say.

[Townhallsavoy]

How do you get the scoop on all these stories man. Damn I say.

Whelp...it's separate from the old Fluker story, so I figured it should get its own thread. 

[Snaggletiger]

I gay-rone-tee ole Tom has some shit signed by Fluker

[Townhallsavoy]

AJ's in at least 13 or 14 different outfits, meaning he made a regular habit of signing autographs and hanging out in a mall store that then sold his autographs.

He even brought his mom by.

That's completely normal, right?

I mean, raise your hand if you weren't friends with an old guy who ran a mall store while you were in college.

There's nothing to see here at all.

This was the part that cracked me up the first time around.  Al-Betar was just a guy they said hi to every time they went to hang out at the mall.  I believe it was Greg McElroy that said that. 

[WiregrassTiger]

This was the part that cracked me up the first time around.  Al-Betar was just a guy they said hi to every time they went to hang out at the mall.  I believe it was Greg McElroy that said that.

He's just like a crazy Uncle to them.

[AUChizad]

I don't know who this fine twitter warrior is, but this is typical of the media reaction:

https://twitter.com/peanutgallery10/status/423872177826328576

"Meh. I'm sure they're looking into it. Clay Travis is a hack."

[WiregrassTiger]

I don't know who this fine twitter warrior is, but this is typical of the media reaction:

https://twitter.com/peanutgallery10/status/423872177826328576

"Meh. I'm sure they're looking into it. Clay Travis is a hack."

Bryan Fischer--whoever in the hell he is, is right about Travis not needing to meet a burden of proof. He leaves out the fact that neither did most of the journalists that covered Cam in 2010 and they were at some of the biggest news outlets in the country.

This guy is acting as if there isn't anything to it unless Espn covers it. We know that ESPN won't cover it unless they have to.

And what kind of "nuances" does one need to know about the NCAA rules when we know for fact that the university informed Uncle Al that he was disassociated AND to stop selling signed stuff.

The NCAA is obviously either helpless or doesn't care. I think it's a little bit of both, at least re: a Saban coached team.

[AUChizad]

The same twitter warrior (I don't know this guy, but I just gave him a much-earned follow today).

https://twitter.com/peanutgallery10/status/423868389933584384

[WiregrassTiger]

The same twitter warrior (I don't know this guy, but I just gave him a much-earned follow today).

https://twitter.com/peanutgallery10/status/423868389933584384

This was interesting but I don't remember an actor named Woodward in Deepthroat.

[AUChizad]

Same thing, but on the FoxSports site instead of Clay's blog.

http://msn.foxsports.com/college-football/story/travis-controversial-alabama-booster-now-has-bama-memorabilia-business-011614

[AUChizad]

Jeremy Fowler at CBSSports picking it up.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/jeremy-fowler/24411180/disassociated-bama-booster-nothing-to-worry-about-with-recent-tide-memorabilia

JEREMY FOWLER
College Football Insider

Bama booster: 'Nothing to worry about' with recent Tide memorabilia
January 16, 2014 6:49 pm ET
 
A disassociated Alabama booster says there's “nothing to worry about” over a report he has broken NCAA rules by selling memorabilia signed by top Crimson Tide players.

Tom Al-Betar told CBSSports.com on Thursday he obtains memorabilia from fans via the school's fan day and former players who visit his store after graduation.

“I have everything from the former players,” Al-Betar said.

Outkickthecoverage.com reported Al-Betar's new business, T-Town Gallery, is selling, among several items, autographed jerseys of current players T.J. Yeldon and Amari Cooper.

Photos from the Facebook page of Al-Betar's T-Town Menswear business in Tuscaloosa show several pictures of junior safety Vinnie Sunseri signing autographs in the store. The photos were posted Jan. 12. An ESPN report surfaced the same day that Sunseri was declaring for the NFL Draft. The page also includes pictures of senior quarterback A.J. McCarron with girlfriend Katherine Webb.

Al-Betar, who received a disassociation letter from Alabama in March 2011 after displaying extensive Alabama football memorabilia in his T-Town store and taking pictures with players, said in a brief interview that fans from Alabama's Fan Day ”come in with stuff.”

“They don't belong to no football players,” Al-Betar said. “They sign it over there and they will come here. Most every year they do the same thing.”

When asked whether the volume of pictures suggests eligible players were involved, he said, ‘Hell No!” and asked what pictures CBSSports.com was referencing. He was directed to the contents of the Outkickthecoverage.com post and the Facebook page.

“When people graduate they [sign],” Al-Betar said. “When they are in school nobody's in here.”

Al-Betar added, “This is ridiculous. There is nothing to worry about,” before wishing a good day and hanging up.

Alabama issued a statement from athletic director Bill Battle: “We are aware of the story produced today. As part of our ongoing compliance efforts, our compliance department looks into everything that warrants concern. That effort is diligent and all-encompassing, and requires constant communication and education regarding all potential issues.”

In 2011, Alabama ordered Al-Betar to “refrain from obtaining any items of memorabilia from our student-athletes while they are in your store.”

The numbers of items displayed in his store put student-athletes “at risk” with potential NCAA investigations or “sensationalized journalism,” according to Alabama's letter to Al-Betar.

College football memorabilia was a major storyline in August, when the NCAA investigated Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel in light of an ESPN report he signed thousands of autographs for brokers. Manziel missed a half-game as a result.

Welp. Tom said it's ridiculous. Said no one comes in the store unless they've graduated...despite hundreds and hundreds of pictures he himself put up on facebook.

[Kaos]

Wasn't amari cooper the one he kept trying to contact via tweeter?

[Townhallsavoy]

Wasn't amari cooper the one he kept trying to contact via tweeter?

Yeah, but no.  That wasn't really Cooper's Twitter.  And if it was, he was hacked.

[AUownsU]

Speaking of bama player's twitter..
Kellen Williams ‏@BigBandz63 1h
@ClayTravisBGID don't know why you're getting so much backlash for a spot on report..as a former player I never stepped foot in that place

Kellen Williams‏ @BigBandz63 1 hr
@ClayTravisBGID but according to this clowns Facebook photos there are obviously some guys that like visiting

A bama fan steps in and starts attcking the player..
Kellen Williams‏@BigBandz63 23 mins
@kevinlogan45 just defending a mans right to freedom of speech...I agree with what he said has nothing to do with compliance bro

Kellen Williams‏ @BigBandz63 12 mins
@kevinlogan45 I just finished five years here at Bama so don't begin questioning my allegiances..Albetars a bad guy to be around that's all

Kellen Williams ‏@BigBandz63 12 mins
@kevinlogan45 case in point if even if guys aren't getting paid they shouldn't be around him...already was warned by UA to stop

Kellen Williams ‏@BigBandz63 11 mins
@ClayTravisBGID not a problem Albetars a pretty sketchy guy that's all I'm saying....

Kellen Williams‏@BigBandz63 9 mins
@kevinlogan45 I appreciate that buddy..just agreeing with clay about what he said about Albetar...guy is baddd news

[Townhallsavoy]

Sorry, AUownsU.  Kellen Williams had his Twitter account hacked.  He actually believes Al-Betar is an all around good guy that's fun to say hey to when he's hanging out at the mall with his friends. 

[AUChizad]

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/01/live_at_9_with_kevin_scarbinsk_69.html

Live at 9 with Kevin Scarbinsky: Why do Alabama players still hang out with Tom Albetar?

The T-Town Gallery web site offers this cleat, which it says is signed by former Alabama tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, for $1,500.

Kevin Scarbinsky

on January 17, 2014 at 9:12 AM

It's a simple question we've asked before and no one has ever answered. It's a relevant question given the fact that the University of Alabama disassociated Tuscaloosa businessman Tom Albetar from its football program in 2011.

It's a question that's popped up again in the wake of a Clay Travis story that demonstrates Albetar's apparent defiance of his disassociation.

Why do so many Alabama football players hang out with Albetar?

Albetar himself has provided plenty of pictures on social media to try to portray himself as a friend of the program. He's had pictures of himself with virtually every prominent Alabama player of the Nick Saban era posted online.

Julio Jones. Mark Ingram. Trent Richardson. Greg McElroy. Terrence Cody. Dre Kirkpatrick. Eddie Lacy. AJ McCarron. Vinnie Sunseri. And the list goes on.

Couple those pictures with Albetar's mountain of memorabilia from many of those same Alabama players, which he's selling on his T-Town Gallery web site, and there is at least the appearance of potential NCAA improprieties.

Alabama's 2011 disassociation letter to Albetar contains several prohibitions, including these: "Any contact or attempted contact with our student-athletes or coaches outside that of a store owner and customer will be considered a violation of this disassociation and shall be strictly prohibited. You should refrain from obtaining any items of memorabilia from our student-athletes, including used equipment and apparel."

Yet Albetar's T-Town Gallery web site Thursday included such items for sale as Christion Jones' signed gloves from the 2013 Virginia Tech game. Those gloves and other items from current players have been removed from the web site.

It's obvious that, despite his claims to CBSsports.com that he's obtained those signed items from fans and from former players only, Albetar is a thorn in the side of Alabama compliance.

Alabama is all too aware of Albetar. He's not the kind of friend the program needs.

[AUChizad]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1926871-should-bama-worry-about-memorabilia-shop-with-merchandise-from-active-players

Should 'Bama Worry About Memorabilia Shop with Merchandise from Active Players?
By
Barrett Sallee
(SEC Football Lead Writer) on January 17, 2014

Just how long would the offseason have to wait before dealing the college football world a juicy scandal to dig into?

Not even a full two weeks.

According to Clay Travis of OutKickTheCoverage.com, Tom Al-Betar—the disassociated Alabama booster who ran into trouble in 2011 after photos surfaced of players signing a large amount of items in his T-Town Menswear suit store—is at it again.

This time, he's dropped the suit front and is running a memorabilia shop called T-Town Gallery in University Mall in Tuscaloosa.

So what is he selling?

All the usual items that fans gobble up, plus several items that could land Alabama and/or some current players in hot water. Game-used and signed gloves, wristbands, jerseys, cleats from several Crimson Tide players, including current wide receivers Amari Cooper and Christion Jones, and running backs T.J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake.

Several of those game-used items have since been taken down from the store's website, according to Travis.

So here we are with another memorabilia scandal to deal with, although this one should be more concerning than the one that cost Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel one half of football to open the season.

What sets this apart from Manziel's case is that players having plausible deniability and "not knowing" the items were going to be sold isn't the only factor at play.

The terms of Al-Betar's disassociation letter clearly state that he shouldn't obtain any merchandise from student-athletes (via: OutKickTheCoverage.com):

    You should refrain from obtaining any items of memorabilia from our student-athletes, including used equipment and apparel.

In addition to that, it specifically states that any contact or attempted contact outside of his store would be considered a direct violation of his three-year disassociation, and that he is prohibited from sideline access on campus.

Could he skirt the merchandise rules by getting others to acquire the merchandise?

Sure. But this is a store owner in the Tuscaloosa mall who is clearly known to players, as former offensive lineman Kellen Williams pointed out to Travis on Twitter.

Kellen Williams @BigBandz63
Follow

@ClayTravisBGID don't know why you're getting so much backlash for a spot on report..as a former player I never stepped foot in that place

@kevinlogan45

@BigBandz63 gotcha man congrats on the graduation also but still Clay Travis is a troll who disrespects everything bama that all I'm saying

Kellen Williams @BigBandz63
Follow

@kevinlogan45 I appreciate that buddy..just agreeing with clay about what he said about Albetar...guy is baddd news

If autographed game-used cleats and wristbands are showing up down the street for sale, it's a stretch to think that the players and university wouldn't know about it.

Alabama athletics director Bill Battle responded to the story late Thursday night, according to Michael Casagrande of AL.com.

    We are aware of the story produced today. As part of our ongoing compliance efforts, our compliance department looks into everything that warrants concern. That effort is diligent and all-encompassing, and requires constant communication and education regarding all potential issues.

Al-Betar denied that current players knew their items were being sold in the store to Jeremy Fowler of CBSSports.com.

Alabama fans should be very concerned about this.

Not only does Al-Betar appear to be back at it, he's lost the suit store front and is clearly known to current players, some of whom have game-worn items being sold.

All right next door to the university itself—which already disassociated itself from Al-Betar.

Basically, this just raised a bunch of red flags at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. Whether Al-Betar has been doing this in secret or the school has been willfully ignorant, it's clear that the terms of Al-Betar's disassociation have been violated.

The last thing any program wants is the NCAA sniffing around, and Al-Betar's actions are the enforcement equivalent of sending a hand-written invitation to Indianapolis, complete with a plane ticket and a ride to the airport.

[Buzz Killington]

Should 'Bama Worry About Memorabilia Shop with Merchandise from Active Players?

Why would they start now?

[Snaggletiger]

Why would they start now?

That's exactly the point to all this.  The NCAA isn't coming near Tuscaloosa.  This is a nothing to see here issue.  I know War Eagle played college ball, as did some others on the board.  Maybe he could speak to how players are instructed in the ways of the compliances.  I'm assuming that any D1 college player knows they can't be doing what Bama players are with this guy.  And what's so alarming about it is it's not just one or two.  The list is like my Johnson, long and distinguished.  They know they're not supposed to be going in there, much less autographing jerseys, gloves etc.  But they continue to go in there over and over and over.  Could it be they know there are no consequences?  Hmmmmm....