Contrary to Forde's "out to get Cal and UK" rep, I don't think that's what this is about (although, certainly, if he can hurt UK in the process, that's all the better). Here is the key part:
"At this dinner, according to expense reports and receipts that are part of evidence collected by the FBI and viewed by Yahoo Sports, were three guests of particular note: Stephen Pina, who worked as an agent for ASM Sports out of New Jersey; Edrice “Bam” Adebayo, then a 17-year-old who had just completed his junior year at Northside High School in Pinetown, North Carolina, and was in the midst of what scouts called a “standout” performance at the camp; and Eric Peartree, who was described in many media reports as Adebayo’s “mentor” or “guardian.”
The significance of this meeting is how seemingly insignificant it was. It was dinner; a good dinner, but not some glitzy wining and dining. There is no evidence of bags of cash or new cars or anything you might see in a movie. There is no suggestion Pina was steering Adebayo to any school (he was uncommitted at the time but later attended the University of Kentucky for the 2016-17 season before becoming a first-round draft pick of the Miami Heat). Adebayo never even signed with ASM.
It reaffirms, however, the challenge for college sports leaders who are finally confronting the issue of how a young player’s free-market value runs counter to the NCAA’s standards of amateurism.....Can the NCAA face the reality that the only way to fix a culture of commonplace rule-breaking is to overhaul the rules?"
emphasis is mine.....
Sometimes Forde writes what appears to be just another public facing column, when really his target audience is the NCAA itself. Best example of that was a column right before the NCAA announced its findings on Bledsoe - it was basically a Valentine, and a plea, to do the right thing and smash Kentucky. This is just trying to create momentum to allow the NCAA to do some real rules changes, to change the whole paradigm, and not just nibble at the edges of the rules with a few insignificant changes...
"At this dinner, according to expense reports and receipts that are part of evidence collected by the FBI and viewed by Yahoo Sports, were three guests of particular note: Stephen Pina, who worked as an agent for ASM Sports out of New Jersey; Edrice “Bam” Adebayo, then a 17-year-old who had just completed his junior year at Northside High School in Pinetown, North Carolina, and was in the midst of what scouts called a “standout” performance at the camp; and Eric Peartree, who was described in many media reports as Adebayo’s “mentor” or “guardian.”
The significance of this meeting is how seemingly insignificant it was. It was dinner; a good dinner, but not some glitzy wining and dining. There is no evidence of bags of cash or new cars or anything you might see in a movie. There is no suggestion Pina was steering Adebayo to any school (he was uncommitted at the time but later attended the University of Kentucky for the 2016-17 season before becoming a first-round draft pick of the Miami Heat). Adebayo never even signed with ASM.
It reaffirms, however, the challenge for college sports leaders who are finally confronting the issue of how a young player’s free-market value runs counter to the NCAA’s standards of amateurism.....Can the NCAA face the reality that the only way to fix a culture of commonplace rule-breaking is to overhaul the rules?"
emphasis is mine.....
Sometimes Forde writes what appears to be just another public facing column, when really his target audience is the NCAA itself. Best example of that was a column right before the NCAA announced its findings on Bledsoe - it was basically a Valentine, and a plea, to do the right thing and smash Kentucky. This is just trying to create momentum to allow the NCAA to do some real rules changes, to change the whole paradigm, and not just nibble at the edges of the rules with a few insignificant changes...
