LMAO. This is really pathetic. UF is right there with you guys! Congrats!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/mike_fish/news/2002/01/16/fish_viewpoints/

I think UT needs to revamp its tutor situation. This would raise the grad rate. The SEC really represents, UF, UGA, and LSU all in the bottom 10.

44, thats Georgia Tech, not UGA. Interesting!

I couldn't give a rat's ass if even one player bothers to get his degree or not. If he wants it, he'll get it. If not, that's fine with me. As long as he goes to class and passes enough hours to stay eligible, what he does after he's done playing is NO business of mine. That's his parent's problem, not mine.

LMAO...like you really give a shit TD.

at least your view is shared by the people running the show at UT. It would be a shame if any kid accidentaly got an education. I tend to agree, grad rates are a statistic of convenience, if your school is doing well you like them, if they're not you don't.

My fault Dog, for some reason I thought I saw UGA. Still, 3 of the bottom 10 is stellar for the SEC. At least South Carolina is bailing the league out.

Carter, you just made my point. You idiotic sheep have been crying about how DS needs 34 hours and UT comes out with this type of BS! LMAO. You people could care less if DS gets a degree or not. Its nothing but a damn smokescreen by UT to make it look like they have the kids best interest in mind.

By the way, I really do care. LMAO!

Average Net Worth of players after 6 years. I guess TD would rather have that Georgia sheepskin, excuse me, "A" Georgia sheepskin (forgot he's a C-N Alum, you were graduated weren't you?) than some 10 million dollar contract these former non-degreed players are cashing these days. Screw school, that's the bottom line.

the 34 hour BS is just that, BS. That ain't why he wants to come back. But so what? Whatever the reason is, I say you should have the same legal rights you have when you enter into a contract, a 48-hour period to change your mind. Someone will eventually fight it in court and win. The inequity between sports rules would never hold up. You can go as far as get drafted in basketball and still come back, but you can't drop a letter in the mailbox and then change your mind 6 hours later? It wouldn't take Johnny Cochran to win that case. I can't wait for it to happen personally.

Carter, I have no problem with a kid leaving early. The problem is that most of these guys are worthless after their careers are over. We should all be proud of Mike Tyson. A very educated young man that is well spoken to boot! LMAO! There's a guy that made a hell of a lot of money but doesn't have a brain!

You should not be rich AND stupid? Hell, Mike never even finished grade school, I don't think, but he's lived a pretty large life. Much more so than a bunch of educated, poverty stricken folks I've seen.

Carter, BB players can enter the draft and come back UNLESS they make contact with an agent. How in the hell would a football coach recruit if 8 players decided to test the NFL? Would he hold ships for them or would he recruit guys to fill their spots in case they did leave? DS screwed up by taking money from an agent. The NCAA will not let him back in because there is no gaurantee he will not take money during next football season. I reckon its ok as long as he pays the money back! LMAO!

Carter, my point is that a lot of these guys make poor decisions after their careers are over. Look at all the clowns that have filed for bankruptcy. Jabbar and Dorsett come to mind. Look at Big John Tate. How pitiful...The guy could not read and he was taken to the cleaners by his so called friends.

This looks like a couple of UT's finest! ROTFLMAO!

Do players leaving for the NFL count negatively? UF and UT have many more of those than Stanford. What about high caliber talents, like Brock Berlin, who transfer after being beaten out by better teammates? I believe they count negatively against NCAA graduation rates as well. Also, how difficult is the curriculum at a school in question? A grade of D at one college is an A grade at another.

I've got 20 that says so. You seem pretty confident, want to lay some odds?

There's a big difference in accepting "gifts" from an agent AFTER you've declared as opposed to accepting during a season. You know that. I do agree that football is in a different timing situation than b-ball, but there is still plenty of time to allow for a 48 hour to 1 week "reconsider" period. That would not hurt these coaches one bit. Or, even better, make the rule where IF you declare, you can change your mind anytime up till say 1 month before the draft (need to be fair to NFL teams, unlike NBA where they're just screwed) with the condition that they are eligible to play, but not receive a scholarship. That way, the coaches can go ahead and give their 'ship away without fear of needing it later. Even with that proposal, I would still allow that 48+ hours grace period. Take money from an agent during that time? #1 It must be repaid, so in effect, it was a loan, #2 you automatically lose 2 games the next year. That should keep everyone from declaring for the hell of it, borrowing some cash for a week, repaying it and suffering no consequences. I think you would only see the very serious considering doing it.

Now, is that so unreasonable? Stop and think about it, that's a hell of a decision to lay in the hands of a 20-21 year old. It shouldn't be so absolute IMO. Plus, this will help keep these shady agents from persuading a kid and there being no chance of being corrected.

By the way, I'd preach the same thing whether it was UT, GA, Ole Miss or anyone else.

TD, there are probably just as many "degreed" athletes that have screwed up as there are "non-degreed" athletes. That problem is much deeper than whether you crossed a stage or not.

Carter, your missing the point. He accepted money from an agent and thats a no-no. The problem with all of this is the players that come out make it a circus act. Why in the hell do they call a press conference? If you're leaving notify the coach and if you're staying notify the coach. DS got caught up in the hype and it looks like he will be left with few options. He broke a rule and I will be very surprised if the NCAA lets him stay.

Carter, I agree with you. The problem is when an athlete screws up the media is normally all over it. Whether we like it or not athletes are held to a higher standard than students. It will always be that way.

on the press conference ritual. It's gotten ridiculous. I just think the agent contact will be taken in context because it occurred AFTER declaring. Big difference. He will still pay a 2 game penalty for it, but I'm betting he's back. And unlike BamaI'mAnIdiotFelon, I don't believe it's because UT can do whatever they want and is untouchable.

By the way, on a trivial note, Jimmy Sexton's family and mine were very good friends when I was growing up in Memphis. They're very upstanding people IMO. I don't think he was doing anything wrong or shady in this deal either. He was wining and dining a potential client at a perfectly appropriate time. What do you truthfully think about my proposal?

Carter, I have no problem with a 48 hour rule. What I have a problem with is a kid accepting money from an agent whether he declared and changed his mind or not. Think about it. DS repid the money with the 2200 he recieved from a Pell grant. That money is for expenses during the year. Where in the hell will he get money for this coming semester if he is allowed to come back. Any suspension is an addmission of guilt IMO!

What the hell difference does it make where he gets the money from? If had been Casey Clausen getting a check from his dad, does that make it any different? Tell the truth, you just ain't big on the whole pell grant deal are you? Unless that money is specifically designated to ONLY be spent on school stuff, it doesn't matter whether they use the money for a cell phone bill, plane ticket or an SUV. If they qualify to get it and there are no restrictions on it's use, this is a non-issue. If they spend it on such things, then that's just less they have to spend it where they will really need it. Now, if you want to argue the merits of who should QUALIFY for these grants, that's a whole different argument.

Carter, it makes a big differnece if the money comes from your father. Get real. Whether you agree or disagree with athletes accepting money is irrelevant. NCAA rules prohibit athletes from making contact and accepting money from an agent! Its plain and simple!

I told Brocky and JC today at lunch, you're fixing to see the "Stallworth Rule" established as a result of this case. To my knowledge, there has not been a case exactly like this before, so there is no precedent to rule from. Again, I got 20 that says I'm right on this one.

Carter, I would never bet in a case involving UT. You never know what the outcome will be. If they follow the rules, he will not return. If they rewrite the rules and allow athletes to accept money from agents then he will play in Knoxville this fall!

TD, that Pell grant money is no different from Jim Clausen's personal checking account. Once they have deemed the person eligible for the Pell money, it's theirs to do WHATEVER they want. Buy hookers (talk to UGA players for specifics), lease SUV's, repay agents. IT DOES NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE. That money is in their checking account with NO strings attached. You're trying to tell me it's OK for a rich guy to pay it back out of his pocket but not a Pell guy. That's wrong.

"in a case involving UT"

You're sounding alot like BamaI'mAnIdiotFelon. Are you sure you want to be in the same boat with this moron? I realize you aren't fortunate enough to hear his bullshit, but trust me, or hell, call JC, you don't want ANY association with the prick.

You sure are strechin the format lately. First its wideband pics and now a stretch link.
BadBob must be nappin and not on "format patrol".
What the hell BBob? You used to do your part in here and now your just layin out.
Did you get a 24 inch monitor or what?

Carter, DS can do whatever he chooses with Pell Grant money. His problem is that he ACCEPTED money from an agent and that makes him ineligible according to NCAA rules.

I personally do not think he will be allowed to come back.I hate to agree with a dog.In my opinion the boy has done wrong.Yes I have heard all the arguments on both sides.I think if he does get to, they will opening up a can of worms.I do like your proposal though.I just do not think it will happen.

The rankings you linked to dawg are not overall, but are for teams that participated in bowl games. Granted, it is still a dubious distinction, but it does not show a realistic picture of overall graduation rates. I did a little quick research and could not find a complete ranking for all D1 schools, however I did find some stuff from 1996 or 1997 which showed UAB being near the top and BYU being near the bottom. There are a lot of items not taken into consideration when these rankings are compiled; athletes who return to complete their degrees, athletes who transfer, and those who take longer than four years are just a few factors that make the numbers look worse.

Just because an athlete does not receive a degree does not mean his time spent in college was wasted. First ask yourself this: what is the purpose of college? To get a degree, or to prepare yourself for your chosen career. Only a small percentage of college football players will make it to play on Sunday, yet many others will go on to coach or be involved in sports in some form. Most of those guys weren't going to become doctors or lawyers in the first place, but because they were given tne opportunity they were able to better their lives. There is too much focus on the negative stories in this day and time, which keeps us from hearing more of the success stories. I believe if one were to dig a little deeper, more of the good stories could be uncovered. Just for once I'd love to see a list of pro athletes who ditched their posses, were good husbands and fathers and had a positive effect on their communities. But I guess thats just too mundane for the scandal-loving, sensationalist media.

I have a degree from UT and look where it got me. I sit around surfing the web dialoging with JC and the gang. Wow, if my mom could see me now. I was talking to Todd Helton and asked when he was finishing his degree and he was like, why would I waste my time. Remember these grad rates are based on 4 years and don't count the guys who come back and finish later. It took me 5+ years to earn my degree so I actually wouldn't qualify as a college grad in their eyes.

smoke dope and buy cars.

Phil, since when are athletes limited to abusing the system. My ole roomate used to take his Pell Grant money, make marajuana paraphenalia, sell it and triple his money.

I reckon if DS comes back he will have the ATM slush fund as a back up!