🏈 Arnold High School—Eddie Williams high school—investigation report

[Mr. Pink]

http://www.newsherald.com/sports/results-100471-district-sports.html

Names were redacted but a pretty safe bet that Williams is involved. However I dont believe this effects him at Bama, but still never good to have names in the news during the offseason.

 

[TerryP]

It's not Eddie that is being investigated. It's the high school.

That's a premature leap to assume Eddie is involved. The players names that were redacted were the two living in an apartment. Who knows?

The only issue that would concern UA would be with high school transcripts: at least that's how I see it with my limited knowledge of the situation.

 

[TheChief]

“Ms. Hale responded by saying that she had looked into the situation and found that when (redacted name)’s family moved out, that (redacted name)’s moved in,” the report said. “I told her that in all my years as an athletic director that if anything approaching this, given that these were the two best players on the team and that both had originally lived in Panama City, should have signaled a real problem.”

Read more: http://www.newsherald.com/articles/results-100471-district-sports.html#ixzz1mqCJZoVW

"The two best players on the team". Reckon they have two better than Eddie?

 

[BamaFan615]

I see it the same way as Terry. If there's an issue at all, I see this as a High School issue not a college issue.

Now, for Eddie, if he is involved this could be a bump in the road for his enrollment in to college. Then again...we don't even KNOW if Eddie is involved or not, so this could be all for nothing. I'll wait for more details to come out before making any judgements.

 

[TerryP]

“Ms. Hale responded by saying that she had looked into the situation and found that when (redacted name)’s family moved out, that (redacted name)’s moved in,” the report said. “I told her that in all my years as an athletic director that if anything approaching this, given that these were the two best players on the team and that both had originally lived in Panama City, should have signaled a real problem.”

Read more: http://www.newsherald.com/articles/results-100471-district-sports.html#ixzz1mqCJZoVW

"The two best players on the team". Reckon they have two better than Eddie?

I don't know enough about who was on that team to say. Considering Eddie was as highly regarded as he was—scouting services—it doesn't seem like there would be...but, it is still a premature leap. Again, I don't know. It's just an early leap to start fretting.

A high school booster is the key here with those gift cards. It's also stated in the article they were given to other students as well that weren't on the football team.

As diligent as our compliance staff is, and has been, on vetting prospective players if we had any connection to his place of residence it would have come up a long time ago.

We talk about the recruiting world in college athletics but seldom discuss recruiting at the high school level. It's happened for years and years...

 

[JoshB]

Wait... the grades things I get... but its illegal for high school kids to accept "gifts"?! :shock: When I played we were ALL given "gifts" at times...and there was only ONE kid on our team that even got any looks from ANY schools (and that includes DII and DIII schools). Damn...

 

[TerryP]

Wait... the grades things I get... but its illegal for high school kids to accept "gifts"?! :shock: When I played we were ALL given "gifts" at times...and there was only ONE kid on our team that even got any looks from ANY schools (and that includes DII and DIII schools). Damn...

I don't know the background to this story. But, it's easy to assume it is a lot like stories you hear from any city where they have competing high school programs.

There was a story that hit here a few years ago about a QB who transferred schools between his 10th and 11th grade year. When some of the parents—at his old school—pulled their own "Operation Red Dog" they found out his legal residence was an empty double wide. It was within that schools district, it was in his parents name, so it was technically "within the rules."

Those parents said this kid was recruited to play at the other high school. True? In all likelihood.

I suspect that is the core issue here although I can't say for sure. That's the reason I alluded to "high school recruiting" in an earlier post.

In my eyes, we have on inescapable fact. It is the off season and we'll see stories, like this one, about some of the kids we have recruited/signed. It's more than commonplace: it's habitual.

Another fact. If one of the unnamed players had signed with a school like Georgia Southern we'd have never even read this story.

 

[planomateo]

gotta love the AJC for keeping Bama in the news too...suckers

 

[Mr. Pink]

I know its nothing more than an assumption, but like it stated.. two best kids on the team... which is why i think eddy was involved, just my guess. And yeah its the HS being investigated so no problem on Bamas end, but i still dont like having it in the news that one of our recruits may have been involved in some kind of grade scam... alledgedly

 

[TerryP]

I know its nothing more than an assumption, but like it stated.. two best kids on the team... which is why i think eddy was involved, just my guess. And yeah its the HS being investigated so no problem on Bamas end, but i still dont like having it in the news that one of our recruits may have been involved in some kind of grade scam... alledgedly

Perhaps I missed this? Where is Eddie alleged to be involved in some kind of grade scam? I understand the point the mother has about her son not having his core classes. But that has nothing to do with Eddie.

Things like this don't even register on my emotional meter anymore. Sure, it gives some of the rivals we face things to talk about and fodder for their little jabs here and there.

I tend to look at it in this light. It only fuels their obsession with Alabama football. Do you follow what I'm saying? As example, a kid that has a future playing college ball hears, "Look at what Bama..." When he looks at Bama, what does he see?

 

[BamaFan615]

Perhaps I missed this? Where is Eddie alleged to be involved in some kind of grade scam? I understand the point the mother has about her son not having his core classes. But that has nothing to do with Eddie.

Things like this don't even register on my emotional meter anymore. Sure, it gives some of the rivals we face things to talk about and fodder for their little jabs here and there.

I tend to look at it in this light. It only fuels their obsession with Alabama football. Do you follow what I'm saying? As example, a kid that has a future playing college ball hears, "Look at what Bama..." When he looks at Bama, what does he see?

I think that's the exact reason that people are talking about this. Many rival fans will jump to conclusions without seeing this story play out...most likely because they want to believe that BAMA got to where they are today by "cheating" or committing some sort or recruiting violation.

Just a thought: I don't think Eddie has enrolled yet, but does anyone know if he's been cleared by the clearing-house yet?

 

[bamafan9201]

Highschool teams recruit everywhere and do everything. Nobody cares unless they can point fingers at someone big (Like Alabama) so in all likelihood this is just like Terry said...a reason for people to claim we did something wrong without truth to it.

 

[TerryP]

I think that's the exact reason that people are talking about this. Many rival fans will jump to conclusions without seeing this story play out...most likely because they want to believe that BAMA got to where they are today by "cheating" or committing some sort or recruiting violation.

Just a thought: I don't think Eddie has enrolled yet, but does anyone know if he's been cleared by the clearing-house yet?

Eddie hasn't graduated yet.

 

[TheChief]

I'm with Terry; it seems like a non-issue for Bama at this point. I would bet any amount of money his grades are spot on accurate, down to the point, and every T crossed and i dotted before he begins at Bama.

High school recruiting has been a big topic for some time. In fact, Brentwood Academy in Nashville had their case against the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association go all the way to the Supreme Court in 2001.

 

[UAgrad93]

This case would fall into the hands of the Florida state high school athletic association and not be an NCAA matter. This is more of a bona fide move issue where one school turns in another about the eligibility of a kid that they have heard thru the grapevine isn't living where they're supposed to. Hoover High was rumored to putting kids and their families in apartments in the Hoover school zone so kids would be eligible. This is something that goes on all of the time. At my first coaching stop, we had a kid transfer in but dad rented an apartment in our zone. He then stated that he and his wife were divorcing and he had custody. The bball coach played him and the next year, we got his brother. I checked and he had been with mom. I pushed it further to the state. They were trying to circumvent the rules. We didn't recruit them for sure. It does happen ALOT more than people think.

 

[Duder]

The only way this becomes any sort of an issue would be if he is connected to any of the supposed academic issues. Otherwise, it'll get kicked around the Internet for a while and go away.

That being said, if this happened at the high school of an AU recruit some of you guys would be all over it, much like the other SEC folk are. Though I don't quite understand why anyone cares. Unless someone tied to Bama was involved it will just turn into another issue that rivals point at and say "see, you're cheating!" and no real argument to back them up.

It's the offseason between signing say and spring ball. What else is there to talk about?

The basketball coach at my high school recruited players, my football coach tried to. For those in Huntsville, or this follow high school basketball, remember Marvin Stone? He played at Johnson high school as a freshman and then ended up at Grissom the next three years. He didn't live in the nicest of neighborhoods as a freshman an all of the sudden had an address in the nicer end of town and could suddenly afford a system and a car? He had help. We all knew it, the kids on the team were pretty open about all of it. They did get a state title and a ton if publicity out of it. Having the #1 player in the country brings a lot of attention. He signed with Kentucky but had some legal issues which led him to transfer to Louisville where he was very average. But, back to my point, this has gone on for YEARS in multiple sports.