Let’s face it, recruiting is a tricky, inexact science. Even if you correctly identify the prospects who’ll thrive in your program and turn into All-Americans, there’s still the issue of getting them committed and on campus–and doing so within the draconian bylaws of the NCAA. When doing all this while competing against over 100 other Division I coaches (and their Type-A personalities), any edge, however small, can be crucial.

(Surprisingly, this photo has been edited.)

All that withstanding, though, any recruiting tactic that involves imitations of bribery and the direct involvement of the Secret Service might need to be reconsidered. And that’s where we find Dan Hawkins and the Colorado Buffaloes. Hawkins’ staff, for one glorious, marginally appropriate year, tried to lure recruits to campus by delivering–we are not making this up–boxes containing $333,000 of fake money. Read more…

A few years ago I was shopping at Best Buy for some video games and a couple of DVD’s. I had over $100 worth of stuff I wanted but didn’t really need, and headed towards the cash registers. After being rung up and given the total, I handed the cashier some cash that included a $50 bill. Much to my surprise, the cashier’s little pen decided that my $50 wasn’t real. It was a counterfeit.

The next thing I knew I was in a little room talking to the store’s security explaining to them that I had no idea the bill wasn’t real, and I had gotten it from the bank after cashing my paycheck. They checked all the other cash in my wallet, and when every bill was found to be real, they decided I was telling the truth and let me go. It was a relief because even though I knew I didn’t do it on purpose, I wasn’t really sure what could happen to me for using a counterfeit bill.

It was the type of relief that Western Kentucky basketball player Arnika Brown isn’t going to feel. No, it looks like she’s going to get into some real trouble for buying a bunch of merchandise with counterfeit money.

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