Tuesday Nick Saban commented for the first time about the relationship of current Alabama football players to T-Town Menswear store owner Tom Al-Betar.

Saban told Ian Fitzsimmons of ESPN 103.3 in Dallas:

“Our compliance people have been on top of this for a long time. I think this is an example of somebody…it’s not a violation if you sign a shirt for somebody, you just can’t receive compensation for it. We’ve done a cease-and-desist with this establishment a long time ago to make sure everybody understands what players can and can’t do.”

In now-deleted Facebook accounts, Al-Betar previously posted photos of Alabama football players signing memorabilia in his suit store - which is located three miles from the University of Alabama campus.

One of the football players depicted in those photos is current Alabama running back Trent Richardson, who can be seen in an Al-Betar photo signing an Alabama football print while wearing a suit jacket inside T-Town menswear.

Earlier Wednesday Clay Travis of OutKickTheCoverage.com posted a Dec. 14, 2010, photo showing a Birmingham mall kiosk.

At the time of the photo one of the items offered for sale at the kiosk was a Richardson-signed Alabama jersey.

On December 22, 2010, University of Alabama Associate Director for Compliance Mike Ward sent Al-Betar a cease-and-desist letter regarding the sale of memorabilia autographed by current Alabama football players at his kiosk outside T-Town Menswear. Excerpt:

I am writing to you on behalf of several current student-athletes at The University of Alabama. It has been brought to our attention that you are selling or distributing, for commercial purposes, items depicting current University of Alabama student-athletes, specifically, items autographed by current student athletes. The use of a current student-athlete’s name or likeness on commercial items offered for sale, or for advertising or promotional purposes, without his or her knowledge or permission can jeopardize the student-athlete’s eligibility to participate in intercollegiate athletics with the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The letter was addressed to Al-Betar’s kiosk in Tuscaloosa, not the Birmingham kiosk that was photographed on Dec. 14, 2010, selling jerseys of then-current Alabama football players Richardson, Julio Jones and Marcell Dareus.

That signed red jersey for sale at Al-Betar’s kiosk matched a Richardson jersey previously offered for sale by the website ViceAuthenticsMemorabilia.com.

The for sale listing for the Richardson jersey has since been pulled by the Alabama-based sports memorabilia website.

Jones can also be seen in Al-Betar Facebook photos inside T-Town menswear signing red jerseys that match the jerseys offered for sale at the Al-Betar Tuscaloosa kiosk targeted by UA compliance and the Birmingham mall kiosk in December.

The signed jerseys were offered for sale at Al-Betar’s kiosk and the Birmingham mall kiosk while Jones was still an active member of the Alabama football team.

Richardson can also be seen in a photo dated Sept. 3, 2010 on Al-Betar’s now-deleted Facebook page signing a white Alabama jersey with his name on it.

That signed white jersey matches a Richardson jersey previously offered for sale by the website ViceAuthenticsMemorabilia.com.

ViceAuthenticsMemorabilia.com noted in the listing for the white Richardson jersey for sale:

Jersey was signed in Tuscaloosa, AL on September 3, 2010

The for sale listing for the white Richardson jersey has since been pulled by the website.

Both for sale listings of Richardson-signed memorabilia from ViceAuthenticsMemorabilia.com also noted, “I have multiple signed prints, photos, helmets & jerseys of Trent.”

While the exact nature of Richardson’s relationship to Al-Betar is not known, Travis previously posted a photo of the two out to dinner in Tuscaloosa Jan. 23, 2010.

Speaking to ESPN 103.3 in Dallas Tuesday, Saban said of the interaction between Al-Betar and Alabama football players:

“You know, I guess I could ban our players from the place but until somebody can sorta convince me that somebody is doing something wrong, which I haven’t been convinced of yet, I don’t know if that’s fair to our players.”

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Three months ago I posted a piece about two writers on the Comedy Central show tosh.0 who happen to be University of Alabama grads and diehard Crimson Tide football fans.

(To donate $10, text “Alabama tornado relief” to 90999 or go here. )

Thanks to their background, Alabama, and more specifically, Nick Saban, is often the subject of comedic taunts by show host Daniel Tosh. (Another contributing factor: Tosh is a Miami Dolphins fans still distraught over the dubious way Saban departed South Florida for Tuscaloosa.)

With that context, and the general offensive nature of the show, I suppose no one should be surprised at what Tosh said last night. Read more…

Last week at an alumni gathering in Greenville, S.C., Georgia football coach Mark Richt spoke out against his SEC coaching colleagues by sharply criticizing the recruiting tactic known as oversigning.

The practice includes head coaches signing more players than there are scholarships available, then using various, stealth tactics to essentially cut current players deemed as non-productive.

Or, in some cases, a player who was promised a spot as a recruit, and who turned down other schools, ends up without a scholarship.

The most infamous purveyor of such techniques is Alabama’s Nick Saban. Why?

1) He regularly oversigns
2) He hides player scholarship information from the media under false pretense (federal privacy laws do not govern such information)
3) He makes a lot of money
4) Alabama makes a lot of money from its football program

Though thanks to the media, and coaches like Richt, the Tide may be finally turning against Saban and his compatriots in the practice.

During his talk to Georgia fans last week, Richt said of oversigning:

“If you bring them (recruits) in in the summer, and you work them and you let your strength staff work with them, and you kind of decide which ones you like the best, and you tell five of them, ‘Hey we know we signed you, and we expected you to be able to come in, we don’t have space for you, we’re really sorry about that but we don’t have space for you – you’re gonna have to leave and come back in January.’

“I think that’s an awful thing to do, I think that’s the wrong thing to do. And it’s nothing that we’ve done since I’ve been at Georgia.“

“These other coaches have been over-signing, trying to grayshirt, trying to make sure they never come up short of that 85 (scholarship limit) number. But in doing so have they done it in an ethical way, which is what you’re asking. And I’d say not. That’s why the NCAA is trying to change its rules. ..

“.. There’s been a bit too much of the winning at all costs in college football. And I hope the tide turns in the other direction.”

On Feb. 2, 2011, college football recruiting signing day, Saban went out of his way to defend his oversigning to the media, reading off prepared notes as he defended himself:

Here’s part of Saban’s statement:

When you look at the numbers without knowing all the facts and internal information, I think that is a little premature and unfair.

So how does one procure such facts?

Good question, as Saban blocks, some say unlawfully, such “internal information” to the media that is otherwise volunteered to the public by virtually every other similarly situated school in the country.

Or you can ask former BIRMINGHAM NEWS reporter Ian Rapoport, who had this infamous exchange with Saban on April 14, 2008, about Alabama player scholarship information:

Rapoport: “The numbers is issue. First, do you know, is Colin Peek on scholarship?”

Saban: “I don’t know. You ask me, do I know…”

Rapoport: “I think you do know.”

Saban: “You’ll have to ask somebody else. … You’re asking the wrong guy.”

Saban later admitted to the reporter that the player was indeed on scholarship.

More from the conversation:

Rapoport: “How are you going to handle the numbers and when do you start to worry about it?”

Saban: “I’m not worried about them. It’ll all work out. I mean, the whole thing has a solution to every issue. You don’t put yourself in a position where you don’t know what’s coming, then have to take it in the chops. Aiight? We know how it has to be managed, and it will be managed.”

Saban: “And you don’t need to call me and ask me to write a column for you, and I won’t call you and ask you how to manage our numbers. How’s that?”

Rapoport: “So you’re not going to tell us?”

Saban: “I’m not going to tell you what? It’s none of your business. Aiight? And don’t give me this stuff about the fans need to know, because they don’t need to know.”

Rapoport: “I would never say that.”

Saban: “Don’t even ask. Aiight?”

As an Alabama football beat writer who had to face Saban ever day that season, Rapoport played off the exchange as playful in his report of the conversation. But the video may suggest otherwise. At the very least, Saban got his point across.

On 2/2/2011, Saban said of the criticism of his oversigning: “When you look at the numbers without knowing all the facts and internal information, I think that is a little premature and unfair.”

When Saban was asked point blank about “all the facts and internal information” on 4/14/08, the coach replied: “It’s none of your business.”

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One of the surprises of the NFL Draft’s first round Thursday night was the Seahawks selecting Alabama offensive lineman James Carpenter with its 25th overall selection.

When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced the pick, the NFL Network splashed the candid - and disbelieving - reax of Alabama coach Nick Saban to Seattle’s choice. As Goodell revealed the pick, a clearly flummoxed Saban mouthed James Carpenter’s name and later shook his head slightly. (Not that the coach was complaining.)

A few minutes after the Carpenter selection, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll punctuated his explanation of the Carpenter choice to reporter Doug Farrar:

“Whether somebody else saw it that way, we don’t care.”

Carroll wasn’t asked about Saban’s reaction and his unsolicited remark most likely was unrelated to the Alabama coach.

But it is worth noting that Carroll would say that without any obvious prompting from reporters.

In subsequent comments to the media, Saban was highly complimentary of Carpenter and the Seahawks, though also noting of the selection to Colin Cowherd of ESPN radio:

“I know it caught the media by surprise.”

Wait, so the almost completely player agent-driven, abject guesswork that is ESPN-manufactured NFL Draft ‘analysis’ completely whiffed on a draft selection?

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On March 28 the University of Alabama posted a job opportunity on the NCAA job search database.

The want ad was for “Compliance Coordinator or Director of Compliance.”

The University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is soliciting applications for a Compliance Coordinator or Director of Compliance position.

As a member of a staff of seven full-time compliance officers serving intercollegiate athletics, this position will be responsible for various components of a monitoring and education program.

The ideal candidate will be able to help the department evaluate current policies and procedures and improve efficiency and effectiveness of process. Salary is between $30,000 and $45,000, depending on experience.

Meanwhile, here’s an excerpt from page 10 of The University of Alabama 2009-2010 Financial Report: Read more…

Sunday I reported that Alabama had committed an NCAA violation when high school prospect Barry Sanders, Jr., was shown on the Coleman Coliseum video board during Saturday’s Alabama-Arkansas basketball game.

(Alabama compliance claims Sanders, Jr., never appeared on video board)

NCAA rule 13.11.5 states: “An institution may not introduce a visiting prospect at a function (e.g., that institution’s sports award banquet or an intercollegiate athletics contest) that is attended by media representatives or open to the general public.”

Izzy Gould of the MOBILE PRESS-REGISTER confirmed Sunday evening that Sanders had indeed been seen on the Coleman Coliseum video board during the game, but that the University of Alabama NCAA compliance department has since concluded that no NCAA violation took place. Gould:

Whether what happened on Saturday night violated this rule is unclear. The younger Sanders was briefly shown on the video board. No words were flashed on the video board, and no announcements were made through the public address system to name the people captured on camera. An Alabama spokesman Sunday night said no violation was committed. “Our compliance office is aware of this claim and has looked into it,” Alabama spokesman Doug Walker wrote in an e-mail. “Based on that inquiry, it was determined that no violation was committed.”

While Alabama reported that no NCAA violation occurred, Gould availed an SEC spokesman who indicated, “there is the possibility of operator error, which could mean the camera operator was at fault for showing Saban and the younger Sanders on camera.” Read more…

The son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders was in Tuscaloosa Saturday as the University of Alabama football program hosted its annual junior day for high school prospects in the Class of 2012.

(Credit: SEC Digital Network, Fox Sports South, FSN)

Saturday night the younger Sanders, also named Barry, was seen sitting next to Alabama football coach Nick Saban duing the SEC Television Network-produced broadcast of the Alabama-Arkansas basketball game on Fox Sports South.

While the incidental appearance of recruit Sanders on the Alabama basketball telecast is allowed under NCAA rules, an incident involving the younger Sanders inside the Coleman Coliseum itself during the game was not.

(Bama infraction likely secondary violation and will be self-reported)

Sanders, a highly-touted running back prospect from Oklahoma City, was also shown on the large video board inside the Alabama arena during the first half of the game, which prompted cheers from Crimson Tide fans and a “We Want Barry!” chant to go up in the Alabama student section.

NCAA Rule 13.11.5 (pdf) states: Read more…

In the wake of an Alabama fan poisoning the venerable Toomer’s Oaks on the campus of Auburn, I thought it instructive to present another example of when the Alabama-Auburn rivalry goes too far - to help outsiders understand why UA-AU is, in my view, the most vicious rivalry in sports.

Appearing on his Learfield Sports radio show on Oct. 14, 2010, Alabama Coach Nick Saban told a statewide audience that his home had been vandalized.

“I ask them (Alabama players) the question ‘what are you going to do to affect winning? How do you feel about what you just accomplished, like over at South Carolina (a recent loss to the Gamecocks)?

“‘How do you like it when you don’t win? How does it make you feel? How do you like it when people are banging on the (team) buses and yelling obscenities at you and running over our fans and everything else, how do you like all that?’

“They also papered my house and painted it in Georgia too but that doesn’t bother me any.”

If you don’t know who Saban is referring to when he says “they“, you don’t know much about college football in the state of Alabama. Though Saban did not say when the vandalism happened and provided no further detail, it’s very safe to assume he’s referring to an Auburn supporter or four.

For five years I worked at the flagship station for Ohio State football in Columbus, WBNS-AM, hosting a weekday afternoon talkshow on the station and anchoring statewide Buckeye football broadcasts in the late ’90s. I experienced the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry as intimately as anyone in the media during that period.

Similarly, I anchored USC football broadcast coverage on the Trojan radio flagship in the early ’00s in Los Angeles and was thoroughly indoctrinated into the ways of USC-UCLA and USC-Notre Dame.

My first job out of college was hosting statewide Univ. of South Carolina football broadcast coverage on the Gamecocks flagship WVOC-AM in Columbia, so I know all about USC and Clempsun’s annual get-together.

And as an alumnus of the University of Georgia, I’ve obviously got first-hand experience with the yearly Georgia-Florida Jaxtown throwdown.

But from my experience personally covering both teams over the years, none of those rivalries compare to the disdain between Alabama and Auburn followers.

Two reasons for that: Read more…

Kyle Veazey of the JACKSON CLARION-LEDGER has among the most thankless, difficult jobs in college football beat writing. Veazey covers Ole Miss, which under head coach Houston Nutt has turned laundering scholarships into high art.

(Exacly one of seven departing players were on 2010 final two-deep)

For all the recent hoo-hah about Nick Saban’s oversigning practices at Alabama, Nutt’s reputation for secretly running off underperforming scholarship players is equally notorious. In 2009, with 64 scholarship players already on the Ole Miss roser, Nutt signed 38 players to letters of intent. (Schools are only allowed to have 85 players on scholarship.)

So Nutt mostly ran off 17 then-current scholarship players from the 2008 team to make room for the new recruits.

Of those 2009 Ole Miss recruits, ESPN’s Bruce Feldman Tweeted this wek:

Two yrs ago, Houston Nutt announced a 38-man signing class: 17 of em are not currently on the roster: 9 were 4-stars or better, 3 remain.

That brings us to Veazey’s inevitable story this week about the ever-changing state of Nutt’s 2011 roster - and the sudden, somewhat mysterious deletions from it since signing day.

Excerpts of Veazey’s roster report below are in italic followed by my quickie analysis of the players who - in the majority of cases - were cast adrift by Ole Miss: Read more…

Bruce Feldman of ESPN THE MAGAZINE has my highlight of this year’s interminable recruiting season, from the nation’s #1 prospect, South Carolina high school defensive end Jadeveon Clowney:

“At first, it’s a big thrill when coaches like Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier call. But by the middle of the year, that feeling wore off. Now I just let the calls go to voice mail.”

If you ever wondered why college coaches try the NFL, stop.

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