Kentucky Basketball: Instant Analysis Of The Eric Bledsoe Report
by Glenn Logan on Sep 24, 2010 6:55 PM EDT
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PrintThis is an instant analysis, so here is the bottom line:
The investigation did not buy the reasons given by the teacher for changing the grade from a C to an A. The independent investigators said that Bledsoe's grades were changed more frequently than those of other students. But the school board does not consider the report sufficient evidence of wrongdoing. Therefore, it seems extremely unlikely that the official transcript will be changed.
Mentat reasoning:
Without an official change in transcript, the NCAA would be outside their jurisdiction to examine the grade issue further. The Alabama school system, as explained here by contributor creature, will not allow the NCAA to assume jurisdiction over how they issue grades. The report contains insufficient evidence, especially considering the vested interests of the school system, to gainsay the teacher or the principal.
The transcript will not be changed. The NCAA, having no further authority over the matter since transcripts certified by school boards may not be challenged by the NCAA after certification, will take no action on this matter unless some other impropriety not related to the grade change is found.
Relax, enjoy your Friday, and pour out a libation to creature, who told us so. And get ready for some FOOOTBAAAAWWWW!
UPDATE: Online version of the final report.
UPDATE: Statement from UK.
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Wayne Turner back in the fold — Blue’s all time leader in games played joins Calipari’s staff while pursuing degree.
Socialism is not an alternative to capitalism; it is an
alternate to any system which men can live as human
beings." Ludwig von Mises
Great, but Pete Thamel is reporting Turner lied on his resume
j/k
No matter where you're at, there you are
by cincyblue on Sep 24, 2010 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
rec'd...well played
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel, is just a freight train coming your way...
@btcoop71
Thamel will just reload with some other garbage ....
He shuold of lost a lot of credibility (whatever he had) with those that follow basketball seriously
Reasons to Relax tonight--- And Plenty of Fodder for critics and further scrutiny tomorrow
Such is life.
No matter where you're at, there you are
Jerry Tipton's spin doesn't even wait until tomorrow...
http://www.kentucky.com/2010/09/24/1449394/report-bledsoe-grade-change-not.html
No matter where you're at, there you are
and then there's this
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5612393
No matter where you're at, there you are
Wow, how good is Coach Cal.....
he finds a likely dupe and gets someone to feed him a story that the tool buys hook, line, and sinker. Then when the rubber meets the road, said tool is left as roadkill with the Big Blue Express tiremarks all over his flat carcass. At least, that will probably be Thamel’s story.
creature had this exactly rite
I’m wondering if he teaches in Birmingham ???….kiddin of course…thanks creature
I'll drink to that
this has been a trying week for me and this report has put a smile on my face…at least for now
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
Don't ever f**k with Sandy Bell
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel, is just a freight train coming your way...
@btcoop71
My conclusion about this whole mess is, somebody’s lying. Not Cal or UK but there is something fishy about this whole thing. My dad and mom did not raise a fool and I did
not fall off the back of a turnip wagon yesterday. Situational ethics has triumphed. UGH!!
Personally I do not believe we gained a thing except some salve to spread on our pride.
This is one of the most outlandish coverups I have ever heard of under the guise of being legal.
I wanted UK to keep all those victories from last year. But not at the cost of principle or
truth. No damned basketball program is worth that. To most people on this blog I am a
nut because I value right above all. And because I am this way, I am also compelled to have no further association with A Sea Of Blue.
This will I am certain make the day of most members on the site. In the words of Henry
Clay who would not alter his values to run for president of the United States, “I would rather be right, than president.”
Adios amigos. I do not hope you sleep well tonight.
Happy days are here again,
The skies are Wildcat blue again,
We have the best recruits again,
Happy days are here again!
OK ab, I can understand you acting on your principals, and I can respect that.
But how is it that you equate those principals to UK, it’s staff, or officers and their treatment of this situation? If there was malfeasance, or misbehavior by any party, it resides with the Birmingham School system and it’s personnel, and would have been undetectable by UK, the NCAA and it’s investigative arms. So why the discontent with us?
Are you saying you would have volunteered to give up the wins anyway? Are you saying that now that you have “suspicions” that it is a moral mandate to wash our hands of the entire season? I fail to understand your reasoning. I can appreciate the sentiment, but you lose me in it’s application to us or to the Cats.
I Shall Always Be The Cat......In The Hat!!! The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Sep 24, 2010 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Your right ABC, evidently AB has lost his C ... or something
Don’t fall on your sword over what happened in Birmingham AB …. Cat fans want Cal to bring in the best talent …As far as UK was concerned everything was legit …
If you refused to go on the Birmingham High School blog anymore – that, I could understand :)
Eric said he was coming to UK to “get sh*t right” – he is a man of is word ….
Because you "value right above all",
You are “compelled to have no further association with A Sea Of Blue”? We did not make this decision. No need to curse us fans.
I shall sleep just fine, thank you. Have a nice day.
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
actually I am pretty dang exhausted after all of this....I plan on sleeping late.....lol
I Shall Always Be The Cat......In The Hat!!! The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Sep 24, 2010 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I know right??
Enough of this drama … now lets focus on FREEING ENES ….
It almost like a soap opera around here ….
UK had nothing to do with it.
At all.
You are not making sense.
And I will sleep like a baby.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
by Glenn Logan on Sep 24, 2010 11:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Wow!
Ya think?
I’m sure that started off wrong, but let me share my view. I read about the Bledsoe Question (BQ) a while back but have not followed it at all. As you know, I’m a football junkie and once fall practices start I delve into it to the exclusion of basketball (gasp!). In keeping with that mindset I have not read anything about the BQ, no national news or columns, no on-line blogs, nothing. Yes, that includes ASOB posts.
I haven’t read what anyone here had said about the subject, except for this thread because I saw a headline that indicated the BQ had been resolved. I was shocked to see alwaysblue’s reaction, not because of what he felt (more on that in a sec) but that because of his disagreement with how this decision was received by ASOB visitors he was leaving the site. I won’t dwell on this since I haven’t seen any of the board write-ups or discussions on previous posts but leaving a site seems a might dramatic.
As to his feelings on the matter – I tend to agree with him. Sure, UK and Cal had nothing to do with it; but exactly what is “it”. (Kinda like what the definition of “is” is.) If you’re referring to changing grades, certainly, we had nothing to do with it. BUT…….. what is the greater “it”.
That’s what we have to sleep with.
I feel uneasy (but greatly relieved) that the matter is essentially over; but, these things are getting a little warm. Sure, we will go on and Cal will continue to be a great coach at UK. I just don’t like going through ordeals such as this because of (best case) a kid is desperate to get to college. Getting into the whole at-risk kids and the crappy choices they have places the whole scholarship vs NCAA rules issue in the crosshairs. Until its resolved these problems will crop up everywhere, not just at UK. I just don’t want to be there when the trigger is pulled and hope Sandy Bell cross examines recruits to avoid even the illusion of impropriety cast upon our program.
Again, I’m glad the decision came down as it did but the whole BQ, to me, is a smudge on our reputation. I don’t really see anything to celebrate, the law saved our butt and I’ll sleep fitfully – hopefully because of the anticipation of the game tomorrow.
Some people are like Slinkies, hey're really good for nothing........but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.
Heh.
This is rife with illogic, but then again, I totally can understand where you are coming from.
There was no reason to be uneasy. Kentucky did not act in any way unethically. Even if it had all gone badly, it would have been a consequence of the severe idiocy of NCAA policy, not anything UK did wrong.
Nobody, not Bell, Calipari, or anyone, could have foreseen this.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
by Glenn Logan on Sep 25, 2010 12:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Illogical to be uneasy?
Student has disproportionate number of grades changed compared to others in same class.
Student passes classes in reverse order.
Grades entered in computer two days before student visits schools with freshly printed transcript in hand.
You’re right. (I’m serious.) On the surface all is proper according to everything UK and the NCAA can review. We aren’t in any way complicit but the whole thing still reeks and I don’t like the association with crap like this.
As I said above, getting at-risk kids into school are a problem the NCAA and the universities have to figure out. In the meantime, I think Sandy Bell and her group need to be more proactive in their research, going beyond simply meeting the ebb and flow of NCAA rules. When Bledsoe was recruited I think a little more investigation would have been in order; especially since there were even questions at the time regarding his eligibility.
Our basketball program is worth millions and when successful is worth even more. UK needs to turn over every stone when qualifying kids for scholarship. Not every kid ever considered but those that have even the slightest question on qualification and are in the final stages of commitment. Its money well spent when you can avoid these three ring circuses that have no winner, regardless of the decision.
Some people are like Slinkies, hey're really good for nothing........but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.
Let me explain.
In what way was Sandy Bell not proactive? She was right, pure and simple. She did everything the right way. As I say in another thread, UK had the courage of their convictions here.
It would have been easy to pass on Bledsoe due to an imperfect transcript. It would have been easy to tell the kid to look elsewhere. UK could establish procedures that basically kids with marginal transcripts under the rubric of NCAA compliance. I argue that is cowardly.
In the long run, it is more important for UK to stand up to the NCAA by doing its job right than giving in to fear that they might one day be declared wrong.
You said:
Again, I’m glad the decision came down as it did but the whole BQ, to me, is a smudge on our reputation. I don’t really see anything to celebrate, the law saved our butt and I’ll sleep fitfully – hopefully because of the anticipation of the game tomorrow.
This is the part that is rife with illogic. There is no smudge on UK’s reputation, and it is unreasonable to suggest that there is. It isn’t as if Bledsoe left in bad academic standing or showed everyone during the season that he was unable to meet the minimum requiremens.
To the contrary, UK was right. Bledsoe may have been a marginal student, but he was good enough for our own, and the NCAA’s, qualifications. Sandy Bell did her job perfectly. The Alabama school board was never going to surrender its right to judge a kids grade to the New York Times or a third-party law firm.
Second, the law did not save anybody. There was no wrongdoing, and had their been any, UK would have been blameless. Yes, it still could have had consequences for Kentucky, but I think living life in fear of an NCAA ruling is no way to live. UK was bold, it was right, and a poor kid is now a millionaire, and deservedly so. That part has nothing to do with logic.
There is nothing here to be ashamed of for UK fans, nor to lose sleep over, but there is much to be proud of. UK got it right, not by accident but by doing things the right way. It’s easy to take the careful way out and sign only 3.0 students. It takes much more fortitude to examine a marginal transcript and conclude correctly that the kid is good to go.
I think it’s time to have a little pride in that.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
by Glenn Logan on Sep 25, 2010 9:07 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Au contraire mon frere
I believe you may be falling victim to the illogical bug. Your comment “rife with illogic” actually pertains to just two phrases “..smudge on our reputation..” and “…saved our butt…” out of five paragraphs. Even so I’ll still stand by my “illogical” argument simply based on facts.
“Reputation” as defined as “the estimation in which a person or thing is held, esp. by the community or the public generally; repute”. If you don’t think this whole episode disparages UK’s reputation at all, you are either naive to the world outside UK or have clouded your mind with the end result. Really Tru, you’ve read the press since the announcement and there are not a lot of people coming to UK’s rescue. Whether you like people outside of the Kentucky fan base or not, those are the people where “reputation” is held; not among the Kentucky faithful. Saying the situation doesn’t smudge our reputation is ignoring reality.
With regard to “..saved our butt…” you can’t even agree on my illogic. You start off with “..and the law didn’t save anybody.” and follow it up with “…it still could have had consequences for Kentucky….”.Huh? It still looks to me like the law saved our butt.
Football is on and I can’t spend a lot of time on the rest of this but I did want to clarify my position on Sandy Bell, etc. I mainly don’t feel she’s proactive since the only thing I’ve ever seen out of her office is REaction. Some months back I also raised this point to the response of crickets and here is the issue all over again. I want a compliance office that goes beyond simply making sure we follow the NCAA rules. I want an office that is ahead of the curve in these situations. Giving press releases ahead of the Thamel’s of the world and challanging the NCAA to prove us wrong. I want them better than your request to simply be right. If there was anything in what I wrote inferring we should be “living life in fear of the NCAA” that’s my error. I hate the NCAA and the position they have put the Bledsoe’s of the world – they may even rank below Tennessee.
Some people are like Slinkies, hey're really good for nothing........but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.
Okay ...
… I do agree that many have held UK in low esteem due to this affair, but for UK fans to agree with them, or bemoan that fact, is illogical. The fact of the matter is that there is no logical reason at all to allow others to define the debate and accept the terms of their argument.
UK clearly did nothing harmful to their reputation. In fact, logically, their reputation, particularly of the compliance department, should be enhanced. They were right, after all.
As far as the “law saving our butt,” I guess I should fairly ask what law you mean. As far as I know, there was no legal point at issue, but maybe you can show me how I am wrong about that.
As far as Sandy Bell is concerned, I don’t quite understand the argument there. She clearly was proactive in this matter in that her judgment of the situation was entirely correct from the outset. There was nothing to react to. The implication by the New York Times that UK did not do their due diligence is now demonstrably incorrect, and Bell’s position entirely vindicated.
It is irrelevant that she did not know of the internals of the grade issue, since she had an official transcript that was clearly not fraudulent, and she had no reason to question its contents. Like the NCAA, colleges correctly assume that school systems are not engaging in unethical practices in the assignment of grades, and in any case, an official transcript that is not altered or fraudulent is all that either the NCAA or UK requires.
What I meant by my “rife with illogic” comment is that there is no logical reason why UK should be held in a bad light in this case — none. The fact it is happening is not a problem for UK, but a problem for those who are ignoring the facts in order to do so. It’s similar to those who hold Calipari responsible for UMass and Memphis in spite of the findings of the NCAA..
Kentucky’s actions in this case were never really at issue. Nobody ever directly accused Kentucky of wrongdoing, not even Pete Thamel. Instead, everyone waited eagerly for UK to unfairly have its wins vacated due to no fault on the part of the school so they could use the fact of that action to bludgeon Calipari. They don’t seem to care if UK could not have known of the unethical actions of others.
UK’s critics definition of the debate seems to be that no matter what happens, and regardless of the level of due diligence or care that Kentucky takes, they should be blamed even when no other school would be. Why that should happen is all about Calipari. We fans should not allow them to frame the debate and accept their entirely arbitrary parameters.
Claiming this affair translates into an imputation of unethical actions by UK is truly a repudiation of reason.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
To clear up the "law saving our butt" statement
True, there were no legal opinions as part of this process; however, legal precedents play a large role in determining little or nothing will happen going forward…and no, I’m not saying we would be found complicit if indeed the NCAA decided to further beat this dead horse.
and
At no point did I mean to state or infer that UK had any wrongdoing even through inaction, I just want our compliance to get in front of these events not react to them.
Some people are like Slinkies, hey're really good for nothing........but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.
Compliance Reviewed Bledsoe Situation Extensively In Spring 2009
Plenty proactive enough for me.
by FortyYearCatFan on Sep 27, 2010 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions
That is Active not Proactive
Good for them but I would like PR, etc. by office ahead of any announcements. This isn’t a matter of semantics.
Would you rather have a lawyer in court that only offered discovery and rebuttal or one that also made opening statements and cross examinations?
Or
Would you rather have a CEO that waited for a catastrophe to put a PR team together to answer pointed questions or one that has a PR team in place to immediately make statements to the public?
I just think there is missed opportunity for UK to drive the discussion.
Some people are like Slinkies, hey're really good for nothing........but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.
How would this have happened?
You cannot be proactive about a student’s grades. You just can’t.
I’m afraid I am guilty of not understanding what you mean.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
by Glenn Logan on Sep 29, 2010 11:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Hoboat,
I am on the same page with you concerning how our compliance department. I would feel more at ease knowing what/where red flags (if any) were acted upon. That information, I think is need-to-know only. And maybe it should be.
FYI there was this….
….While a different sport, but still compliance, at Football Fan Day there were folks being very proactive about any autographs that the fans obtained. Not only were they passing out flyers, they were also verbally emphasizing as well that they should not/could not be sold or auctioned. UK took steps to steer fans away from any possible improprieties.
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
Holier Than Thou
By starving emotions we become humorless, rigid and stereotyped; by repressing them we become literal, reformatory and holier-than-thou; encouraged, emotions perfume life; discouraged, they poison it
Lighten up, man. Or put in another fashion:
The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one’s work seriously and taking one’s self seriously. The first is imperative and the second is disastrous.
-
Socialism is not an alternative to capitalism; it is an
alternate to any system which men can live as human
beings." Ludwig von Mises
by Wild Weasel on Sep 24, 2010 11:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel, is just a freight train coming your way...
@btcoop71
by btcoop71 on Sep 25, 2010 12:02 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
btc is a pro
he should get a job finding pictures appropriate for any occasion.
by Ken Howlett on Sep 25, 2010 12:13 AM EDT up reply actions
That's just darn funny!
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
by Glenn Logan on Sep 25, 2010 12:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Full Story
Or at least the most complete I’ve seen.
Socialism is not an alternative to capitalism; it is an
alternate to any system which men can live as human
beings." Ludwig von Mises
Thanks for the link WW
Say what you want about Jon Solomon, but the man is thorough, and a very talented journalist.
I wonder how Mr. Webster feels about being called a liar, in a very public forum, by the invetigating law firm? And this poor guy, I’m sure thinking his employer wouldn’t find out about a previous marijuana arrest, gets hit with another left hook in the form of being “outed” about the arrest by the paper.
Gotta feel bad for the guy, but if he’s going to adjust grades, he should save the work the students do.
by Ken Howlett on Sep 25, 2010 12:12 AM EDT up reply actions
I am more than happy to put this incident in my rear-view mirror
But someone is still at large who believes they have the authority to release student educational records to big-city reporters willy-nilly, despite what Uncle Sam may say about the matter. Perhaps someone is already on the case…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crCZtW7u-NE
Could be trouble for an educational institution that depends on federal money, and who doesn’t these days?
"He still carries a lunch bucket. What's up with that?"
I just hope this is Really over
and nothing comes out of nowhere down the line
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
New post up ...
… for those night owls who just can’t get enough.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Catching up...
Thanks for the coverage Glenn, and…
Mentat reasoning:
Love the Dune reference!!
If your wings don't sweep....
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