HBO's Documentary "The Scheme" | The Boneyard

HBO's Documentary "The Scheme"

Watched it last night. It was very interesting to see how this investigation got its legs and why nothing ever came from it. Dawkins may broken rules and made bad decisions, but the documentary shows that he's very smart. Toward the end, the doc illustrates the fiction of amateurism and its hypocrisy.

On the coaches front: Not that anyone believed their press conferences denying participation anyway, but you get to actually hear Sean Miller and Will Wade completely implicate themselves on wire taps. Also, Dawkins was very open about his relationship with Pitino and the Louisville program. The doc clearly shows that coaches at these big schools are completely insulated from liability and shielded from the consequences of their rule breaking.

It was definitely worth the watch.
 
My belief has always been that the NCAA knows exactly what's been going on for many years. They let it continue because it's good for business. Coaches don't want to turn in other coaches. The NCAA only acts when they have to because something leaks to the public and it looks bad so they don't want that negative publicity. They need to look like they care or else what's the point of the entire amateur model which is the foundation of the NCAA's existence?

I used to go to AAU events in the decade of the 2000's and there was always talk among coaches about what recruits were asking for money and what schools were offering. So you're telling me I was told this stuff, all the coaches knew about this stuff and the NCAA didn't? Yeah, sure.

If there's cheating like this in college basketball can you imagine what is going on with college football, where the money schools make is exponentially larger? So how come we don't hear about that? Where's the big scandal there? There is none because paying players is good for business. Call me a cynic. But the almighty dollar always rules.
 
Main thing I got out of it was how poor of a job the FBI did with indicting head coaches, and how their operation with Dawkins was borderline soliciting a crime. The kid essentially outmaneuvered the FBI and partied with a bunch of their mismanaged government-funded money. You're welcome taxpayers.
 
Just watched - great documentary. Shows you what a mess the whole situation is. I remember reading about this as it unfolded and now I have faces for the names. Talk about a whole bunch of nothing, from what seemed like a big deal at the time. FBI looks like some real clowns here. Same with the NCAA. Same with the prosecutor.

The fix was in though. How in the world to Wade and Miller get off after those tapes came out? They were blatantly talking deals with Dawkins! In fact, they should have been the targets! How do they still have jobs? Now I don't feel so bad about chanting "lock him up" when AZ played in Hartford most recently.

Also, it's been mentioned above - what do the envelopes look like for SEC football?
 
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Both still head coaches. Both missed games, but that was imposed by the universities, not the NCAA.

Wade was suspended for about a month and reinstated. Coached last year. Salary LY: $2.5M

Miller missed one game I believe. Coached last year. Salary LY: $2.4M
 
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HooperScooper said:
My belief has always been that the NCAA knows exactly what's been going on for many years. They let it continue because it's good for business. Coaches don't want to turn in other coaches. The NCAA only acts when they have to because something leaks to the public and it looks bad so they don't want that negative publicity. They need to look like they care or else what's the point of the entire amateur model which is the foundation of the NCAA's existence?

I used to go to AAU events in the decade of the 2000's and there was always talk among coaches about what recruits were asking for money and what schools were offering. So you're telling me I was told this stuff, all the coaches knew about this stuff and the NCAA didn't? Yeah, sure.

If there's cheating like this in college basketball can you imagine what is going on with college football, where the money schools make is exponentially larger? So how come we don't hear about that? Where's the big scandal there? There is none because paying players is good for business. Call me a cynic. But the almighty dollar always rules.
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Add that the UNCAA only acts in response to a few select schools
 
XLCenterFan said:
Miller missed one game I believe. Coached last year. Salary LY: $1.5M
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I was thinking there's no way Miller only makes $1.5 million. Almost double that.

"Miller is scheduled to earn $2.4 million plus about $400,000 from Nike and IMG and in incentive bonuses next season, and $2.5 million plus the $400,000 and bonuses in both 2020-21 and 2021-22.

www.azcentral.com

Arizona coach Sean Miller hasn't received a contract extension in more than two years

Sean Miller will enter the 2019-20 season working off what is now a three-year contract at the University of Arizona.
www.azcentral.com www.azcentral.com
 
HooperScooper said:
I was thinking there's no way Miller only makes $1.5 million. Almost double that.

"Miller is scheduled to earn $2.4 million plus about $400,000 from Nike and IMG and in incentive bonuses next season, and $2.5 million plus the $400,000 and bonuses in both 2020-21 and 2021-22.

www.azcentral.com

Arizona coach Sean Miller hasn't received a contract extension in more than two years

Sean Miller will enter the 2019-20 season working off what is now a three-year contract at the University of Arizona.
www.azcentral.com www.azcentral.com
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Thank you. I updated.
 
The best illustration of NCAA hypocrisy (see: UNC fake classes, and others) is the NCAA's extreme treatment of lightweight D1 Cal Poly for its administrative error.

The NCAA wacked Cal Poly for for 2 years probation because Cal Poly provided cash stipends of $800 to its 265 athletes for books and academic supplies between 2012 and 2015. The overpayments were found to be administrative oversight by a Cal Poly's whose Administrator mistakenly believed that the NCAA allowed each athlete to receive a $800 stipend for books rather that actual cost of said books, not to exceed $800.

The overpayment to the 30 athletes who participated in 18 of the schools 22 sports averaged a meager $174.57.

Read the below link and you will see that under similar facts the NCAA merely assessed a fine against football heavyweight Nebraska.

I detest the NCAA.

mustangnews.net

Cal Poly Athletics Director says NCAA ruling on book stipends case is a "sad day for the NCAA" - Mustang News

Cal Poly Athletics Director Don Oberhelman is speaking out following a NCAA decision to punish Cal Poly Athletics for misallocating textbook scholarships, saying the ruling “further exposes the hypocrisy of the NCAA.” “This should never happen to a student,” Oberhelman said. “The very reason the...
mustangnews.net mustangnews.net
 
Miller now owes Book. Big-time IMO. In fact, many people also owe Dawkins a nod of appreciation. He didn't seek a deal and didn't give up any coaches. I wonder how many D-I coaches out there were holding their breath, praying the kid didn't out them.
 
Dawkins's decision to keep the coaches out of the $ scheme destroyed the SDNY's case. The FBI/SDNY needed Dawkins to adopt the coach model in order for them to go after the coaches. When Dawkins said no, the SDNY's case against the coaches fell apart. The SDNY switched gears and targeted Dawkins as the kingpin of the operation to try to save face. The SDNY looks really bad especially after its press conference claiming to have the coaches "playbook", which we now know they failed to create in the first place.
 
Great watch and truly pointed out the blatant lack of action by the NCAA when it comes to violations by the big time schools. Will be interesting to see how the NCAA muddles thru the lack of income associated with the March Madness cancellation and cutting their talking head execs salaries.
 
XLCenterFan said:
Miller now owes Book. Big-time IMO. In fact, many people also owe Dawkins a nod of appreciation. He didn't seek a deal and didn't give up any coaches. I wonder how many D-I coaches out there were holding their breath, praying the kid didn't out them.
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Not just Book, just about all his assistants have been hung out to dry.
 
FBI & SDNY for shame. You had no case, so you entrapped the least powerful person w/in their goofy web. Like Tark's quote in the beginning of the doc. 9/10 schools cheat, the one that doesn't is in last place.
FBI, SDNY, and the NCAA come out looking like scum.
 
Well made film. Too bad we never got to see the younger Dawkins play in college. Much respect for the Dawkins family and getting the real story out.

The FBI creating crimes in basketball recruiting really can't be part of their mission statement.

I also really don't get the FBI machine guns drawn approach when arresting Dawkins in hotel suite with the undercover agent...pretty pathetically overboard. So if Dawkins had reached for his phone he could have been blown away for a very petty non-crime they created out of thin air.

Moral of the story is keep paying the players under the table if you want, better they and their family get something for their services and screw the NCAA.
 
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G league paying bigger bucks may fix this mess to some degree. I am wondering if the Schools have to up their payments to compete or do they give out lesser payments to the next tier. It will be interesting to see the outcome.
 

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