NCAA must be cogitating over this one.

[alexrgct]

Going under the assumption the billboard is not kosher under NCAA rules, what would the penalty be? Is it a secondary violation? If so, if the billboard encourages Mercedes to sign with Louisville, then IMHO the secondary violation is worth the risk.

The article does mention Louisville, but I wonder if they actually paid for the billboard or was it paid for by a family member or friend of the Schimmel sisters who both play for Louisville

I wouldn't be surprised if Louisville had the same line of thinking. First of all, it's just WBB, so maybe no one will notice at all. If they do, throw a few mea culpas the NCAA's way, get a slap on the wrist and by that point, the message would have been sent to Mercedes.

 

[Fightin Choke]

I would bet that the billboard is down within a day or two. Clearly Ms. Russell has received the flattering message already (as indicated in the article), so why push your luck? I'll bet it was paid for and organized by boosters, not by the school. (I know that doesn't make it copecetic, but I would be stunned if the school/athletic department was this foolish.) I guess wcbb is getting bigger if boosters are infiltrating the culture. It makes me wonder if there are any other shadier actitivties (such as payments to recruits) occurring in wcbb recruiting. Sad development, really.