Stones cast in glass houses

[UConnCat]

The ESPN tour for Maya and her mom was arranged by former DBO Jack Eisenmann. As I recall, Jack overheard Maya and her mom talking about a tour of ESPN and then offered to make a call to someone he knew at ESPN. I think there was a time when ESPN tours were available to the public but I think that practice ended before Maya's tour. Someone at ESPN saw Maya and her mom and notified Tennessee and the rest is history. UConn eventually self-reported the tour as a secondary violation but we heard from Vol fans that self-reporting a violation after being turned in doesn't count.

So, here we are again with Tennessee self-reporting yet another secondary violation after being turned in by another school. I do wonder which school told the NCAA about the bed display. During the weekend in question Tennessee hosted Maya Dodson, Evina Westbrook and Dana Evans and perhaps another recruit or two. Maryland (Westbrook) or Louisville (Evans) perhaps? Those are easy targets for Vol fans.

 

[BroadwayVa]

You know speed dial---ju

Mistakenly sent two text.--- Yeah right. And I am the King of France.--- knowing my luck I would be Louis XVI.---

Speed dial jumps right out there and you never know when you may be speaking to a potential recruit or Dad. Happens 10 times a day every day
But only to Tenn coaches.

If Tn is serious about NCAA Violations reporting--they should remove them self from post season play--and take a year of two cut in recruiting. It's the XXXXX thing to do. (fill in the blank)

 

[DaddyChoc]

Is this really what the NCAA does with all the money they receive? I am surprised they even have a rule about decorating a room. I must be out of touch with reality.

a few people are...

 

[UConnNick]

This self-reporting by Tennessee is LOL funny, considering their abysmal track record as an athletic dept. over the past 30 years or more. They were caught red handed with all kinds of academic fraud going on in the 1990's, but hey, they'd just won a NC in football, so that all got conveniently swept under the rug by the NCAA so as not to tarnish the image of one of their championship winning teams. Oh, and let's not forget about the way they treated female employees in the athletic dept., highlighted by the infamous Peyton Manning 'teabagging' incident. They've left a trail of manure behind them big enough to fertilize the Sahara Desert, and they're acting like they vigilantly report secondary violations, which somehow makes them squeaky clean now???

Excuse me while I throw up.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Right. You could add a whole bunch of other stuff without the recruit being influenced.

The classic personalized recruiting aid is giving her a team uniform with her name on it. Maybe hang it in a team locker.

But why stop there?

You could have the whole staff greet her in t-shirts with her baby picture on them. Or have her enter the arena through a fireworks display and then receive a Letter of Intent delivered by remote-controlled mini-blimp.

No need to be speechless. Those things happened, along with the more modest bowls of candy, spawning the personalized recruiting aids rule.

The recruit wasn't influenced. At least not in a positive way.

Why stop there? Reasonableness--that which is reasonable and generally acceptable within the industry being controlled.
The way to handle this is for every College recruiting a player --present that player all that you listed above (and not list --those that Pat did) --then it becomes "common" and not excessive. No advantage gained by anyone--except the college not doing it??
At one time common sense. But Common sense is no longer common.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Somewhat off-topic -- but seriously?, a tennis coach is violating NCAA rules by being present & watching live matches of upcoming opponents (which would totally make sense from a scouting standpoint)? Someone has to explain to me the "slippery slope" this rule is meant to forestall.

That rule was put in because most coaches wanted it. Otherwise there is an advantage for teams that have the money to fly coaches on scouting trips. Also most coaches don't want an arms race of having to go out on constant scouting trips to keep up with their competitors.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Not suggesting anything... but ESPN doesn't offer tours to the general public. Anybody off the street just can't walk up and request a tour... you have to know an employee who then requests the tour for you, which is then given by a tour guide (or somebody with a corner office if it's a VIP tour).. "regular" employees are no longer even allowed to give tours. Security issues caused ESPN to really tighten it up.

In 2006, when Moore had the tour, it was very easy to tour ESPN. Two of my kids did it - without knowing anyone at ESPN.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Maybe the call was made for them, or the phone was dialed for them, something like that. It certainly wasn't anything serious since I don't think there was any penalty. Perhaps you can provide the exact details.

Yes, the call was made for them - which was a secondary violation. No penalty or ramifications.

 

[SCGamecock]

In 2006, when Moore had the tour, it was very easy to tour ESPN. Two of my kids did it - without knowing anyone at ESPN.

Plenty of people did. ESPN wasn't a closed campus yet.. the entire campus wasn't fenced and you could essentially walk around the campus with no repercussions if you weren't caught.

That said, tours still weren't public and trespassing was rampant... fast forward to 2017, there's now a fence, an unusual amount of security parameters (every building requires employee badge swipe access from the outside) and tours are scheduled specifically for family and friends.

And unlike your children, I highly doubt Maya Moore was walking around campus without some form of invitation.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Plenty of people did. ESPN wasn't a closed campus yet.. there were no fences and you could essentially walk around the campus with no repercussions if you weren't caught.

That said, tours still weren't public and trespassing was rampant... fast forward to 2017, there's now a fence, an unusual amount of security parameters (every building requires employee badge swipe access from the outside) and tours are scheduled specifically for family and friends.

And unlike your children, I highly doubt Maya Moore was walking around campus without some form of invitation.

I didn't say my kids went without invitation. One of their coaches called and found it very simple to arrange a tour. Just as would have happened with Moore had her Mom called.

 

[SCGamecock]

I didn't say my kids went without invitation. One of their coaches called and found it very simple to arrange a tour. Just as would have happened with Moore had her Mom called.

There are always loopholes and somebody obviously did that coach a favor if he didn't know anybody but my original point remains... ESPN tours are not open to the general public and they never were. I know this because I work there and I am a tour guide outside of my normal role. I give tours twice a month.

Just because something isn't supposed to happen doesn't mean it won't.

 

[CL82]

Plenty of people did. ESPN wasn't a closed campus yet.. the entire campus wasn't fenced and you could essentially walk around the campus with no repercussions if you weren't caught.

That said, tours still weren't public and trespassing was rampant... fast forward to 2017, there's now a fence, an unusual amount of security parameters (every building requires employee badge swipe access from the outside) and tours are scheduled specifically for family and friends.

And unlike your children, I highly doubt Maya Moore was walking around campus without some form of invitation.

I love our South Carolina friend explaining to us how things worked here in Connecticut. It is just adorable!! Wrong, but adorable.

ESPN used have public tours. The secondary violation was for making a call to publicly available tour because the athletic department didn't make calls routinely for non-athletes. NCAA said, essentially, 'meh, don't do it again.'

 

[SCGamecock]

I love our South Carolina friend explaining to us how things worked here in Connecticut. It is just adorable!! Wrong, but adorable.

ESPN used have public tours. The secondary violation was for making a call to publicly available tour because the athletic department didn't make calls routinely for non-athletes. NCAA said, essentially, 'meh, don't do it again.'

I'm not trying to explain how things work here in CT. I couldn't possibly care less about CT.

I'm explaining how things are at ESPN.. I'm qualified for that at least... I mean, it's only my employer and I'm an actual tour guide there.. but hey, I'm a transplant... I know nothing.

So sure. Whatever you say.

 

[CL82]

I'm not trying to explain how things work here in CT. I couldn't possibly care less about CT.

I'm explaining how things are at ESPN.. I'm qualified for that at least... I mean, it's only my employer and I'm an actual tour guide there.. but hey, I'm a transplant... I know nothing.

So sure. Whatever you say.

So you don't about how ESPN does things in Connecticut? Where do you think their main campus is Bristol, England?

So you are a tour guide but ESPN doesn't give tours? Must be a slow day.

So you are saying ESPN didn't give tours to, oh I don't know, say, Cub Scouts?

 

[CocoHusky]

I'm explaining how things are at ESPN.. I'm qualified for that at least... I mean, it's only my employer and I'm an actual tour guide there.. but hey, I'm a transplant... I know nothing.

So can I get an ESPN tour or Nah?

 

[Adesmar123]

So can I get an ESPN tour or Nah?

Depends if you are from Ct, Tenn or S Carolina.

 

[HuskyMJ]

Instead of knocking the NCAA for rules that seem minor, shouldn't people be directing their issues with the member institutions that annually meet to discuss new rules to implement, old rules to get rid of, and so forth? The rules that the NCAA enforce often are a result of coaches submitting proposals that their peers vote on and pass. So if Tennessee and their peers agreed not to do certain things when it came to wooing recruits then you can't at the same time minimize the rule and think its a joke. Maybe college coaches don't trust their peers to recruit ethically so instead of an overarching principals based regulations you have more strict minute rules based regulations. If the coaches think its burdensome, I am sure this will come up in discussions in the offseason when discussing items to vote on.

 

[DefenseBB]

So can I get an ESPN tour or Nah?

Why I am so tempted to say "Tour THIS!"? The incident happened, it was wrong, it was a minor infraction, it happened 9-10 years ago, let it go.
As far as Tenn self reporting, lots of schools have to do this when issues occur-inadvertent, or semi-intensionable by a coach or booster but caught by someone else. Are some of the rules silly or excessive? Probably, however as we periodically need to be reminded, some schools and boosters would go over the top, sparing no expense and the point is supposed to be about the institution and education. And please limit the snark as most schools do actually follow the rules.

 

[Bestiarius]

I'm not trying to explain how things work here in CT. I couldn't possibly care less about CT.

I'm explaining how things are at ESPN.. I'm qualified for that at least... I mean, it's only my employer and I'm an actual tour guide there.. but hey, I'm a transplant... I know nothing.

So sure. Whatever you say.

You're posts are not clear. We're talking about the ESPN Headquarters in Bristol, CT, where broadcasts originate, and one specific instance of a secondary violation of calling that office to schedule a tour. At the time, at ESPN in Bristol, tours were available and free.

When you say "I'm explaining how things are at ESPN", its not clear on what you're talking about. Dou you mean tours of production trucks that go to the event site to beam the telecast back to Bristol, etc? This thread involves tours of the Bristol headquarters. Not sure where you're working, but apparently not Connecticut, and not at the time the secondary violation occurred.

The whole point of this thread was the irony of Tennessee fans complaining about the UCONN tour incident, but excusing their own violations.

 

[triaddukefan]

There are always loopholes and somebody obviously did that coach a favor if he didn't know anybody but my original point remains... ESPN tours are not open to the general public and they never were. I know this because I work there and I am a tour guide outside of my normal role. I give tours twice a month.

Just because something isn't supposed to happen doesn't mean it won't.

I dont think this is the right forum to mention that...... Im just saying You'd better take cover.....

 

[SCGamecock]

View attachment 23714


I dont think this is the right forum to mention that. Im just saying You'd better take cover.---.

Hahahaha.. oh it doesn't matter since nobody besides you has read that part anyway... obviously.

 

[triaddukefan]

Hahahaha.. oh it doesn't matter since nobody besides you has read that part anyway... obviously.

I see I was too late with my warning..... sunday sleepiness + plus summer thunderstorm

 

[SCGamecock]

I see I was too late with my warning.---. sunday sleepiness + plus summer thunderstorm

That's some good sleep right there!

Brings back good memories.. my grandmother has a screened in back porch.. I used to take naps out there during the summer thunderstorms as a kid. I was just fascinated with weather and how quickly it changes.. sorry, another tangent haha

 

[SCGamecock]

You're posts are not clear. We're talking about the ESPN Headquarters in Bristol, CT, where broadcasts originate, and one specific instance of a secondary violation of calling that office to schedule a tour. At the time, at ESPN in Bristol, tours were available and free.

When you say "I'm explaining how things are at ESPN", its not clear on what you're talking about. Dou you mean tours of production trucks that go to the event site to beam the telecast back to Bristol, etc? This thread involves tours of the Bristol headquarters. Not sure where you're working, but apparently not Connecticut, and not at the time the secondary violation occurred.

The whole point of this thread was the irony of Tennessee fans complaining about the UCONN tour incident, but excusing their own violations.

I actually live and work in Bristol. Twice a month, outside of my normal job, I give campus tours to family and friends that have placed reservations through the formal process. Those tours are company approved.

Before ESPN had tour guides, there wasn't an official process to take a tour.. people simply called, asked nicely, and employees gave unofficial tours. Those tours weren't company approved. Even back then, employees weren't supposed to give tours but they still did it. In fact, it was frowned upon.. but it was seldomly enforced. What happens when you don't enforce a rule.... people keep breaking it. The rule has always been that tours aren't allowed for the general public.... BUT again, that rule wasn't always enforced. It took several minor security issues along with the campus becoming a tourist attraction for that rule to become enforced, and because of those issues the company created a formal process to take a tour.. and today tours are only limited to friends/family of employees, civic groups, and VIPs.

I'm not even talking about the Maya Moore incident.... that's neither here nor there. I don't know enough about that incident to speak on it. My original post was in response to somebody posting that ESPN tours are open to the public... they aren't now.. and even when they happened in the past they weren't supposed to happen then either. That's my entire point. As we know, there are always exceptions to rules..

 

[triaddukefan]

That's some good sleep right there!

Brings back good memories.. my grandmother has a screened in back porch.. I used to take naps out there during the summer thunderstorms as a kid. I was just fascinated with weather and how quickly it changes.. sorry, another tangent haha

Well my great grandparents had a screened in back porch with a big swing ..... I remember many a summer days swinging and just listening to the sounds of the country.... sounds you cant really here in a city. Maybe I'll spend this tangent off into another thread

Summer Thunderstorms are a weird thing.. and they are so random. ...... about 5pm... it was 96 degrees with a heat index near 110.... then the storm came through. At 6pm it was 71 degrees Im not even sure the north part of town even got hit with a drop of rain.

 

[LesMis89]

I actually live and work in Bristol. Twice a month, outside of my normal job, I give campus tours to family and friends that have placed reservations through the formal process. Those tours are company approved.

Before ESPN had tour guides, there wasn't an official process to take a tour.. people simply called, asked nicely, and employees gave unofficial tours. Those tours weren't company approved. Even back then, employees weren't supposed to give tours but they still did it. In fact, it was frowned upon.. but it was seldomly enforced. What happens when you don't enforce a rule.--- people keep breaking it. The rule has always been that tours aren't allowed for the general public.--- BUT again, that rule wasn't always enforced. It took several minor security issues along with the campus becoming a tourist attraction for that rule to become enforced, and because of those issues the company created a formal process to take a tour.. and today tours are only limited to friends/family of employees, civic groups, and VIPs.

I'm not even talking about the Maya Moore incident.--- that's neither here nor there. I don't know enough about that incident to speak on it. My original post was in response to somebody posting that ESPN tours are open to the public... they aren't now.. and even when they happened in the past they weren't supposed to happen then either. That's my entire point. As we know, there are always exceptions to rules..

You were replying to me and...speaking of reading carefully...my post said 'was available to the general public', not are.

By your own description in paragraph two of this quote, you admit that people called, asked nicely and got tours. Why then, in the name of all that's good and holy, would the public not think that tours were available?

And the Maya Moore incident is EXACTLY the here and there. It was the entire point of my post. I was describing the circumstances surrounding UConn's secondary NCAA infraction in which a member of the UConn staff called ESPN to arrange something that Maya Moore and/her mother could have gotten on their own without UConn's aid.

 

[SCGamecock]

Well my great grandparents had a screened in back porch with a big swing ---.. I remember many a summer days swinging and just listening to the sounds of the country.--- sounds you cant really here in a city. Maybe I'll spend this tangent off into another thread

Summer Thunderstorms are a weird thing.. and they are so random. . about 5pm... it was 96 degrees with a heat index near 110.--- then the storm came through. At 6pm it was 71 degrees Im not even sure the north part of town even got hit with a drop of rain.

They are very weird but it's the simple things like that I miss most about summers down South.. I could do without the unbearable heat from May until September and the bugs though..

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Oy vey - I don't see the conflict here. Our South Carolina fan / ESPN employee supplied some interesting information. It really doesn't matter "how" Maya would have gotten a tour, UConn committed a (completely nonsense, like most of the Tennessee violations, most RU ones that I know of, and whatever other ones UConn has committed over the years) secondary violation. There are millions of rules - and what we as fans think of them isn't really important. They exist, and the penalties are slaps on the wrist, basically. It was no smear on the UConn program to have had an oops happen, any more than that I can see most of the Tennessee violations listed as mounting up to anything.

 

[reno tony]

Right. You could add a whole bunch of other stuff without the recruit being influenced.

The classic personalized recruiting aid is giving her a team uniform with her name on it. Maybe hang it in a team locker.

But why stop there?

You could have the whole staff greet her in t-shirts with her baby picture on them. Or have her enter the arena through a fireworks display and then receive a Letter of Intent delivered by remote-controlled mini-blimp.

No need to be speechless. Those things happened, along with the more modest bowls of candy, spawning the personalized recruiting aids rule.

The recruit wasn't influenced. At least not in a positive way.

Wow, I really hope you are just kidding.... but if you aren't, recruiting is crazier than I thought.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Unkind commentators will recall that the ban of "personalized recruiting aids," a/k/a the "Tennessee Rule," stemmed from the over-the-top preparations for Ann Strother's official visit to Knoxville. These included stocking her hotel room with bowls of her favorite candy.

This has always been my personal favorite Vol silliness. I vaguely recall something up in the sky too....