The NCAA’s investigation of Ole Miss is turning out to be quite the story.
Now officially on the record that August, Sheridan asked if Lewis understood that immunity would only cover past events, not any potential future violations, and that if he was found to have provided false or misleading information, he could still lose his grant.
“Yes sir,” Lewis replied.
Finally, Lewis’ lawyer, John Brady, stepped in to clarify how far his client could go.
“I just want to make sure we’re clear that the immunity extends to everything that you may ask Leo today, is that correct?” Brady asked.
“That is correct,” Sheridan replied.
Then Lewis started talking. About money. About free hotels, free rides to visit college campuses, hundred-dollar handshakes, free apparel, and even more money, bags of cash he says he received from multiple SEC programs totaling over $21,000 during the final week before National Signing Day in February 2015.
“Multiple SEC programs”? Please, continue.
Additionally, new documentation submitted to the Committee on Infractions by attorneys for Ole Miss claims Lewis told NCAA enforcement he took $11,000 in benefits from his current school, Mississippi State. Unlike Lewis, Mississippi State cannot receive conditional immunity for any former, current, or future statements its current player makes.
11 grand? Pfffft. Loose change.
… an audio tape of an alleged conversation between Farrar and Lewis’ mother, Tina Henderson, was submitted by Farrar’s counsel after the November interview. In the audio tape, recorded on Feb. 2, 2015, a day before Lewis says Allen paid him $10,000 to sign with Ole Miss, Henderson allegedly told Farrar that she had received multiple cash offers for Lewis, including $650,000 from LSU and $80,000 from Mississippi State.
In the third meeting, Lewis confirmed his identity in the Snapchat video submitted by Ole Miss. Sheridan asked Brady and Lewis to listen to the tape alleging cash offers from LSU and Mississippi State and asked Leo, “were you personally offered any money from a school other than Ole Miss?”
At that moment, Brady requested to go off the record. When the meeting resumed, Lewis confirmed the questions.
“Yes sir,” he told Sheridan.
Lewis confirmed his mother was offered and received money as well, at which point the NCAA requested to go off the record. [Emphasis added.]
That’s called not wanting to show your hole card.
I have no idea where this is going, but if Greg Sankey’s not already shitting bricks, he will be soon.
By the way, for those of you who continue to wonder how would schools figure out what to pay players in a post-amateurism world, it seems like they’ve already done their prep work on that.
**********************************************************************
UPDATE:
Get The Picture 
At least we can all join hands together in fellowship while watching this dumpster fire reach critical mass.
LikeLike
I won’t claim the eastern schools are as pure as the driven snow, but we can assume the western schools are likely as dirty as we thought they were.
LikeLiked by 2 people
We just need to kick the West schools out of the SEC. All except Bama. I haven’t seen anything on Bama since Saban showed up but every other West school has dirt all over them. What good is the NCAA when they do nothing about this year after year?
LikeLike
I do wonder if players were paid how much of this would go away. I’d bet there would still be some coaches/schools looking for an inside advantage, offering some kind of below-board incentives.
LikeLike
At Georgia, McGarity would sell bag man naming rights.
LikeLiked by 4 people
You do that and risk running afoul of tax laws. Folks go to jail and have their assets seized for stuff like that. I don’t imagine Little Nicky would be willing to lose his house on Lake Gaston for stuff like that.
LikeLike
Or Lake Tuscaloosa…
LikeLike
Lake Burton
LikeLike
Ugh. I knew that. Thanks for the correction.
LikeLike
This isn’t some new thing. Players have been paid for college pay since Jim Thorpe days of football.
LikeLike
‘I have no idea where this is going, expect that if Greg Sankey’s not already shitting bricks, he will be soon.’
If this fire spreads east expect Auburn to explode like a kerosene cloud vapor. In fact, the amount of $ described in these depositions can be found under the cushions of any sofa in Auburn’s athletic shrine….er building. ….James Brooks says ‘Hi’, since he can’t spell it.
LikeLike
Agreed and I have real questions with this lingering and the LSU/UF scheduling argument, does he have the ability to lead that Slive did?
People forget Slive was brought in to get the SEC off probation and he did a great job at that. He also had the schools working together not ratting out their rival to the NCAA. Sankey may not have had the power to settle LSU/UF scheduling on his own but a good leader gets both sides to work to together. I maybe wrong but I think Slive would have had it ironed out quicker.
LikeLike
Well they had Auburn red-handed with Scam and did nothing. Why would you think they would do anything now?
LikeLike
This is what can send the SEC in the toilet for a decade. UGA could benefit by winning some SEC championships with especially the West in the middle of sanction but if the SEC has problems like the SWC did it will have ripples in Athens.
UGA maybe cleaner than our rivals but B-M is also good at rolling over and playing dead to NCAA officials.
LikeLike
Yep, I fear that we all will be shitting bricks if this turns into a conference wide game of finger pointing. Recruits will run.
LikeLike
LikeLike
What It Was, Was SEC West Football
LikeLike
Listening to that made me smile at the thought of Penn Wagers as a convict.
LikeLike
Does it seem odd to anyone else that they turned an alleged $650,000 offer from LSU and and alleged $80,000 offer from Miss. St. to take less money from Ole Miss? That doesn’t add up for me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oops! I didn’t click on the article link before I commented and now realize he is a MSU player. I thought from the excerpt above he was an Ole Miss player. Still…what in the world was he thinking if LSU offered $650,000? Maybe that was a typo and was supposed to read $65,000. Either that or Mr. Lewis must be struggling in his math classes in Starkville.
LikeLike
I’m thinking typo. Nobody shuns 650 K for 65K.
But it the SEC implodes, it will be another “Most Georgia Thing Ever”. With the bonfire that will be the West raging..and the afterglow of probations, ineligibilities for bowls games, etc. Georgia’s up and coming, shiny new football program will mean little to the folk picking the spots for the playoffs. “SEC Champions?”…will be thrown in our face with guffaws from the ACC, the BIG, etc…unless they get dragged into this. How come all the schools getting mentioned are in the SEC?
LikeLike
Already asked and answered.
https://twitter.com/38Godfrey/status/901112411519942656
LikeLike
Sounds more like a bargaining device than either a typo or reality. LSU may buy players but they aren’t paying that much.
LikeLike
Depending on the exchange rate, it’s value is usually lower than American money
LikeLike
LSU was offing a lump sum payout while the other schools award a 20 year annuity.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I thought the same immediately
LikeLike
Well, offers are very different than bags in hand.
LikeLike
I wonder if Lewis declared all this money and other stuff on his income tax. If he did, he risked losing his scholarship and other financial aid. If he didn’t, after testifying about it, he may be in trouble with the IRS.
LikeLike
It’s a gift, not income.
LikeLike
Even if there is “Pro Quo Quid” (or however it’s said”) Hell, we can all tell our employers to quit paying us and gift us instead. I say he’s on the hook.
LikeLike
He pocketed money from Ole Miss boosters and didn’t go there.
Just because recipient doesn’t pay gift tax doesn’t mean nobody does.
LikeLike
I doubt said booster filed a gift tax return 😉
LikeLike
Isn’t the gift ceiling amount still $13,000 a year? If so, a booster couple could give $26,000 per year to each individual and there be no tax consequences. Have a few boosters united to help, say a specific Auburn target, and you can get into some decent money pretty quickly. Of course that violates NCAA rules, but not the IRS.
LikeLike
Good point
LikeLike
Take it a step farther. A married couple could each give $13k to Lewis and each give $13k to his Mama. Now we’re at $52k.
LikeLike
His mother was allegedly offered 80K from MSU. If she took that money, I would think he’s on the hook. Also he said he got 20K in “benefits” from MSU..
But I doubt much of his story. For instance he described receiving “multiple bags of money”…”Bags” ? And here I thought that was just an expression…maybe they were gift bags..with a coffee cup, a pen and pencil set, a stuffed mascot toy, and a wad of cash. But where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire, so I guess we’re in for the airing of some very nasty laundry.
Hope it’s all over-hyped and mostly untrue. We don’t need this in the conference.
LikeLike
Well in that case he breached an illegal contract and is still liable for the income taxes. You don’t get gift treatment when the other party is expecting something in return for the gift. It doesn’t have to be compensation to be income. Stealing somebody’s money under false pretenses is taxable income. I’m a retired tax attorney if you want to further discuss this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agree, that is what I understand as well, it has to be a gift and not for services rendered. Designed more for a child, or special friend. The cap is to prevent it being used to avoid the death tax.
LikeLike
FWIW federal gift tax falls on donor. State? YMMV
LikeLike
Quid Pro Quo. FIFY..
LikeLike
Uh sorry Senator but it’s income. When a person is paid for his services it is income. I also think the LSU number was just a bargaining move on the mother’s part. LSU couldn’t pay that kind of money.
LikeLike
What services is a recruit providing to a booster?
LikeLike
Don’t ask, don’t tell … 😉
LikeLike
IRC section 68 known as the “Shotgun Clause” states “There shall be a tax on income from whatever source derived except…”. There follows thousands of pages of exceptions including a gift but the booster does expect something in return so it is by definition in the tax code not a gift. Therefore it is not a codified exception and thus it is taxable income to the recipient. Just because the player does not live up to his part of the bargain and the booster chooses not to sue him it does not change the original intent of the transaction.
LikeLike
Wouldn’t the booster have to testify that he was paying the player to come to MSU?
LikeLike
Jordan Jenkins ftw!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Has McGarity announced his preemptive suspensions yet?
LikeLike
If everyone was exposed, I would bet ND would lose more players than UGA….unless it doesn’t count if forgiven at confession by a priest.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Honestly an NFL-style pay scale – not the same amounts of course, but a tier system where everyone would get xdollars and you could pay a certain number of folks up to 2x may put a lid on payments, and may even provide some parity. Different scales for different levels.
LikeLike
That would require an antitrust exemption and likely a collective bargaining agreement.
LikeLike
As if either one of those things are actual obstacles if people decide to go the way.
LikeLike
Areas of high pressure in the weather system around Dan’s head are keeping the storm down south in the Gulf
LikeLike
Just had to say JJs tweet is awesome.
LikeLike
IRC 61 is the applicable code. It defines gross income.
Illegal income. No deductions for earning illegal income. Now we are getting to taxable income. But we may have to go S/E income. Is the recruit in the “trade of business” of earning income from illegal payments knowing that is business.
Lucas vs Earl. Tax the tree that bears the fruit.
See yeah you nonbusiness grads!
LikeLike
Will Alt min come into play based on those numbers. Or even the net investment income tax. Should have ‘inc’d” up if a recruit wants to play that game, and apparently “the moms” always do.
LikeLike
This is where the spread offense comes into play.
Whoa! Nobody at UGA, except coaches, staff, and players do.
Still thinking in terms of man blocking and zone blocking and I formations.
Should have taken those recruits to Tampa a lot sooner.
Easy to follow a money trail, not so a pussy trail.
Cunts generally do not talk.
LikeLike
Damn, Will. Just damn.
LikeLike