Remember back in August of 2011, when Yahoo! Sports’ Charles Robinson blew the doors open on a Miami Hurricanes scandal that had most college football fans chanting, “DEATH PENALTY! DEATH PENALTY!” At the heart of the story was a Napoleonic booster named Nevin Shapiro, who wanted so desperately to be accepted into the lore of “The U” that he planned stripper yacht parties and booze-fueled night club ragers that lasted entire weekends.
The problem was that he also planned one hell of a Ponzi scheme, and he eventually went to jail for it. That’s when he conveniently spilled the beans to Robinson about all of the players he had paid and gifts he had given over the years, and Miami had to slam on the brakes and do some serious damage control. Of course, that meant a slap on the wrist for a few guys and some crossed fingers, because after that it was all up to the NCAA’s enforcement team to determine what would happen next.
So naturally they f*cked it all up.
Former NCAA enforcement staff members worked with Maria Elena Perez, the criminal defense attorney for Nevin Shapiro, to improperly obtain information for the purposes of the NCAA investigation through a bankruptcy proceeding that did not involve the NCAA.
As it does not have subpoena power, the NCAA does not have the authority to compel testimony through procedures outside of its enforcement program. Through bankruptcy proceedings, enforcement staff gained information for the investigation that would not have been accessible otherwise.
As it relates to the Miami investigation, the NCAA will not move forward with a Notice of Allegations until all the facts surrounding this issue are known.
Sources have told CaneSport that attorneys representing Miami and other individuals involved in the Shapiro/NCAA case are now attempting to throw out large portions of information and testimony that had been part of the case.
This information and the NCAA’s own internal inquiry have thrown a major monkey wrench into the entire Miami / NCAA affair.
Sources have speculated to CaneSport that there is the growing liklihood that the case will never reach the NCAA Infractions Committee. (Via CaneSport)
And on that note, I would like to present the official response of every sports fan in America.