FB RECRUITING PSA - Contacting Recruits

[RaiderDawg78]

I saw on another website that an SEC school had to self-report NCAA violations because a group of fans had used to twitter to contact recruits and their families. The level of contact is disputed, but any contact by a booster is a violation.

Just a reminder (from Notre Dame's compliance website),

The NCAA broadly defines a "booster" as an individual, agency, entity or organization who is known by an institution to:

• Have participated in or been a member of an agency that promotes the institution's intercollegiate athletics program

• Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or a booster organization for the department

• Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program

• Have been a season ticket holder

• Have provided benefits to student-athletes or their relatives or friends

In other words, all MT fans on this board could be considered a booster. If you ever game a dime to BRAA, you are booster. So do not contact or tweet a recruit or their family.....ever. There are some media provisions, but for most of us....don't do it.

It would be bad enough for the university to be forced to self-report something like what this SEC school will. But given that the NCAA may be very angry with the SEC, MT could get the death penalty for your tweets. So be smart...and have a great weekend.

 

[bluefutcpa]

Confirms y I hate the NCAA

 

[sWiley]

I saw on another website that an SEC school had to self-report NCAA violations because a group of fans had used to twitter to contact recruits and their families. The level of contact is disputed, but any contact by a booster is a violation.

Just a reminder (from Notre Dame's compliance website),

The NCAA broadly defines a "booster" as an individual, agency, entity or organization who is known by an institution to:

• Have participated in or been a member of an agency that promotes the institution's intercollegiate athletics program

• Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or a booster organization for the department

• Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program

• Have been a season ticket holder

• Have provided benefits to student-athletes or their relatives or friends

In other words, all MT fans on this board could be considered a booster. If you ever game a dime to BRAA, you are booster. So do not contact or tweet a recruit or their family.....ever. There are some media provisions, but for most of us....don't do it.

It would be bad enough for the university to be forced to self-report something like what this SEC school will. But given that the NCAA may be very angry with the SEC, MT could get the death penalty for your tweets. So be smart...and have a great weekend.

I've never donated a dime to the university in my name. I've never purchased season tickets....

This actually gives me a reason not to do it in my name. I plan to "buy" season tickets this season, but I'm gonna make my girlfriend pay for it now and do it under her name. Leave no paper trail. F the NCAA. I have some plans one day to help us land a big recruit (Once I'm more settled) thus I don't want to put myself in a position to be a booster.

 

[RaiderDawg78]

I actually have a diabolical plan of simultaneously becoming a WKU, Ole Miss, and Vandy booster after I win the lottery. Then, after I have given money to every player on the roster of the big 3 sports, I will "accidentally" get busted by the NCAA, thus creating a huge pay for play scandal that results in each program getting the death penalty and me being disassociated from those schools. I joke only because I won't win the lottery....

 

[sWiley]

I actually have a diabolical plan of simultaneously becoming a WKU, Ole Miss, and Vandy booster after I win the lottery. Then, after I have given money to every player on the roster of the big 3 sports, I will "accidentally" get busted by the NCAA, thus creating a huge pay for play scandal that results in each program getting the death penalty and me being disassociated from those schools. I joke only because I won't win the lottery....

I'm down. You really wouldn't have to win the lottery. Kids these days are dumb enough to take $500.

 

[sWiley]

Let me ask if this would be "illegal".

A non-booster contacts a recruit. Non-booster gives recruit $1,000 because he is a big fan of his game and wants to see him succeed and also help with his upcoming college finances. Non-booster tells recruit that he should really consider MT because it offers a great education and hints to recruit that there's "more where that come from" in Murfreesboro. No promises are made.

Is this illegal? Could MT get in trouble for this? Could non-booster get in trouble for this? If so, how?

 

[AustinLewis]

Let me ask if this would be "illegal".

A non-booster contacts a recruit. Non-booster gives recruit $1,000 because he is a big fan of his game and wants to see him succeed and also help with his upcoming college finances. Non-booster tells recruit that he should really consider MT because it offers a great education and hints to recruit that there's "more where that come from" in Murfreesboro. No promises are made.

Is this illegal? Could MT get in trouble for this? Could non-booster get in trouble for this? If so, how?

Technically, yes. It's illegal. NCAA would be so mad at Alabama's violations that they'd give MT the death penalty.

If I learned anything from my short stint working in CFB, it's that many NCAA rules are ridiculous, arbitrary, and clueless.

 

[RaiderDawg78]

Let me ask if this would be "illegal".

A non-booster contacts a recruit. Non-booster gives recruit $1,000 because he is a big fan of his game and wants to see him succeed and also help with his upcoming college finances. Non-booster tells recruit that he should really consider MT because it offers a great education and hints to recruit that there's "more where that come from" in Murfreesboro. No promises are made.

Is this illegal? Could MT get in trouble for this? Could non-booster get in trouble for this? If so, how?

Yes that’s against the NCAA rules. You become a MT booster the moment you say you should consider MT or suggesting there is more money. The player would/could also be ineligible for accepting pay for performance. The booster would get in trouble by being disassociated from the school and/or banned from school functions. Remember, you are a booster if you promote the school, not just donate $ to the school.



From sitting through compliance talk as a booster at my other school, if you don’t have a previous relationship with a recruit/player (ie family friend), as a fan you should never contact a player or talk to a player about your school. That includes contacting the family or using social media. Nothing good can happen & it can get the school in trouble.

That’s the original point of the thread. A school had to report NCAA violations because fans were tweeting recruits (maybe more than that) and telling them to go to the school.

 

[RaiderDoug]

Non professional adults seeking out and contacting children on the internet is creepy AF.

Do not do it.

 

[MTFNBY5]

In my career I had an opportunity to interact with many athletes who were recruited to become student athletes at the college level. My only advice (probably bad) was to forget the athletic part of the equation and focus on which school you would either dream of or would be most likely to attend if you weren't an athlete.
Both my desire to maintain my professional reputation and my fear of getting MT in trouble kept me from promoting MT to these students but on the few times a student accepted a MT offer I did congratulate them, tell them I was anxious to follow their careers at MT, and offered any advice they requested.
As an aside; one of the students I congratulated had a very good freshman year (in a minor sport) at MT and then transferred to an $EC school. Another had a good FB career at MT (all-conference) and had a lengthy tryout in the NFL. Another told me he was planning to go to MT after JUCO but didn't earn enough credits to get a scholarship. A mixed bag with the players I tried to pump up MT to (after they committed).
Once, in my grad school days and before I was around high school age athletes, I offered my help to a coach at MT asking what a fan could do to help recruiting. I was gently told to leave the recruiting to the coaches. Still good advice.

 

[MT-PAIN]

OK, what if (this is purely hypothetical) Itweet to a senior no less volleyball player and tell her that she looks nice and her Shorty shorts. Is that against NCAA guidelines?

 

[C-Bow]

OK, what if (this is purely hypothetical) Itweet to a senior no less volleyball player and tell her that she looks nice and her Shorty shorts. Is that against NCAA guidelines?

You ain't right..

 

[sWiley]

I was gently told to leave the recruiting to the coaches. Still good advice.

I would generally agree. But I believe our coaches need to do a better job. I don't think we've had bad classes under Stock but they certainly have not been flattering or championship caliber.