Riiiiiight!!!! Phat Phil fabricated the whole thing. Bama was nothing but perfect angels, and all the made up violations never happened. Bama should know the rules, and not need Croom to call them to tell them. In fact, you should EXPECT a coach that doesn't like you to make the same move Croom did. Example, if Saban turned LSU in for something, that would not affect my judgemnet of him. Hell, if he knows something, I would EXPECT him to turn us in. He owes us no loyalty as long as he's on an opposing sideline. Same with Croom vs. Bama.
You see don't seem to be seeing this picture. IF it was a big deal, as you say illegal, why didn't you see a secondary violation come from it? It's because, when the NCAA looked at him reporting a brochure being too wide it didn't mean a thing to them because it was a simply printers mistake. I'd almost be willing to bet that there were people in NCAA office saying, "Geez, this guy's got a serious hard-on for Bama." He did this at least 9X. Everyone one of them wasn't a violation. Think about it. The manner in which you are responding to this is about like the way Croom reacted. I suppose, you think all the mailing dealing with recruiting need to be measured with a ruler in the compliance office.
Terry, you said Croom's answer to what his plan would be is "I have no plan". Surely his response included a "however". Can we have some context?
The questions at that point were along the lines of who did he have in mind to come in as assistant coaches, what direction he was planning on taking with the players in place, where he saw the program and how was he planning on getting it to the level it is expected to be.
Bama fan will never understand that the rest of the SEC doesn't remotely care about their self-inflicted problems. This feeling is affirmed because Bama operated on an unlevel playing field for years. The Bear was very "creative" in structuring his scholarship endeavors (he cheated and/or at the least operated on the very fringes of good ethics Somehow, Bama fans don't get the rules apply to them or their University. Here's a newsflash....This isn't 1975. Quit cheating and you won't be called on the carpet so often. The NCAA scrutinizes historically dirty programs more closely....Bama is one of the dirtiest, so clean up your act instead of getting pizzed that other programs that ARE playing by the rules call your program out. Friggen' whiney azz Gumps :bncry: What do you expect? Other programs to sit with their hands in their laps while you azz-rape the rules (again) we're all supposed to operate under? If Bama worked half as hard on developing their program within the spirit of the rules as trying to avoid the rules, Bama would be a force indeed...but instead, you're your own worst enemy.
How serious the violations were, is not for me to say. I'm not accusing Bama of anything. What I'm saying is this. A buddy of mine in the coaching ranks at an other school may call me and sa "Hey, I think y'all screwed up a little, you may want to look into this." However, I would not expect that from someone who dis-likes me. In fact, I would expect just the opposite. Whether or not, Bama was wrong and Croom right is completely irrelevant to the point I'm trying to make. Someone who does not like your program WILL do these kinds of things, and it should be EXPECTED of them.
