what rule was that, and how did it kick us in the ass (other than the obvious of having to pull the scholly offer for porter)?
Passed a rule that you can not count anyone back if you are at the 85 scholarship the previous year. This rule was passed after all the guys were signed and the reason we did not count back our early enrollees, Washington and Adams. So we were right where we needed to be before the rule was passed and no need for greyshirts. The rules before this change in May was that you could count back athletes if you took less than the 25 maximum of enrolled athletes on scholarship the previous year and the prospect would have to enroll early to be eligible to count back.
true. you dont change a rule in the middle of things. you change it and say it will be effective for the next round in whatever it is. maybe miles didnt handle this right, i dont know. i dont know exactly what happened. however, he the program should not have been in that position if they were fine before the rule change that was enacted after nsd.
At the risk of repeating myself, this is much a do about nothing. It happens with all programs, and even though that may not make it right, it is part of just how it is. Whether we like it or not. Again, I think that the Miles critics are just looking for another thing to hang on him. The possibility that we might have a very good season will take away that fire power if we do, and they need something to complain about. Over signing is just the newest thing.
I think many are missing the main point here in the stampede to defend Les Miles and the LSU program at all costs. The article is horribly written and uses far too much hyperbole to try to make it's convoluted point. But there is a point and it's a very good one. I think the joke's on everyone who feels a need to defend Les Miles against allegations that could be made against many college coaches. Because of coach Miles' reputation as a man of integrity and one of the Good Guys coaching at this level, it gives it a bit mote controversy to get folks like you all riled up. And publicity to the article, writer, and point he's trying to make. EVERY coach who sits in a parents living room or calls them on the phone promising to treat their son like his own and to look after his athletic, academic, and overall well being; and then rescinds a scholarship that he's promised to a kid and his parents, after the kid has made a binding commitment to that coach, has got some scumbag in his DNA. Including CLM. That's just a crappy thing for anyone to do to anyone, no 2 ways about it and no excuses. Just because "everyone else is doing it" and "it's expected" is absolutely no excuse. I expect every politician to lie and be corrupt, that doesn't make it OK. Yes the system is broken. And the NCAA are scumbag hypocrites too. But nobody is forcing any coach to lie to these kids. They do it because they can get away with it and nobody calls them out for it. Because it's easier to lie to a 17 year old recruit than to face the boosters, regents, and fans. LSU and our coach Les Miles don't have to do it this way. They choose to. And that puts them in the same category as the Sabans, Kiffins, and Myers as far that goes. Nobody wants to think of our school and our coach that way, but that's the way it is. Integrity would be refusing to yank a scholly from any deserving kid that you'd promised it to because you only offer what you actually have to give. But we all know that winning is more important that real integrity in most places. Including Baton Rouge. Les Miles is NOT a bad guy. But he's guilty of following the status quo in this instance. And he doesn't have to. But he doesn't want to give up any advantage that any other big time program makes use of.
If the idea of greyshirting were foreign to the recruiting process, and if I knew for sure that Miles told Porter's family that he would not greyshirt, then I'd agree. However, this isn't an entitlement program. Greyshirting is not a secret. So I still don't understand why all the horror and dismay. Poter's scholarship wasn't yanked. It was delayed because of a change in very well known and understood rules. If a football program is going to compete in the SEC, the rules have to be understood completely and the top programs have to exploit the envelope of the rules. And when the rules change mid-stream, good kids are going to have to accept the changes. No way a football program (that wants to compete for the SEC championship) can try to predict what rules might change, and therefore guide their practices by some hypothetical idea. The statement "stampede to defend Les Miles" is an interesting turn of phrase. Perhaps some folks (i.e. me) just disagree that this is a big deal.
You are missing a very important point here, though. The rules changed AFTER he was signed. On NSD, we were planning on counting back 2 early enrollees, as per NCAA rules. In May, the rules changed and prevented Miles from doing that. His hands were tied.
