Oregon, You're On The Clock

And you have Willie Lyles and Lache Seastrunk ((among others)) to thank for this go-round...

The NCAA relayed the official "Notice of Inquiry" in a telephone call to Oregon President Richard Lariviere this week. The school announced this development before Oregon's game against Missouri State.

The inquiry is the result of reports that surfaced this spring concerning payments Oregon made to recruiting services, including a $25,000 payment to Willie Lyles and Houston-based Complete Scouting Services.

Most of the info Lyles and CSS gave Oregon was outdated and even included information on players that were playing against the Ducks in bowl games.

"This notice has been anticipated and is simply the next stage of the process," UO athletic director Rob Mullens said in a University release. "The University of Oregon football program, from Head Coach Chip Kelly through the entire organization, has tremendous respect for the NCAA's important role in monitoring collegiate athletics and, to this end, continues to fully cooperate with the NCAA 's ongoing examination.

"The Athletic Department, Coach Kelly and the entire staff remain committed to operating the athletics program consistent with the highest standards and ensuring our program follows best practices."


Of course, you will...

Lyles has admitted that he made a mistake in this and that CSS, for all intents and purposes, is a dead business nowadays...

Interesting to see who comes out alive in this one...

Seastrunk Cleared To Leave Oregon

((HT: KVAL-TV Eugene))

The whole Willie Lyles shenanigan took an interesting turn in Eugene, Oregon yesterday on the University of Oregon campus...

One of the running backs at the center of the controversy of did-he-or-didn't-he get there because of Lyles, Lache Seastrunk, didn't show up at practice Saturday morning. Oregon head coach Chip Kelly released Seastrunk from his scholarship and told Lache he was free to leave...

There was talk that Seastrunk was, really, fifth on the Ducks depth-chart. But was he buried there...???

Nick Krupke leads team coverage...


The HQ thinks that Seastrunk's release was putting a certain amount of window dressing on the pig that is the current NCAA investigation. If Lache isn't around, then the ill-gotten gains of the relationship with Willie Lyles are diminished...

See...??? See...??? He's not here... we're not getting anything out of the deal anymore...???

Right...

Oregon Puts Out Lyles Info; Now More Q Than A

And there are more questions now than answers...

Part of the Lyles dossier from Eugene was something labeled "The 2010 National High School Evaluation Booklet". Oregon, apparently, made payments to Lyles in 2010 for players that graduated high school in 2008 and 2009.

One of the recruits in the package dated "2011" was defensive lineman Nosa Eguae. Eguae signed with Auburn in 2009, but Oregon paid for recruiting information on him in 2010.

The documents also reinforced that Lyles was paid $25,000 from Oregon for scouting services in March 2010, just weeks after UO signed two Texas high school players whom Lyles advised- one of them being Lache Seastrunk.

Andy Staples of SI.com discusses hyah and
The Oregonian discusses in great detail hyah...

There are high school players that are in the files that are 99-percent from Texas and very few other locations, and the idea of paying $25,000 for that kind of info- from a guy whose past seems just as skeezy- raises even more questions...

It's all skeezy... let's face it...

The Oregonian's Ken Goe talks about it all...
((HT: OregonLive.com))

Willie Lyles and Oregon: The problem or part of a bigger problem?

Oregon Football/Courtesy: goducks.com

((ht: canzano/oregonlive.com))

You'll have to excuse the not weighing in on this due to the vacation that the Satellite HQ was on. But we are back and yep...we've got questions.

We are quickly catching up on the story involving the University of Oregon (and possibly others) and its relationship to a "Street Agent", one Willie Lyles and what all of this means.

For some reading, check out this excellent background piece by John Canzano of The Oregonian RIGHT HERE

This raises a ton of questions, some of which we've raised in the past. Obviously, the street agent business is a thriving one and very successful. Isn't that something the NCAA should be aware of? Should they not be making them go away? Does it not go against everything they claim to stand for?

We had heard rumors that a "Big" school was about to be "Exposed" in an investigation. Since we are just catching up, it appears Oregon is that school. Or are they?

This whole process of paying a guy such as Lyles and miraculously showing up with a prized recruit, one Lache Seastrunk that he just so happens to claim to represent....hmmmm. Sure, it raises some red flags. Particularly when a school such as Oregon who desperately wants to be "Big Time"...has...on their ledger no less, a payment to just such a shady character. That character. One Willie Lyles.

There isn't an indication, yet, that Oregon did anything wrong. Which to us is astounding. Is this not the very thing the NCAA is allegedly trying to stop? We'll see where the investigation turns as it appears Mr. Lyles was on the payroll of more than just the Ducks.

Here's the other reason we think the NCAA should be investigating Oregon. One large booster by the name of Mr. Phil Knight. Or as he's known, the chairman of NIKE.

Here's ESPN's Bruce Feldman explaining what "Recruiting Services" are: