Sunday in a piece by John Canzano of the PORTLAND OREGONIAN, Oregon football coach Chip Kelly addressed the 2010 $25,000 payment made to Willie Lyles, the alleged “mentor” of Oregon football player Lache Seastrunk.
(Keep the “names and phone numbers.” Where’s the videos?)
From Canzano:
A purchase order obtained by The Oregonian details that Lyles billed them for “Game films, Highlight film” from 22 states. And if you ask Kelly what was provided he’ll tell you the Ducks received contact information for players — “names and phone numbers.” Basically, access.
The only thing listed on the invoice submitted by Lyles to Kelly was the aforementioned video.
So by saying that he received “names and phone numbers,” is Kelly telling us there are no videos? And if Oregon does soon produce some manner of video purportedly from Lyles, why didn’t Kelly, when he had the chance, just tell Canzano exactly what he had? (Confirming the videos now would do nothing to dissuade suspicion.)
If Oregon’s NCAA rules compliance department knew that the state of Oregon was paying Lyles $25,000 based on an invoice that wouldn’t deliver what it promised, is it unreasonable to think that compliance would not have signed off on the transaction?
While we’re at it, where are the “names and phone numbers” which Kelly paid $25,000 for? If the coach doesn’t soon reveal what he actually received from Lyles, we’ll know soon enough thanks to a Freedom of Information request submitted to the state school by Canzano.
So unlike the vast majority of NCAA rule disputes, we absolutely will get to the bottom of this so-called ‘compliance’ issue.
From Oregon’s reaction so far to media inquiries about what changed hands between the school and Lyles - and I’m not talking about what may end up being a meaningless invoice - would non-UO devotees be surprised if the school actually received next to nothing for its $25,000 in taxpayer funds?
Thanks to the extraordinary nature of what appears to be smoking gun evidence against the Ducks football program in its seeming lacking transaction with a notorious college football street agent, this case may also extend beyond the NCAA.
The $25,000 check, per the official University of Oregon payment order, was cut on March 24, 2010, and Fedexed to Lyles the same day. What’s the odds that the IRS may take an interest in whether Lyles, who the Harris County, Texas, website already currently notes has failed in the past three years to make a property tax payment on a Houston residence he owns, reported the $25,000 Oregon payment on his subsequent federal income tax return?
Last Friday, Joe Schad and Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com reported:
But a person who once worked with Lyles said the $25,000 payment exceeded the $16,500 Oregon paid the recruiting service for its work during the previous two years. The source said Lyles’ affiliation with the recruiting service had been terminated prior to Lyles billing Oregon on his own.
So if Lyles was working with Elite the previous two years, what are the odds he claimed that stealth takeaway on his personal income tax return?
From the documented $25,000 payment from Oregon to Lyles and the payments to Lyles via Elite the previous two years, we now know Lyles doesn’t work for free. So what of his “mentoring” relationships with dozens of players since 2004 who have signed with numerous other major college football programs?
If Oregon paid $25K, what about other schools who took on recruits known to associate with Lyles?
While to this point lacking an official, notarized payment order on university letterhead has precluded the NCAA from investigating, I’m not so sure you will soon say the same for the gentle souls at the Internal Revenue Service.
Follow Brooks on Twitter or join him on Facebook for real-time updates.
2:28 am on March 7th, 2011
filed under: “dumbass coach”
really?
2:44 am on March 7th, 2011
Brooks, if he received the money in 2010, it doesn’t need to be filed on a tax return until this coming April. Small “firms” like his don’t operate on an accrual basis. Any payments in the previous years would have needed to filed though. Why did the “service” go up so much for the 2010 invoice?
Also, I think the Athletic Dept would be responsible for the payment ultimately, not the state unless Oregon isn’t in the black in their AD which I seriously doubt with the Nike money behind them.
2:52 am on March 7th, 2011
Auburn has to be mixed in this ordeal somehow. Everyone knows Auburn is involved in paying every player that steps into Lee County, they just do a good job of hiding it. I guess you become pretty good at hiding money when your university has done so for so long.
8:12 am on March 7th, 2011
Brandon is just another example of fan envy. Losers always complain that winners cheat.
9:52 am on March 7th, 2011
Lol, Brandon you’re crazy. Sometimes…we just have to suck it up and admit that this stinks. I cringed when I saw the headlines on day one, and I’ve only felt worse about it since. Here’s to hoping we’ll be innocent.
10:12 am on March 7th, 2011
I just think the writing is on the wall for one Willie Lyles and possibly Baron Flenory. Mack Brown admitted in the NY Times this past weekend that over the past two years he knows of at least three players from each of those years affiliated with an agent in the state of Texas. While he wouldn’t comment on Lyles specifically, it’s pretty obvious who he was talking about, but Lyles and Flenory aren’t the only questionable characters in TX. I
10:17 am on March 7th, 2011
There’s another guy it looks like who just came into TX after fleeing Louisiana and who is a bit questionable and people are already suspicious of. He seems to be a bigger dirt bag than Lyles if that is even possible. Want to know who he is, just visit a Longhorn message board and ask about the shady character from Louisiana, they will have a lot to say. Hopefully this discourages him from doing anymore than what he’s already done. This guy is not tied to Oregon from what I’ve read though.
10:27 am on March 7th, 2011
Did Mack Brown also say that he is the one who notified everyone that Oregon was stealing players out of his state and that his team went 5-7? All this sounds like is sour grapes from a coach who has lost his grip on his home state. This is how recruiting is done all over the country, this is a slap on the wrist if anything! Shame on Brooks and Yahoo! Sports, who continue to let Coaches and universities use them like pawns to get their suspicions out so NCAA investigators will have to take notice. The SEC commits more recruiting violations before 6am than most conferences do all year! TRUE STORY!
10:51 am on March 7th, 2011
Why do we have to talk about Auburn? Can we actually talk about the matter at hand? Just because Auburn beat Oregon doesn’t mean we need to talk about them. Quit deflecting and talk about the issue, Oregon fans. Brooks has you nailed AND you know it. Roll tide.
10:55 am on March 7th, 2011
Auburn used runners in LA. to get Trovon Reed & the Off. Lineman Robinson, used runner to hook up with Cory Lemoniere, Used Walt Williams in Ark. to land Michael Dyer & the TE Moseley, Kody Burns, & K. Frazier(For 2011). Also used runners and hookers to try and land the OL out of Maryland.
Remember, Seastrunk was rumored to be heading to auburn before signing with Oregon. The use of runners/agents at the high school all-star games is out of hand. What happened tot he days when a school like auburn could send out Reverend Chett Williams to pay players through their local church and pastor.
The Cam Newton fiasco is just the latest example of auburn buying players. Former Coach Terry Bowden outlined in an interview after he left Auburn how the pay-for-play scheme worked under Pat Dye and during his Bowden’s 1st couple of years.
11:14 am on March 7th, 2011
“$25K in taxpayer funds?”
That’s disingenuous at best. It’s $25K in athletic department funds.
The Oregon AD is essentially self-supporting. It’s football expenses are paid through things like ticket sales, tv money, merchandise, and donations given specifically to the AD.
Calling it “taxpayer funds” when it doesn’t come from money collected from taxpayers is just bad reporting and writing. Author should know better.
11:58 am on March 7th, 2011
Regardless of where the funds come from and the dept. they serve, Oregon is a public university and ALL dollars are public dollars. For too long, athletic officials and donors have hidden under the mantra that we are self-supported, an assertion that is a fallacy. Yes, they generate revenue but Athletic departments use student fees, university and state funding to provide security, utilities, maintenance of facilities, retirement benefits from the states’, etc. to fill the revenue gap.
One method of fixing some of these problems is to put ALL athletic departments under a dean, not an AD, to run them. Put athletics back in within the University mandate. and make all public universities complete open their financial books tot he public. End groups like Tiger’s Unlimited, as public entity that hides funneling money to recruits.
12:30 pm on March 7th, 2011
Mack Brown is the culprit. Texas has longed tried to keep the monopoly on Texas talent in check. Guys like Lyles provide access to other schools who have openly been rebuffed (e.g. Texas high schools refusing to send video or contact information to Oregon in 2003 when they tried to recruit Adrian Peterson).
If Kelly is paying to get his foot in the door at Texas, I can’t say I blame him. Maybe this is all just a ruse so Mack Brown won’t have to take the heat for such a crappy year.
By the way, these are not public funds. They are AD funds, which are paid for by AD revenue. Oregon is one of the few schools that is self-sustaining. Scholarships are paid for by the AD, no student athlete on scholarship gets a “free” education. Their tuition is paid to the school. This also includes the fee’s, etc.
As for this hack of a “reporter”: I’m shocked to learn that Lyles has sent NUMEROUS other players to different schools. To read about it on this website I could have sworn that Oregon was the only one doing this.
How about some real reporting? Could you tell us which other Lyles’ “clients” signed where? Did any players Oregon was recruiting choose not to go to Oregon?
If you can find one Oregon recruit that went elsewhere it would seem that you have disproven your street agent theory as much as finding one player who signed, proves it.
12:33 pm on March 7th, 2011
I think the Ducks are in some trouble. How much? Thats interesting, as Seastrunk has never played a game for them. As a Pac-10 fan I do take issues with the fact that both sportsbybrooks and Cowerd appear to be schills for Kiffen at this point as there is a lot of smoke pointing that Lane is the guy that started this. Shame on the Ducks and shame on Kiffen. They both will probably not have post season next year which will make the PAc about as exciting as the WNBA.
1:04 pm on March 7th, 2011
“ALL dollars are public dollars.”
I understand the point; but, if Oregon quit football tomorrow and dissolved the athletic department, does that mean Oregon taxpayers will have more money?
Not really, they will essentially have the same money as before. Money like the $25K would instead remain with the people who buy the tickets, pay the tv money, make the donations to the AD, etc.
Oregon’s AD is largely self-supporting. It isn’t a school getting a large subsidy from the academic side - which does happen at other schools. Yes there is a small amount of support money that probably aids the AD. However only about 13% of the UO’s overall operating budget currently comes from state taxpayers. So only roughly 13% of that contribution comes from taxpayers.
Hopefully, the AD provides enough benefit to the university at large to make those relatively small $ well spent.
1:05 pm on March 7th, 2011
You know how Oregon got Thomas? Please share it with us.
1:17 pm on March 7th, 2011
Now I know how Oregon got De’Anthony Thomas on the 11th hour. These cheaters need to be sanctioned ASAP!
1:17 pm on March 7th, 2011
Brooks,
Have you ever thought or this? Maybe Kelly doesn’t give a damn what you or other writers/”shock jocks” thinks? If you do then you don’t know him very well. All he cares about is what the NCAA thinks, so far it sounds like he’s cooperating.
2:09 pm on March 7th, 2011
So let me get this straight, USC is busted for not catching a cheater who is paying one of its players to leave USC, where the player was already playing, and go to the NFL.
Oregon is busted for paying some guy to seduce the moms of some high school players (Seastrunk) and gain the confidence of other high school players and then deliver these High School players to Oregon… PAY FOR PLAY
If Oregon does not receive a much worse punishment than USC received, then the NCAA is completely biased and broken and needs to be torn down, even if Congress and the Supreme Court is required to do so
3:12 pm on March 7th, 2011
Wow, it’s amazing that this brilliant columnist and many commentors have already convicted Kelly and Oregon. Welcome to America!
The funniest part of Brooks’ “taxpayer funds” comment is that Oregon and Oregon State receive approximately nine percent of their annual funding from the State of Oregon. 9%!
Forget about the self-sustaining athletic department, the state just doesn’t have the cash. If Brooks really wants to lament the use of “taxpayer funds” to purchase recruiting services, he should only be crying about $2,400, not $25,000.
3:40 pm on March 7th, 2011
Might want to change the name of the person in the middle of that picture. That is NOT Mike Bellotti lol. Good try though.
3:42 pm on March 7th, 2011
That is Belotti, I have seen that picture in at least 11 places, and it’s Mike B.
4:25 pm on March 7th, 2011
I wonder if sportsbybrooks realizes that most game fil scools get from these sites these days is in the form of online packages? I am not saying there was one in this case, just saying that is the sop of today. I thin UO could possibly get some postseason ban in the future, but since they get very little state money anyway their football program should be fine. The player in question has not played, so they won’t be doing any forfiets or the like. It is probably the young Mr. Seastrunk who is going to see the worst of this, and that is sad. he is already a five star recruit who redshirted (I wonder if Kelly did that knowing there might be an issue at some point). We know he had no father to speak of growing up, and his mother passed him off to his grandmother and then another family altogether. If I was a betting man I would say he will probably be moving on to another Scholl, meaning he will be sitting at least another year. Sad situation for him and I can’t help but feel bad about it.
4:46 pm on March 7th, 2011
When that 25000 was paid, shortly thereafter Mike Bellotti resigned as ADfor the Duhks Could it be his inexperience as AD caused this fee to be paid through normal UO channels? It would seem that other schools would have paid this fee by contacting a rich booster and letting one of his companies pay the bill. Perhaps thats why we are not seeing LSU and OKst being brought up in this investigation
4:54 pm on March 7th, 2011
“Wow, it’s amazing that this brilliant columnist and many commentors have already convicted Kelly and Oregon. Welcome to America!”
Ironic… Wasn’t it the Oregon fan base that was chanting: “no means no!” to the Washington Husky basketball player last month, even though he was never convicted of anything?
Pot meet kettle.
5:28 pm on March 7th, 2011
America you will never meet another fan base in this country that is as “do as i say, not as i do” as the ducks. Pathetic…they think they are big time now because of this investigation, seriously makes you look exactly what you are…fools! I think you should take your toilet seat emblem, hover it over eugene, and let the rest of this country do what it wants to do to you…shit all over your “big boy” program.
5:30 pm on March 7th, 2011
the 16500 was over the past 2 years not one.
5:43 pm on March 7th, 2011
“Wasn’t it the Oregon fan base that was chanting: “no means no!” to the Washington Husky basketball player last month, even though he was never convicted of anything?”
It might have been the Pit Crew, but they certainly don’t represent “the Oregon fan base.” Husky fans have a proclivity for “speaking for all fans,” so your comment isn’t surrprising.
Joe Beaver: Scoreboard!
5:49 pm on March 7th, 2011
So let me see if I have all of this. This Lyle guy worked for a place the Ducks paid 16,500 the prior year. the next year he was gone from that service and the Ducks gave him 25,000. Is that what we are talking about? Geez, is that what all the hubabaloo is about? I hate the Ducks as much as the next guy, but do we all live in fantasyland all of the sudden? I have no doubt this dude is a shady corrector but has anyone here ever been around College football? Pretty much all of the off the field stuff takes place in the shade, and we are talking about a difference of 8500 from one year to the next? Holy moly. I am sorry, but I am not gonna get all hilier than thoguh over 8500. If I had a dollar for every bogus job or slimy charactor I knew about in the world of College Football I would have a whole lot more then 8500. If the Ducks got I Five star back for 8500 then kudos fellas, those guys go for at least 50,000 large in the SEC.
6:04 pm on March 7th, 2011
Actually they released 16500 for 09 and 15500 for 08, so that was 31500 for two years.
6:10 pm on March 7th, 2011
As with many rule breakers, the cover-up is usually worse than the initial charges. Ask Bruce Pearl about that.
We can speculate all day long about what Oregon received further $25,000, but all speculation will be removed when the NCAA peruses the materials.
If it looks like a Duck, and walks like a Duck, it’s likely a violation. How else could a school in Eugene sign a basketball player from Detroit who “didn’t even know that Oregon was a state?”
7:06 pm on March 7th, 2011
Smitty, I am a Cougar. I couldn’t give two shits about what the Huskies do. I’m just tired of the Duck fans acting like they never do wrong. There’s a reason the entire Pac10 hates the Duck fan base. I’ve been treated like hell on numerous occasions while I was in Eugene, I can only imagine how bad it would be if I wore purple and gold.
2:47 pm on March 8th, 2011
First of all, these are “public” funds since the university is “owned” by the State of Oregon. Secondly, the school would have been required to send Lyles a 1099 form and, if Lyles files an extension, he can report the funds as late as October 15, 2011.
5:53 pm on March 8th, 2011
Get it right for once!
The funds are not public funds. The athletic department at Oregon doesn’t receive any public funding. The 9% that both Oregon and OSU receives from the state goes into the general fund for both schools. OSU does take $3.2 M from that fund for their athletics because they are running a deficit.
As for Nerole, I guess you did not read any of the hundreds of Auburn fan quotes about how well they were treated at all of the NCS festivities.
Some people just like to throw mud and lie.
10:28 pm on March 13th, 2011
I am only a CPA, so what the hell do I know about taxes? As Teresa noted above, a payment made in 2010 would be reportable on (listen closely, this is complicated) a 2010 income tax return. According to my information, 2010 income tax returns for individuals aren’t due until April 18, 2011, which according to my calendar is still in the future. And, if an extension is filed, the return is not due until October 15, 2011. The conjecture that Lyles and therefore the Ducks are sleazeballs because Lyles (maybe) didn’t report the income on a tax return that isn’t even due yet really discredits this entire article.
Obviously, the author of this article is more interested in sensationalizating than in delivering facts. And since when is a user of services responsible for whether or not its providers file accurate income tax returns? If the man’s business is not incorporated, then the State of Oregon is required by tax law to send him a 1099 disclosing how much was paid, and a copy goes to the IRS. If you really want to paint Oregon in a bad light because of Mr. Lyle’s (you guess) income tax issues, why don’t you go check whether the 1099 was filed or not - but then since this is “taxpayer” money, it probably isn’t even the responsibility of the athletic department, anyway. Oh, I’m sorry. Checking something out would require some actual research on your part. It’s so much easier just to write things whether you know jack or not.