“Ever wonder how he got a truck that nice? With tinted windows, spinning rims, that booming bass sound system playing Dr. Dre all over town?”
“No,” I said. “Never gave it a thought.”
“Well, you’re the only one … There’s no way Cedric could afford a truck like that. C’mon. He was from the projects.”
“Okay,” I said, giving Ryan a blank stare.
“Okay? Well. Someone gave him that thing. And it wasn’t anyone in his family. And guess what? Coach looked the other way. He ignored it. Willed it to go away. And it did.” He snapped his fingers. “Just like that. That’s what winners do. They make things go down like they want them to go down.”
“Is that what you do, Ryan?” I said. I was pissed and felt myself start to lash out at him. “You’re a big-time quarterback. Do you cheat?”
He leaned his putter against the wall and cracked his knuckles. “No. I don’t, actually.”
“So if you could steal another team’s signals and not get caught …?”
“You mean like Tom Brady filming the Jets?”
“Yeah. Like that.”
“Or Greg Brady stealing the playbook?” He laughed. “Did you ever see that episode?”
I smiled in spite of myself. “Of course. I’ve seen every Brady Bunch episode. And it was Jerry Rogers who tried to steal the playbook from Greg. Greg would never do something like that. Now answer the question.”
“I did answer it. I said no. I don’t cheat because I don’t need to cheat. I’m that good. But if I had to …”
“Have you ever cheated on a girlfriend?” I pressed, now looking for any excuse to be mad at him.
He cracked the knuckles on his other hand and looked me right in the eye. “Never,” he said.
It seemed impossible, given the opportunities he must have had over the years, but he didn’t flinch or even blink.
“Okay,” I said, deciding to believe him.
“Look, Shea. All I’m saying is—sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.” He picked up his club and knocked in another easy putt.
The next morning, and another few phone calls later, including one to the NCAA, I emailed Smiley my measly three-hundred-word story, relieved that there were no smoking guns, only a couple of quotes, including one from a not very credible UT insider. In other words, it was the best I could have hoped for when I started poking around.
NCAA PROBES BRONCOS
BY SHEA RIGSBY
Walker University’s football program is officially under NCAA investigation, having received a notice of inquiry in late July, says a source with knowledge of the case. The specific nature of the alleged violations was not disclosed, but one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described the transgressions as “mostly minor but potentially more major and wide-ranging in nature,” including concerns about several past and current players’ eligibility and academic misconduct, as well as “extra benefits and possible recruiting violations.” Another source close to the University of Texas athletic department specifically named Walker freshman running back Reggie Rhodes, claiming he was “inappropriately entertained by a Walker booster.”
According to the NCAA’s legislative database, this is the first investigation during Coach Clive Carr’s tenure at Walker, a school known for its squeaky-clean reputation. NCAA senior spokeswoman Emma Potts said: “We can’t comment on current, pending, or potential investigations.”
According to Scott Galovan, Walker’s senior vice president for public affairs, the school is cooperating and collaborating with the NCAA as part of the ongoing inquiry but, as a private university, is not subject to Freedom of Information requests to reveal the notice of inquiry. The notice is sent to schools as formal notification that an investigation is being conducted. If violations become substantiated, the next step in the NCAA process would be a notice of allegations, which would spell out detailed violations.
Walker University athletics director Stuart Sherrill issued the following statement: “The focus of our coaches and student athletes is solely on preparing for LSU this Saturday. As such, I have instructed Coach Carr, his staff, and our student athletes to refrain from commenting on or answering questions regarding the status of this investigation.”
Within seconds of filing my story, my phone lit up with Smiley’s name. “A school known for being squeaky clean? Oh, really, now?” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.
“Well. It is.”
“That’s your opinion, Ms. Rigsby.”
I resisted the temptation to argue that it was actually closer to fact than opinion, sort of like saying: Most people describe the sky as blue.