Last September I wrote a piece in part about all the whining Oklahoma fans were making about the Reggie Bush mess and how even Coach Swtizer thought there really wasn't much that could be done to address it.
They were of course upset that they had to vacate wins, wins that have since been restored, while SC still hadn't learned their fate in regards to the Bush mess. Seems that a lot of folks are disappointed that SC still has yet see what the outcome will be. One group that supposedly expressed their disappointment is the very organization that will met out SC's fate, the NCAA.
Brian Watkins, who is representing a man suing Bush for nearly $300,000, said he spoke to the NCAA on Wednesday afternoon about Bush's failure to appear Monday.
"They're moving forward and kind of surprised Bush would request to be prohibited from cooperating," Watkins said. "They've been looking into this for two years."
Please stop your whining. You mean that in the two years that they have supposedly investigated this they can't make a decision on how to address this? The NCAA has met with Lake and I am pretty sure that they have met with officials and coaches from USC so how much more do they need?
The Lake/Bush lawsuit is a gamble for both parties. Lake could face charges of illegally taping phone conversations and tampering with the eligibility of an amateur athlete. Bush faces the possibility of vacated trophies and awards not to mention the public humility of taking cash while he was at USC and of course SC could face sanctions if the NCAA feels that SC should have known about Bush's activities.
It's petty for the NCAA to feel disappointed that Bush wouldn't cooperate. They should have seen this coming as Bush is not beholden to them anymore and owes the NCAA nothing. Rational USC fans know something isn't right here, as most of here feel pretty certain that Bush and his family took some form of illegal benefits but we are more concerned about USC's fate and not Reggie Bush. USC gets left holding the bag while Bush makes his millions in the NFL. Sure Bush's image may get tarnished but that's not going to hurt his earning power, as plenty of pro athletes with tarnished images continue to make big dollars in the pro's. Reggie is beloved in N.O. so whatever happens it won't effect his standing there.
The NCAA cast their lot with Lake who only met with the NCAA to try and force Bush to settle. In their quest to try and find the truth it would seem to me that maybe the NCAA is not 100% comfortable taking the word of a convicted felon who may have tampered with a player and who may have attempted to extort that player. The NCAA wants Bush's side of the story but it is hard to tell if they will get it with Bush's legal team wanting to keep Bush's deposition, if it ever takes place, private. Not likely if you ask me.
I'm not sure if the Bush legal team has handled this whole situation right, why they didn't dint settle puzzles me but I would also understand why they are fighting if Lake really did try to extort Bush. It would seem reasonable to me that IF Lake did dish out any of his and/or his families money that he should be able to recoup that money. In the end I could care less if there is a judgment for or against Bush as I am still only concerned about how this affects USC.
How SC will handle things with lake is yet to be known but as I have mentioned before they have gone after agents in the past. From Wolf's Blog:
(In response to a question)
Lake may not still be in the sports marketing business but If SC takes the hit I can see them going after Lake for damages especially if he wins a judgment against Bush.
So we are at the same place we have been for a while now only now the NCAA is whining a little bit because they can't dig up anything in regards to this which makes it more difficult for some of us to see just what they can prove as to what SC may have known.
This whole situation is starting to bore the hell out of me.