“You getting it all on tape. That Southwest Central State and Springbok, along with their agents and financial planner partners, are paying college athletes with the intent to sign lucrative deals after college.”
“Why not Nike or Adidas? I mean, seriously, Springbok and Southwest Central State are upstarts.”
“You have to start somewhere,” Stewart said, confirming what I’d been thinking.
This wasn’t about the NCAA. We had a letter from his boss’s boss saying we could stop after the one meeting. This was about a young man who thought he could bully me into assisting him in advancing his career.
I wholeheartedly understood ambition and applauded Stewart for having it. Too many people today seemed to go through life with no direction. They sat back and hoped things would get better or that their hard work would be recognized, and they would get that promotion.
It was why I liked athletics. Sports surrounded me with other people who were ambitious enough to work towards something. The extra bit that I added to the mix was I sought out mentors, people who had success and had gone through what I was doing. I suspected that Stewart didn’t have a mentor. If he had, his mentor would have explained to him that picking on someone like me was a mistake.
Not because I was high profile and had access to the press. The NCAA faced down universities that had large alumni bases and the resources to fight back. What would one kid be able to do to them?
What should have given him pause was that I was experienced in having people come after me. I could also be a sneaky little shit; just ask Tami. If I had been his mentor, I would have warned him about two things. The first was, I wouldn’t be a pushover because of who I was. I wasn’t a backwoods star quarterback whose biggest concern was which cheerleader I planned to take out this weekend. That was so last year.
The second was something you gained with experience. If someone makes a big show of something, doubt it. It’s like the panhandler who had approached me in New York. He told me to relax, that he was harmless. I didn’t believe him for a moment and just kept walking. Stewart should have questioned why I made a big show of being alone with him.
“Do you honestly believe you will nab a full-on confession from someone at Southwest Central State? This isn’t Coach Foster’s first coaching position at a Division I program. If he hasn’t been told by Southwest Central State what the rules are, I’m sure he got ‘the talk’ at a previous job. Plus, they aren’t afraid of the NCAA,” I said.
That pissed him off. I saw his face go red, and the inner negotiator in me was happy. Stewart didn’t disappoint.
“I’m not sure you fully understand that I’m an investigator with the NCAA. You’ve already had to get a special letter of eligibility because of some concerns we’ve had with you in the past. It wouldn’t take much for us to reopen those investigations again, especially since you’ve admitted to being offered money to go to school. There might be others who think you might have your hand out, trying to get the best possible deal. I’d hate to have you not be able to play college ball,” Stewart said with a smug expression.
My mom in me wanted to wipe that look off his face. Luckily, I’d received some great advice and decided not to go with my first instinct.
“Let me tell you two things about the NCAA that you might want to keep in mind. The first is you’re not as powerful as you think.”
“Oh, really?”
“Let me give you three examples. The first is the case with Notre Dame. You can tell that they’re basically a good group of people. They assisted you and took their medicine when they found that they’d violated the rules with their academic problems. Missouri and North Carolina were two different deals.
“Missouri blamed it all on the tutor, and you couldn’t do anything about it. With North Carolina, you had them dead to rights, but they fought it. I mean, they created classes that guarantee an ‘A’ and then used the defense that other students were able to take the classes too. You can’t be serious about the rules if you allow that. It was clear that more than just the athletic department was involved in giving student-athletes improper benefits, in my opinion.
“Your biggest problem is you can’t force anyone to talk to you who isn’t at a member institution. That’s why you can never get the link between the shoe companies and universities. If the university is willing to keep it in-house, then you know the shoe company isn’t going to talk,” I said.
“That’s why we need your help,” Stewart said.
I just ignored him. The man was an idiot. His attempt to coerce me wasn’t going to make me help him; it only made me want NOT to do it. I was a teenager, after all.
