oregon sports

Rumors of NCAA sanctions on the Oregon Ducks bogus at best

August 14, 2012 By Chris Anderson •

Rumors…rumors…rumors

Speculation is sometimes the only thing that holds college football fans over until a new season starts.

The 2012 season is filled with a lot of hope for the Oregon Ducks. Currently ranked number five in the USA Today Preseason Poll, Oregon is poised to claim their fourth straight Pac-10/12 Championship and possibly make an appearance in the BCS National Championship game.

Yet, NCAA sanctions have been rumored to be coming out soon; sanctions that may cost the Ducks an appearance in a postseason or two.

A Brief Background

If you are unfamiliar with the case, Oregon is being investigated for transactions in main association with Willie Lyles, a self-professed “street agent”.

Willie Lyles has become one of the shadiest persons to ever be involved in college football.

Oregon came under scrutiny for their interactions with Lyles after they reportedly sent Lyles’ business a check for $25,000. After an investigation by Yahoo!, Lyles decided he wanted to expose the Oregon program for what they were doing and came out to the media and essentially said Oregon was paying him to steer recruits such as LaMichael James and Lache Seastrunk to their football program.

Since this “revelation” that Willie Lyles had, Oregon has disassociated itself from the self-employed street rat while Lyles continues to whore himself out to any media outlet that will give him 10 seconds time.

It has become evident from the get-go that Lyles is a very shady character and as reliable as the rumors that swirl in The Inquirer.

The NCAA announced their investigation into this issue in September of 2011 and the Ducks have fully complied since then with everything the NCAA has asked.

By no means does this cover the in-depth nature of the subject. If you want to read over a better summary of the preliminary NCAA findings, you can click here.

Evident from these findings is that Oregon and the NCAA are still working very closely to sort all issues out. Oregon has remained steadfast that it did not violate any NCAA rules and nothing has been officially released.

While it is NCAA policy to remain quiet until the entire investigation is complete, rumors have begun to swirl that Oregon will receive NCAA sanctions very soon.

Where are the Rumors Coming From?

Being such a hot topic as of late, it is important to understand where these rumors are coming from.

By clicking here and scrolling down to about comment seven you will find the original source of all this hype of Oregon sanctions, Kim Grinolds.

Notorious for trying to find something wrong with a Duck program that has bashed their team for the past eight years, Grinolds apparently claims to have an inside source with the athletic department at Oregon who said that sanctions were coming down soon.

Oregon Ducks

NCAA Sanctions rumored to be coming down on the Ducks are completely biased and have no factual base.

Yeah right.

First of all, Grinolds has no reputation for having credit in terms of knowing anything about the college football world. He (at least I believe it is a he) writes sensational comments to try to stir up bad blood between Husky, Duck, and Cougar fans.

This is just his latest antics and an immature shot at best.

An Oregon AD intern would not be up in Seattle for a Seahawks practice at this time of year, and would not have any knowledge whatsoever about this story anyways. To think that Oregon and the NCAA would not play this one so close to the chest is ludicrous and immediately discredits everything that Grinolds has said.

What Happens Next?

Unfortunately for Kim Grinolds and all other Oregon bashers, nothing will happen for quite some time. It has been reported that Oregon is just one of the many schools the NCAA is taking issue with about recruiting services. Some estimate the list to be as high as 80 schools.

Being the NCAA and knowing how they operate, one should not expect Oregon sanctions to come before the season starts. Doing so would go against everything the NCAA has done in the past and would be a complete shock and surprise to everybody in connection with the Duck football program.

If sanctions do come down on Oregon in the near future, the sanctions will likely be more of a slap on the wrist than anything. That is unless the program is said to have lost institutional control, something that has been brought up in the recent past and may come back to take Oregon out of the college football postseason.

As of right now, however, all rumors about the NCAA sanctions coming down on Oregon are absurd at best. They were started by a jealous Husky fan trying to seek attention and bring light to his program that has not had their way with the Ducks for eight straight years.

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About Chris Anderson

NWSB Editor. Chris hails from Eugene, Oregon; home of the Fighting Ducks. If he is not viewing, writing about, or attending sporting events, Chris is running on the trails Eugene offers or out-and-about. Aspirations to exceed expectations. Connect w/ Chris today!
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Filed Under: Oregon Football Blog Tagged With: Ducks, Ducks rumors, Kim Gringold, Kim Grinolds, Lache Seastrunk, LaMichael James, NCAA Football Headlines, Oregon, Oregon Ducks football blog, Oregon ducks football rumors, Oregon ducks football sanctions, Oregon Ducks ncaa sanctions, Oregon Ducks news, Oregon Ducks rumors, Pac 12 Rumors, UO, Willie Lyles, Yahoo Sports
  • RiffRaff

    You’re talking about Kim Grinolds. Not Gringold. He works for Dawgman.com. And he does know people so don’t shoot the messenger…

    • Chris Anderson

      A lot of people know many people. It is about the quality of sources that really matters. To say that you met an Oregon AD intern at a Seahawk football practice while not even giving their name completely calls into question the quality of this source.

      An Oregon AD intern would not know a thing about any of the NCAA proceedings and it is bogus to think they would. Oregon is known for playing things extremely close to the chest; they close their football practices and are one of the more secretive football programs and universities in the nation.

      This “intern” that Grinolds professes to have talked with is yet another crock to get Washington and Oregon fans stirred up.

      Good piece of sensationalist journalism? Sure. Good reporting? Not at all.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=10706550 Thai-Duong Nguyen

        Where did Kim “report” it? It seems like he stated it as exactly what it was: An intern claimed it. He stated it on a message board and not in a written article meant to be published as news.

        • Chris Anderson

          Kim never verified who the intern was and it sounds like he made the post up after reading about other rumors floating around that ultimately all proved to be false.

          • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=10706550 Thai-Duong Nguyen

            You are avoiding the question. When did he “report” these Oregon rumors? Relaying it on a message board, stating that all it was was an intern saying it, is not the same as reporting it in an article as a journalist for the world to view it as fact. Now answer the question. When did he “report” it?

          • Chris Anderson

            He “reported” it on the message board. Yes it is the same thing as a report. He stated his knowledge of the matter on the board, thus reporting it.

  • Postivewins

    Absolutely right. Thank you for “outing” the Husky source of the current ridiculous rumors. As everyone knows, no Husky can be trusted to tell the truth. That University is an embarrassment to the Pacific Northwest and the NCAA in general, not only for its lack of institutional character, but for getting absolutely pounded by Oregon in football for virtually all of the past decade. It’s time for the Washington Legislature to shut down the Seattle campus and put the money they’re wasting into a pursuit that may do society some good.

    • Chris Anderson

      Thanks for the read and I agree with your comments about the Husky fans needing a way to oust Oregon in the pacific NW after eight years of being dominated.

      However, as a former Seattle resident I completely respect the University of Washington in terms of academic leadership. They are one of the more prestigious academic schools in the nation and move people on to very good futures.

      Their athletic programs, however, seem to need some work. We all know what happened with Coach Rick and some controversy surrounding some players on the basketball team. Jeremy Stevens should have been charged with rape but his allegations were paid off so the Huskies could make a National Championship run.

  • John Berkowitz

    Kim Grinolds is extremely accurate and he has quality inside sources at every school in the Pac 12 including the University of Oregon. The Ducks are going to be penalized in the same approximate manner that USC was. It is just a matter of time until the sanctions are announced. It doesn’t take a rocket science to figure that one out after the relationship with Willie Lyles was revealed.

    • Chris Anderson

      Gringolds is not accurate at all. He is a sensationalist writer that does little comment pieces on a UW website. To believe that he had contact with an Oregon AD intern is absolutely ridiculous. An AD intern would not know about this type of thing AT ANY SCHOOL. These proceedings are held very close to the chest and only top officials will know about interactions with the NCAA, not some intern looking to get their foot in the door.

      And to clear it all up, a quality source is not an Oregon AD intern. There is no way the Ducks receive a heavy penalty like USC. From all indications Oregon went into this not knowing who Willie Lyles really was. They broke ties with him after they received word about who he was and have had no interaction with him since.

      This is all just Husky and jealous Pac-12 fans wishing for yet another top program to fall. Then again, after 8 years of sheer humiliation by your rivals, I would take any route to get them to fall too.

      • John Berkowitz

        We have to agree to disagree on this one. You aren’t being objective or paying attention to any of the facts regarding the case. Wishing it would go away, doesn’t exist, or simply blaming it on jealous fans from other schools isn’t rational.

        • Chris Anderson

          What are the facts regarding this case? There is no factual evidence for these NCAA sanctions coming anytime soon. The reporter for ESPN who broke this news has had his ESPN affiliation stripped and his twitter account locked.

          NCAA has released nothing about the issue and the Oregon program has received no word from the NCAA.

          I am being completely objective on this one. I can understand the position from both sides and am reporting the facts of the matter: there are none.

          Every rumor started has been completely shot down and proven as false. Husky fans are just hoping that this is true.

        • Jonathan

          Looks pretty rational now, doesn’t it?

          • John Berkowitz

            This rumor of imminent sanctions may have been wrong…but sanctions are still coming for Oregon. The only thing to debate will be the severity of those sanctions.

          • Chris Anderson

            Nothing has really changed from it. Latest rumors are two years probation (not a postseason ban) and loss of one scholarship and recruiter for a year. Severe? No.

  • http://twitter.com/tacofro77 Dan

    Kim didn’t start the rumor regarding the specific sanctions. That was started by a Duck on a message board entitled “The Ducks”. Can I link the screen shot of the original post?

    • NWSportsBeat

      Just add the link. That’s all folks will need I’d think.

  • Mark Emmert

    Chris, your bias as an Oregon fan is showing through…which I can’t blame you for.

    It’s also clear you fear the impending sanctions…where there’s smoke, there’s fire…

    Tick. Tock.

    • Chris Anderson

      I’m not really fearing the sanctions, things are still very unclear right now and it is not likely the Ducks will be slammed like USC.

      All the rumors came from Chris Larsen and Kim Grinolds. Grinolds has never been a reliable writer and is one of the most biased Husky writers out there. Larsen has since had to remove his ESPN affiliation from his twitter account while also having it locked as well.

      Every indication has been that these rumors are completely false and sensationalist journalism created by people who want to see the Duck program burn. I am just accurately reporting what is going on, there is no bias showing through.

      Clever name with the Mark Emmert, but this piece is about the truth of the situation and no bias in it.

  • TacBluesDawg

    If this is much ado about nothing, why did Chippy do everything possible to cover up the association he had with Lyles? Or the “chopped liver” recruiting info that Chippy insisted on getting immediately when questioned about the 25K? Bt the way, 1 player on that recruiting package for 25K was already dead. Or Chipster’s denial of knowing a “Willie Lyles” “Oh you mean Will? We just call him Will around here”…
    Chris, when the dust settles, you’d better have a piece of leather nearby to put in your mouth. You and your (WH)oregon bretheren may be feeling a slight discomfort…..

    • Chris Anderson

      Is Willie Lyles a shady character? Yes. Do we know the anything about the relationship he had with the Oregon football program and coaches? No.

      There are way too many things that are still unclear about this situation to truly comprehend what the NCAA is doing on the matter. For all we know, this may just be a media ploy by Willie Lyles.

      If sanctions do come down, then I will fully accept them but don’t think that they will be too serious. Over 80 schools are involved with recruiting services such as this and it is hard to sanction 80 schools severely.

      I don’t really understand why you Husky fans are wishing so much harm on the Oregon program, either. As a graduate of Oregon, I am more than thrilled to see the Huskies improving. It will be better for the conference as a whole to have more teams that are consistently playing well and hopefully USC, Oregon, UW, Cal, and Stanford can bring back prestige to the Pac-12 Conference.

      Husky fans are really showing just how sorely hurt they have been by Oregon for the past eight years through their reaction to all of these “rumors”

  • laughing, but not joking

    “He is a sensationalist writer that does little comment pieces on a U0 website.”
    - Chris Anderson, talking about himself.

    • Chris Anderson

      If you’re going to use quotations, use it right. Never said those exact words and I am actually providing factual information. This is not a sensationalist piece, it is an article based off of the facts.

      A lot of people are ignoring the facts in the case and just wishing for something to come out of it. But I guess after eight years of being thrashed I might be too.

  • Any New Editor

    Good luck staying a junior editor for the rest of your career.

    • Chris Anderson

      Thanks :) I plan to do some pretty good things with my future hopefully.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=10706550 Thai-Duong Nguyen

    A professional journalist would have simply reported all sources of the rumors, which is more than just Kim Grinolds, as Rich Cirminiello has stated specifically that he has his own sources not on message boards that have told him of impending Oregon sanctions. Making statements about credibility of other people is not a professional move.

    • Chris Anderson

      It is when this is an extremely hot story that many people are talking about; especially when those people are citing the inaccurate sources (Grinolds and Chris Larsen). In terms of Rich Cirminiello, all reputable sources have said that his story is false and reports that he got were wrong as well; he never listed his source and when that is the case journalists tend to get their info from boards.

      Cirminiello has failed to respond to any contacts regarding his opinion today about the issue and was likely tweeting that to piggy back on all the hype around the story yesterday.

      No credibility surrounding all of these rumors. I was just reporting one of the hotter ones as well; one that really started a lot of the rumors that floated around yesterday.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=10706550 Thai-Duong Nguyen

        First, how many journalists list their sources? You’re the first person I’ve ever heard of that claims a journalist is supposed to list their sources. Last I checked, a journalist who lists sources no longer has sources.

        Second, whether or not Rich is correct isn’t even the point. The point is you claimed that Kim is the source of “all” the hype. You are flat-out wrong. Rich is the source of some of it. For a guy who preaches about facts, you need to get your facts right.

        • Chris Anderson

          I’ve dealt with commenters like you before and there really is no getting past your underlying frustration that you have with certain programs and teams. Kim is who all the other reports were essentially based off of.

          As a journalist your story only becomes credited when you list an actual source with verified name and connection. This is commonly known among all journalist and is why so many try to establish secure and reliable connections all across the world. An article that lists a “random” source is not as credible as a site that actually gives the name of a quality source.

          It’s common journalism knowledge, and I have had extensive education in journalism.

  • http://twitter.com/tacofro77 Dan

    “This is not a sensationalist piece, it is an article based off of the facts.”

    You said, “all rumors about the NCAA sanctions coming down on Oregon are absurd at best. They were started by a jealous Husky fan”

    Now you are saying, ”
    All the rumors came from Chris Larsen and Kim Grinolds.”

    Where does your article mention Chris Larsen?

    • Chris Anderson

      Grinolds is a Husky fan and was Larsen’s source for his post about the Oregon sanctions. We’ve already had this discussion, Dan.

      • http://twitter.com/tacofro77 Dan

        Chris,

        You said: “Kim’s post started all rumors and everybody based all information from Kim, not Chatch. Unfortunate that he cost somebody a job”

        I said, “But you will admit, Kim didn’t say: “4 years prob, 2 year bowl ban, 30 scholarships ovr 3 yrs”?” (based on Larsen’s tweet “@ESPNChrisLarsen Rumor re: possible #Oregon sanctions. 4 years probation, 2year bowlban, 30 scholarships over 3 years. #Ducks #Pac12)

        You said: “Grinolds never said that. He did, however, state his source as an Oregon AD intern. He started AT LEAST one rumor thread”

        Now you are saying that Kim DID say that?

        • Chris Anderson

          I’m saying what I have always said. Kim stated that the Ducks were set to receive their NCAA violations. Don’t twist my words to try and get them to go your way. Grinolds’ article started the domino effect for other rumors to get around.

          That is the point being made.

  • JIM

    If you read the Article CHRIS…it was tongue in cheek comment made by Grinold’s. You also can’t compare what USC did and OREGON did. Different situations…however with the Football Program (head coach) in the middle of this like he was at Oregon….they should get worse sanctions then USC. PAY to Play….is Nike and Oregons Motto

    • Chris Anderson

      There is no way Oregon gets worse sanctions than USC.

  • rowdy

    dude you worried about rumors on a sports board. Kim should thank you for increasing his viewers lol… Rumors rumors rumors only make Kim’s Pay day lol

    • Chris Anderson

      I wasn’t worried about it. It was a hot story yesterday and so I decided to debunk part of the myth behind it. I was trying to provide everybody with the truth of the matter and am getting slammed for it.

  • Mark Stevens

    Oregon is still on probation from the last recruiting scandal. The “S***” that may come down, will be more than doubled because of that!

  • Tacduck

    Kim Grinolds is a lying slimeball. He’s lost ALL credibility. The whole Lyles thing is embarrassing for Oregon and Kelly should have never gotten involved with him. That said, Lyles gave Oregon zero advantage on the field. Jealous and delusional huskie fans will have to continue to suffer the ongoing humiliation of being crushed by the Ducks. Nine in a row in less than 2 months! What that means is amazing–it will be 6 years since any member of the UW team has beaten Oregon. Very Cool. So wake up pathetic huskie fans, the NCAA isn’t going to beat Oregon for you, you’ll have to actually do that some day in the very distant future. I can tell you this, Kelly will never lose to Sark. Ever.

    Hey huskies, here’s a thought: why don’t you focus on your own team?? Oh I know, the horror on the field is hard to watch (2-4 in October is coming fast!) but hey, you have to start somewhere! The huskie nickname for the O-Line = “The Sieve”. How many sacks will they give up this w/ no Polk to tote the rock? A ton! Last year you gave up 34 sacks, I’m calling for an even 50 this year. LSU may get 10 by them selves.

    Enyoy!

  • Jonathan

    How are you feeling about the accuracy of those rumors now?

  • Aceistheplace

    Lyles had worked out a deal through another Street Agent in La. Sean Nelson to send Lache to AU but that deal fell through when AU broke recruiting violation on Seastrunk’s official visit to Auburn and they were forced to quit recruiting him. It too bad for Oregon that AU screwed it up to start with. Mom was going to move to Atlanta if that deal happened.

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