In the wake of the Hugh Freeze resignation, here’s a list of the 10 biggest college football scandals since 2000.
Scandals have been rocking the college football landscape for decades. Possibly the most infamous pre-2000 scandal was the SMU death penalty, but unfortunately there have been many more notable ones to pass that up since the turn of the century.
No one likes to think of their school as one that cheats, but in reality, college football is filled with dirty moves, pay-for-play antics, sexual assault scandals and more. Heck, it’s a byproduct of our society today, and it’s unfortunate that these things happen. Scandals are just part of the landscape nowadays, and Hugh Freeze was just the latest example of what it can do to a program, or career in his case.
Freeze isn’t the only one who has gotten grief over the past two decades, scandal-wise. Take a look at the 10 biggest scandals to rock college football since 2000.
10. Hugh Freeze’s resignation amid NCAA violations
The last calendar year for Ole Miss football has been a nightmare. It seemingly started with the Laremy Tunsil draft night disaster in which a video was released of him smoking marijuana out of a gas mask bong. He went from potential No. 1 pick to middle of the first round because of it.
Last May, Ole Miss responded to allegations of misconduct by self-imposing a scholarship cut of 11 over four years. Then, in December, recruiting assistant Barney Farrar is let go after it’s rumored he provided money to players.
After even more complaints and allegations, the Rebels self-impose a bowl ban for 2017 back in February, hoping that it’s the most harm that will be done to the program. If they take action, then NCAA will avoid further punishment, right?
There have been allegations that boosters paid recruits upwards of $15,000 to sway them to pick Ole Miss only to watch them choose other schools. Assistants were accused of fixing ACT scores, cheating all around and more money distributed to recruits and family members.
All around an ugly situation that led to Hugh Freeze’s sudden resignation on July 20. The NCAA could lay the hammer down on the program if more dirt is dug up.
9. Bobby Petrino’s affair at Arkansas
Currently in his third stint with Louisville, head coach Bobby Petrino has put together a decent redemption tour since his scandal struck Arkansas in 2012.
The head coach was set to coach the 2012 season, but in April of the offseason leading up to that campaign, Petrino was involved in a motorcycle accident while former Arkansas volleyball star Jessica Dorrell was riding on the back. The problem wasn’t that he and Dorrell were beat up a bit from the crash, but that he was having an affair with her.
Petrino was accused of wrongfully employing Dorrell, whom he hired as a student-athlete development coordinator for the football team. He also was found to have given her a $20,000 cash gift for Christmas and also gave her preferential treatment.
All of this was made public and the media circus began. He apologized to his team and said he wanted to make things right again with his players and family, but he originally lied about the accident, saying he was alone on the motorcycle.
All-in-all, this led to his termination from Arkansas and he took the 2012 season off before getting hired at Western Kentucky and then Louisville.
8. Miami and Nevin Shapiro
One of the uglier and more head-scratching scandals was spearheaded by former Ponzi scheme leader, Nevin Shapiro. Over the years, he made hundreds of millions of dollars illegally and was sentenced to 20 years in prison back in 2011.
Before he went to prison, though, he revealed that he had been working on a book titled “The Real U: 2001 to 2010. Inside the Eye of the Hurricane” which exposed the Miami football program, and even the basketball program, for accepting improper benefits over the years.
According to Shapiro, he had given gifts and helped out upwards of 100 Hurricane players and he turned sour because they seemed to forget about him once they turned pro. Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports documented the case in a jailhouse interview with Shapiro. He admitted that such athletes as Vince Wolfork, Devin Hester, Willis McGahee and Sean Taylor all accepted impermissible benefits.
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After the news broke, Miami placed itself in a one-year postseason ban, but later the NCAA came down after its own investigation and took away three scholarships for three straight years, a three-year probation and even recruiting restrictions.
Miami played dirty for quite some time.
7. Albert Means pay-to-play at Alabama
If you think Alabama is untouchable, think again. Just because the Crimson Tide have been viewed as the powerhouse of college football doesn’t mean they weren’t, at one point in time, in some hot water.
Standout defensive tackle Albert Means was one of the most highly sought-after players in college football in 1999, being named Mr. Football in the state of Tennessee. He was recruited by just about every program in the country but, to no one’s surprise, he chose Alabama.
The program with the rich history used Means in seven games as a true freshman in 2000, but scandal struck in January of 2001. Means’ high school coaches apparently arranged a deal with Alabama to earn $200,000 if they got him to pick the Crimson Tide. They also earned money from other programs based on getting Means to schedule visits.
When his high school coaches admitted to taking money from boosters in order to get Means in a Crimson Tide uniform, the NCAA levied harsh punishments on the program. It ordered a two-year postseason ban for the Crimson Tide and a five-year probation. The football program was also docked 21 scholarships for its role in the pay-for-play madness.
6. North Carolina’s academic issues
Butch Davis was hired at North Carolina in 2007 to help turn the program around and put the Tar Heels on the college football map. Everyone had only known North Carolina to be a great basketball program, but the athletic department was ready to make a change.
However, that change came with a price. Davis was accused of allowing players to have tests and schoolwork forged by tutors as well as ignoring the fact that they had accepted money and other impermissible benefits from sports agents. It was also found that the program made up courses for players to take and recommended they enroll in easier classes to remain academically eligible.
North Carolina was guilty of academic fraud and the athletic department decided to fire Davis after four seasons with the Tar Heels. He caused North Carolina to receive a postseason ban in 2012, a reduction of 15 scholarships and three years probation. It set the football program quite a bit when it was already trying to make up ground.
The scandal also extended to the basketball program, but it was widely known that the football team was the subject of most of the academic fraud.
5. Cam Newton’s potential pay-for-play
Sometimes there’s an unfortunate event that can happen to a player without his knowledge. According to reports, Cam Newton had no idea that his father was taking hundreds of thousands of dollars for his son to commit to Mississippi State.
The scandal is so cloudy, even today, that no one actually knows what truly happened. Did Cam know about his dad accepting money from the Bulldogs for him to commit to Mississippi State or did he spearhead the cash-grab?
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All we do know is that the NCAA investigated and found that his father, Cecil Newton, accepted money from boosters in order to get his son to play for Mississippi State only to watch Cam pick Auburn out of community college.
The Auburn Heisman-winner began his career at Florida, sitting behind Tim Tebow on a crowded depth chart at quarterback. He took the JUCO route after he was caught stealing a laptop during his freshman season and worked his way back to the Division 1 level. Then this scandal hit.
Impermissible benefits ended up working against the Bulldogs, and Newton’s father, as Cam didn’t even choose MSU.
4. Jim Tressel and tattoos at Ohio State
What has been since labeled “tattoo-gate” costed Jim Tressel his job with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State players were reportedly selling signed memorabilia in exchange for tattoos and Tressel was notified but never presented it to the higher-ups.
In April of 2010, a Columbus attorney emailed Tressel to let him know that he had heard about players exchanging Ohio State signed memorabilia for tattoos and that he should do something about it before it gets out of hand. Tressel forwarded the email to Terrell Pryor’s “mentor” saying that the attorney is looking out for them.
Another email from the attorney, Christopher T. Cicero, to Tressel alleges that the players were even selling off championship rings, cleats and jerseys to the tattoo parlor for ink.
The following September, Tressel signs a document saying he knows of no violations within his program and in December, Ohio State is notified by the U.S. attorney’s office that the tattoo artist’s house was raided and the memorabilia was discovered. Six players, including Pryor, were deemed ineligible by the NCAA.
Later, it was revealed that Tressel had knowledge of the events and he resigned in May of 2011. The Buckeyes would be forced to vacate all their wins from the 2010 season and were placed on probation. Urban Meyer led the Buckeyes to a 12-0 season in 2012 but could not play for a national title as they were on a one-year bowl ban.
3. Reggie Bush’s lost Heisman
One of the most exciting running backs, and overall collegiate players, in the past two decades — or even all-time — had to be Reggie Bush. He helped USC go from a struggling program to one of the best in the country, also thanks to Pete Carroll. He went on to win the Heisman Trophy in 2005, but has since given it back due to his violations.
According to sports agent Lloyd Lake, he provided Bush and his family with nearly $300,000 in improper benefits and gifts to which the running back never paid back. He agreed to cooperate with the NCAA in its investigation.
Bush had received gifts and benefits during his time at USC and that cost the program big-time. In fact, the school was ordered to vacate the last two wins of the 2004 season as well as every win in 2005. Unfortunately, the 2005 Orange Bowl victory was part of that deal. On top of that, the Trojans were placed on probation for four years and had a bowl ban in 2010 and 2011. They lost 30 scholarships as well.
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The NCAA did not hold back when it finished its investigation and it’s taken the Trojans about 5-6 years to get back on track from the harsh penalties. Losing his Heisman Trophy had to be a low point in Bush’s career.
2. Baylor’s barrage of sexual assaults
The next two on the list happen to be the ugliest of the bunch, obviously. Unfortunately, they both deal with sexual assaults and cover-ups, and that’s eventually what led to the programs firing coaches and coming under much scrutiny for not acting quicker.
Art Briles had been considered one of the top coaches in college football for his effort in turning Houston around before taking the job at Baylor. He turned the Bears around after a couple of 4-8 seasons in Waco, eventually making them a consistent 10 or 11-game winner. He led them to Cotton and Fiesta Bowls, but they would eventually lose both contests.
What people didn’t see on the surface of the program was the sexual assault scandal. It was a growing problem in Waco and the head coach knew what was happening right under his nose.
Sexual assaults had been reported multiple times to Briles and he took no action, but instead turned a blind eye. Multiple sexual assaults took place even after that and it eventually culminated in an investigation regarding the handling of the incidents.
Baylor president Ken Starr ended up resigning, Art Briles was let go and AD Ian McCaw was fired as well. This was an ugly situation and many wanted to see Baylor get the death penalty.
1. Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno and cover-ups
The ugliest scandal in college football history had to be the Jerry Sandusky molestation of children under Penn State’s watch. The university had been alerted to sexual assaults on minors by the former defensive coordinator, but did nothing. The same went for late head coach Joe Paterno who turned a blind eye to the matter.
Sandusky was indicted on 52 counts of child molestation in 2011 and even though his reign of terror in Happy Valley began in the 1970s, he was only charged for the events that took place in the 1990s and early 2000s.
School officials were charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and failing to report child abuse. Penn State’s president, Graham Spanier, resigned as he was part of the corruption and it led to the termination of the long-time head football coach as well.
This tarnished the legacy of Paterno which he had worked nearly 50 years to build. His career at Penn State is no longer known as one of success, but of betrayal and lies. The school’s reputation took a big hit, but it showed willingness to condemn the actions by taking down the Paterno statue outside the stadium despite much protest (for some reason).
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Penn State was placed on five years probation, given a four-year postseason ban, vacated 14 seasons worth of wins and was ordered to cut 40 scholarships from 2013-17 initially in 2012. Then the NCAA softened up and allowed the program to be bowl eligible after 2015 and restored Paterno’s wins and full scholarships for 2016-17.
Paterno passed away just months after the scandal cost him his job.