Chipper, "Big-Willie" & an Oregon Cover-Up?

BIG WILLIE SPEAKS UP
Oregon Football Bracing for Investigation?


"If you are ever going to lie, you go to jail for the lie rather than the crime.  So believe me, don't ever lie."
~Richard Milhouse Nixon


Already hearing resounding, tongue-in-cheek, comments:
'A vindictive, self-professed Beaver condemning Oregon Football Program in the Kelly | Lyles | Seastrunk | James Yarn?  6 Months following Ducks near-perfect 12-1 Season?  Jumping on THE Rival Program at its zenith of dominance?


Big shock, right?  A little vindictive, possibly?


Cannot avoid this entirely natural "Guilt-by-Alumni Association" claim.


Nevertheless, I feel strongly compelled to remind detractors of my controversial, unpopular take on a similar thorny controversy involving Oregon Football program precisely 22 Months earlier.


At issue in 2009, was Oregon HC Chip Kelly announced an exceedingly unpopular U-turn of Oregon's immediate dismissal of RB LaGarrette Blount. 


The Oregon Running-Back was discharged from the Duck Football Team in September 2009 following his now infamous, Nationally Televised ESPN postgame harangue. 


Kelly's decsison in the Blount Case was univerally condemned. 


Nevertheless, I was obliged to staunchly defend Chip Kelly here - whom stuck his reputation & neck out for his guy (we later learned, Blount 'worked-off' every ounce of this error-in-judgment). 

Oregon's HC & Staff reversed a hasty decision based on inner-team consensus viewpoint & amicable solution that was deemed best for all. 


Moreover, the Blount plan in essence, was a final, TRUE attempt at doing the very best thing for a Student Athlete - despite what we thought of it. 


Having Coached young people, I believe what Kelly did in the Blount Case took a life-sized set of stones. 


I still applaud Kelly for the Blount call, & continue to endure occasional, unexpected heat from fellow colleagues & alumnus for such.


Now, w/Oregon Football in general, did it sting to witness the highlighter-lightening-yellow Oregon Duck Nike's stomp onto the Glendale pasture last January 10, 2011?


A little bit...yep.


Nevertheless, Oregon, So Cal or ANY PAC-12 Team for that matter playing for a BCS National Title is always EPIC for the Conference & outweighed any personal aversion I'd bring for the guy's in Technicolor costumes & 'Zeros' on their hats.


I cannot 'look forward' or EVER 'wish' Oregon, or any Program is strapped w/a double-jeopardy probation, ect.  

This will always end poorly for the Conference & College Sports in General. 

Fast-Forward to the latest revelations oozing to the surface in Eugene regarding Will Lyles & a well-known, Texas High School Gravy Train to University of Oregon.

As we now know, the U of O pipeline was facilitated & micro-managed in large part by Lyles & his Recruiting Agency, "Complete Scouting Services". 

Big Willie wasn't known as "The Most Dangerous Man in College Football" for his talent-assessment skills as much as his ability to read a young athletes' need(s).  

Lyles expertise' was clearly his capacity to pull off 'whatever necessary' to get a kid eligible, 
and/or deliver a kid & his info to the school that paid for such. 

Everyday behind-the-scenes Recruiting practaces are often not for the squeamish.  On the whole however, they are neither illegal nor unique to Oregon Football.

All the same, If this mess doesn't raise general suspicion about the very nature of Recruiting & all potential pitfalls of Coaches & Programs, I am not sure if anything EVER will.

The facts emerging are reportedly woven & innerconnected into the fabric of recruitment process; entirely commonplace at most FBS Institutions & Programs. 

Will Lyles is one of many dozen 'Scouts' that beat the brush looking for kids to highlight & present to Big-Time Programs - at a permium price. 

We see these Lyles-types at High School Games we all coach & attend. 

Most of them good, community-leader types…w/inherent bit of used-cars-manship, schmaltzy quality mixed in.
 
Not bad people - necessarily.

What is so troubling here is the specter of HC Chip Kelly's actions here.

Instead of backing Lyles - from the start - Kelly distanced himself, and forced Lyles Hand…& essentially Blackballed the Man in the Process.

This in and of itself is damning - & gives the lasting impression that Chip Kelly had a distinct choice between High & Low Road, and took the later.

Lyles claims that Kelly was truly scrambling for any materials he could get his hands on - even ridiculously out-dated materials from 2 Seasons Prior are emerging - including emails & the like. 

Not Good, Chip. 

If you did nothing wrong….you just HAD to back your field guy whom laid LaMichael James, Lache Seastrunk at your Doorstep

Willie really did not have to pick you up at the Houston Airport & provide Chauffeurs Services for 3-Day Trips to High Schools in the Greater Central Texas & Houston-Area High Schools

Willie was not coerced into driving LaMichael James 387-Miles across State Line in order to sit for one Final attempt at reaching the Magic Number on his Placement Test…the one he needed & passed - gaining entry to University of Oregon.

Moreover, Willie was not obligated to seek, find & convince Lache Seastrunk's Grandmother to sign Guardianship Dotted Line (L-O-I), double-crossing Seastrunk's Mother - whom did not approve of her son leaving the State.

Willie Lyles did not have to do any of those things for Chipper…

Yet he did. 

That's a lotta 'yang' for a guy merely selling highlight tapes
& a few slick materials.

In my humble opinion, Chip Kelly hung Will Lyles out to dry - & Lyles is working at a Houston Deli making Eight Bucks an Hour now.

Can't say - because I don't know all "THE Truth".  Like so many such things - the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

I do know the whole thing does not smell very nice from 40 Miles up the Interstate.  When the guys from KC roll into town, start sniffing around & asking for everyone's' phones, tablets & lappies….the 'worry phase' ends - & it's panic-time.

The NCAA Blue-shirts havn't rolled into Eugene, Oregon just yet - & we still haven't heard those terrifying two words: 'Intuitutional Control' either.

However, Big Willie is singing like a Canary to Yahoo Sports - & Chipper must know a little more than he claims. 

To make matters worse, Chip Kelly is a Red-Ass. 

Kelly's open distrust & unwelcoming indifference w/Media-types has truly rubbed some journalists raw in these parts.  

Obviously, this doesn't matter while Ducks come off a season of rolling teams by 47-18 Avg Margin. 

Kelly's OVERALL Record at Oregon is a sparkling 22-4. 

Yet, Kelly's cantankerous relationship w/press isn't going to help him or Oregon here

Some very unsavory details keep emerging (as detailed above); many sound especially ruthless & cutthroat. 

The University of Oregon Athletic Department may be in for a bumpy road. 
W-O-W, Steven M Omernik