Barely over a week after the celebration and remembrance of CU's 1990 national championship team concluded, Sports Illustrated drops this bomb: 3 of the players on that team had taken money from an agent. That agent, Josh Luchs, has a tell-all article in next week's SI, and it starts with this story:
There are moments you will always remember, like your first kiss or your first home run or the day you met your wife. For me, the first time I broke an NCAA rule to try to land a client is just as indelible.
It was before the 1990 football season, and I flew from Los Angeles to Denver and drove to the University of Colorado to try to meet with Kanavis McGhee. He was a big, pass-rushing linebacker who was expected to be a high pick in the 1991 NFL draft. I was 20 years old -- the youngest agent ever certified by the NFL Players Association -- and had less than a year's experience, but for whatever reason I convinced myself that I had a shot with him.
I figured out where Kanavis lived, drove to his apartment and knocked on the door. No one answered, so I waited. About four hours later, Kanavis finally came home and I bum-rushed him at the door.
"Hey, Kanavis, my name is Josh Luchs. I'm a sports agent, and I flew here from Los Angeles specifically for you," I said. "You're a great player and I came a long way, and I'd really appreciate it if you would sit down and talk to me for a few minutes."
Kanavis said, "Sure, man. Come on in."
We sat on his couch, and I gave him my spiel. I told him about myself and asked him questions, trying to connect with him. After about half an hour, Kanavis said to me, "Josh, you seem like a pretty good guy, can I share something with you?"
"I need some help. My mom lost her job and she's sick and she hasn't been able to make her rent. If I don't come up with $2,500, she is going to get evicted from her apartment."
"I don't know," I said. "Let me think about it. I'll come by tomorrow and let you know."
That night I sat in my hotel room making a list of pros and cons in my head. Sure, it was breaking NCAA rules, but I would be helping Kanavis out. How would I feel if my mom was sick and I didn't have money to help her? I went through this for hours and finally decided to do it. The next morning I went to the bank, pulled out some of my bar mitzvah money, $2,500 in cash, showed up at Kanavis's door and told him, "Kanavis, I gave this a lot of thought, and I want to help you out. I know how I would feel if it was my mom."
"Thank you so much," he said. "You're my boy, man. You're really coming through for me."
I went back to my hotel and for a little while I felt good, but then the phone rang. It was a teammate of Kanavis's calling.
"Hey, man, Kanavis told me you're a pretty good dude," he said. "I got this problem, and I need some help. My father is really sick and he is losing his apartment and I need $2,500. Do you think you can help me out the way you helped Kanavis?"
My heart dropped. I hung up and got the hell out of there. The whole flight home I was kicking myself. How could I be so stupid? -link
Luchs, the agent from the article. From: SI)
I usually don't quote so liberally from an article, but I do so because the story is so damning. (I strongly encourage you to read the whole thing, because it is an interesting read) The article goes on to claim that 1990 team members Joel Steed and Greg Thomas took money from Luchs along with McGhee. (Thomas didn't respond to phone messages, Steed flat out denied the allegation, and McGhee told them to call back later.)
I'm not going to go into the agent-player relationship. The agent-college player world is one of seedy back room deals, often born because the NCAA keeps these players from earning any money off of their on field efforts. (In fact one player in the article says he'd do it again specifically because it meant food on his table versus going hungry) What I do want to talk about is what this means to the 1990 team.
While the main CU player referenced in this article, Kanavis McGhee, hasn't responded yet (everyone at CU, from Coach Mac to Dave Plati have denied the allegations. I think it would be weird if the McGhee story was untrue, however. Not only is it filled with detail, but others in the article have admitted and expounded on their money-taking. Innocent until proven guilty; yadda, yadda), and it would be imprudent to assume guilt before hearing his response, the implications of the story told in the article raise a few questions. Specifically, what would the NCAA do?
We've all noticed the NCAA's aggressive posture over the past year in going after violations. USC, UCONN, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Miami, Arizona, West Virginia, LSU, and Michigan (off the top of my head) all have been investigated, and have copped to, violations in the past year. I'm sure the list is longer. Considering that the NCAA is hell bent on making it look like rule benders and breakers are going to get caught, I'm sure they will go apeshit over this article. It's not like CU is the only team mentioned here; it's damn near everybody in the southwest! There's a lot to be investigated, and it will take time for them to both decide if and how they will go after the violations listed in the article.
What could happen to CU? When a player gets paid by an agent, that constitutes a "major" violation. Typically that player would be ruled ineligible, and, at the very least, all games that player played in after the violation would be stricken from the record (in the NCAAs peculiar method of attempting to forget anything bad ever happened... ever. That thing you saw happen was a mirage... wooooOOOOOOoooo). While a lot of time has elapsed, and I don't think they would "punish" the existing program, it's not unprecedented for the NCAA to go deeply into the record books to expunge rule violators (see: the Michigan fab 5). I could see them trying to erase 1990 from the books. While I don't see the AP re-voting on the season (hell, many of the writers in that poll are dead), it would put a giant band-aid over that national championship sign on the suites.
While I don't believe Mac ran a "dirty" program, if McGhee (and others) took money from an agent it would tarnish the championship team in my eyes. I can't sit here and lambaste the USC's and Miami's of the world for using ineligible players, and then turn around an look away when my school does the same. That would be SEC-level hypocrisy. It would be shameful if this ends up being a true account, and one CU itself should look into, especially since Kanavis is on the coaching staff.
Fuckin-a this fall is starting to go south...
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