How Oregon’s current NCAA problems started with Adrian Peterson choosing Oklahoma
The recruitment of Adrian Peterson, right, ended with this 2004 signing day ceremony during which the Palestine, Texas, running back signed a national letter of intent with Oklahoma. A former University of Oregon recruiting coordinator said the Ducks' payments to a Houston-based recruiting service, which are reportedly the subject of an NCAA investigation, resulted from Oregon getting shut out of information on Peterson. The former OU star and current Minnesota Viking running back is pictured here next to his mother Bonita Jackson, far left, and his brother, Jaylon Jackson, center. (AP Photo/Tyler Morning Telegraph, David Branch)
Losing the recruiting battle for former Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson in 2003 prompted Oregon to make a bigger investment in Texas recruiting. That investment, which reportedly includes a $25,000 payment to a Houston-based recruiting service, has triggered an NCAA probe.
Yahoo Sports! and ESPN reported that Oregon paid $25,000 to Complete Scouting Services, a company owned by Willie Lyles, who mentored blue-chip running back Lache Seastrunk. The payment reportedly came shortly after Seastrunk signed with Oregon.
A former Oregon recruiting coordinator told The Oregonian’s Aaron Fentress that such services are vital for Oregon to compete nationally for recruits, and that the program’s decision to invest in them to Ducks’ 2003 recruitment of Peterson. Read Fentress’ story here.
Deryk Gilmore said the Ducks began purchasing the packages shortly after Palestine (Texas) High School officials refused to provide Oregon with game video of Peterson. Gilmore said Oregon was told Peterson was not leaving the state.
“Of course we all know he wound up at Oklahoma,” Gilmore told The Oregonian.
Seven years later, Oregon signed three running backs out of Texas, including Seastrunk, who like Peterson was a five-star recruit. And current Oregon running back LaMichael James, who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, is from Texarkana and reportedly has a relationship with Lyles.
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Comments
This smells of a Cam Newton deal to me. Someone sold Seastrunk to UO. Who knows if he benefitted but his “mentor” did.
And where does Deryk Gilmore get off blaming Palestine High School just because they did not provide film on AD? Did he ever think that may have been at AD’s direction?
Out of all of that comes the “need” to start paying recruiting services AFTER a player signs. Sounds like the the Ducks are flailing to keep from going under.
Some get the game tapes some don’t. I heard OSU failed to send the tapes back to the high school which made him slip under the radar. Someone deserved a raise.
Lacking the game tapes of Adrian Peterson wasn’t a reason why Oregon did not sign him. One visit to Palestine in person would have sold any college on him immediately. Then it would have come down to the recruiting game itself and game tapes would have been totally irrelevant.
There’s this thing called the internet and I’m pretty sure his highlight reel was on it even back in 2004. Saying you couldn’t sign a player because you couldn’t get his tape is like telling someone you missed their phone call because you forgot to check your answering machine.
Like Oregon would have any chance whatsoever. Play at tradition rich Oklahoma, or play at flash in the pan Oregon. Not a difficult decision.
Well this just drives home the point that Oregan STILL CHEATS and yes Texas still sucks!!! BOOMER SOONER!!!!!
pOUters!!! Boo freakin hoo. Yeah Oregon paid the refs! Lmao. Whatever did they pay them
To make sure that Chokelahoma couldn’t find the endzone after they got the ball back?! Yeah the on sides was a bad call everyone knows that. Watch any freakin NCAA game of any sports and tell me there isn’t bad calls. National championship cliff Harris intercepted scam newton landed fully inbounds with 2 steps and his whole body, yet they said it was incomplete. Lead to an Auburn touch down. You dont hear Oregon fans crying! Get over it pOUters!and flash in the pan?! Really really. Don’t be hatin just cuz your an Oklahoma fan. BTW you can pay for recruiting services, they didn’t break the rules.
You know your dealing with a WEAK writer when they use the word ‘shocking’ in their headline to garner attention to a story that is boring and contains nothing of interest.
Well done, losers.
Well thier is cheating going on everywhere the ncaa is a joke and oregon deserves more than deserves everything bad they get thier is always going to b bad calls so yes people should get over it and alot of times the bad calls r intentional but thats unfortanate but when a bad call goes into the realm of blatant cheating without any dout like the call in the ou oregon game that is altogether different maybe thier is a thing called karma thise cheaters deserve to be spanked.
any school that has more uniforms than championships is an absolute joke. PERIOD
05 only gets brought up because it was SUCH a obvious bad call that it reaks of cheating, that is the only reason. Make that call right and we win just like we always have against the Dorks, I mean Ducks.
Here is a great idea, come up with a 35th different uniform and maybe you’ll win a championship!
How about teaching your coaches how to travel and evaluate players instead of making excuses about high schools not delivering game film. I mean, did anyone really need game film of AD to know he was the best RB to play football that year? The simple fact that you had to pay some tool to get info shows how inept your program really is! I hope the NCAA finally cooks Dork soup, I mean Duck soup!
@dlpsooner – So according to you a bad call by the refs means the other team is cheating? Wow, OU is amazing in that there has NEVER been a bad call in your favor? You are a liar or OU are “cheaters” too. And relating the number of uniforms to a team and chamionships? Are you 5 years old? And since OU is so perfect, I am sure they have never payed for recruiting data EVER either… Get your 5 year old head out of the sand and grow up.
“Yahoo Sports! and ESPN reported that Oregon paid Willie Lyles of Complete Scouting Services $25,000 for information on blue-chip running back Lache Seastrunk, who Lyles mentored. The payment came shortly after Seastrunk signed with Oregon.”
Wow. Mr. Sherman, surely you realized when you typed that paragraph that it was a BLATANT misrepresentation of the facts as we know them today. Any objective editor would would conclude that it is the poorest sort of journalism imaginable. You would be well served to edit it immediately before it taints your career forever.
“Comment by byron on March 7, 2011 @ 5:10 pm
I say nothing except I want a rematch with those damn ducks….arrange that for me please.”
Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.
@DLW – LOL – I agree, and I want the rematch too so that when Oregon beats them again, they will stop whining about a game that happened 5 years ago… although I am sure they will find something else to moan about for another 5+ years that “would have” won the game for them…
I’d like to see the Ducks come to Norman. Than they wouldn’t be laughing bc OU would shut them up like they did Ponders Heisman hopes last year and Tech’s National championship hopes couple years back.
7 National Championships, 43 Conference Championships (7 in the past 11 years), 5 Heisman winners, #1 Football Program in the Modern Era (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3849468) BOOMER SOONER!
How much did oklahoma have to pay the BCS to get to play an 8-4 power like U-Conn in a BCS game. What is the record that they set for BCS losses in a row, six? Well OU finally won a game against a BCS team that should not have gotten a bid in the first place but it did help them end their record setting losing streak. Also, Good luck this fall with your out of conference schedule, namely Tulsa and Ball State.
It’s funny that everyone likes to hate on OU for playing against UCONN and doing what they were supposed to do and destroy them. It’s not OU’s fault they had to play UCONN in which the Big East winner is GUARANTEED an automatic BCS bid and the Fiesta bowl got to pick last and therefore was stuck with UCONN. Blame the BCS, not OU for doing their job.
Yeah I remember the last time OU played Oregon in a bowl game…how did that turn out? Actually I’m pretty sure OU has won more bowl games than Oregon has even been to. You can call OU choke artists but when was the last time Oregon won a BCS game? or a national title?
Big Deal! THE US Government pays my Medicare bills to my Doctor about 6 months AFTER the procedure! Some folks are just a bit slower to pay their bills than others!
I say nothing except I want a rematch with those damn ducks….arrange that for me please.