Te'o, Toma and UCLA
Here is what colleague Scott Wolf wrote in regards to the situation of recruits Manti Te'o and Roby Toma, and UCLA.
I know UCLA was willing to do almost anything to get Te'o, but I was also told Te'o was not always forthright with UCLA. At the end of the day Te'o and Toma were a package deal no matter what school they were heading to.
There's a reason Notre Dame offered Toma a scholarship a few weeks before signing day, and why Toma committed without taking a trip to South Bend, Ind.
That said, UCLA's offer to Toma remained good until he signed with the Irish.
I wonder why Toma publicly committed to UCLA right away while Teo kept his verbal silent. Why wouldn't Toma remain uncommitted untit Teo made his final decision?
why are you linking to wolf's garbage blog?
I wish we could just put this behind us!!! But unfortunately, I think the Teo talk is gonna come up again after his mission.
Brian had to bring it up to avoid the 100 questions on it.
"Hey Bruddah, how come you no get Te'o sign with UCLA?"
"Sorry coach, he wants to go to USC, but USC won't offer me. Still looking forward to signing with you guys though."
"Well, Bruddah, we only sign you cuz we want Te'o - you understand? You can still sign with us, but truth is you no good enough to play much."
"Well, in that case coach, maybe I shouldn't go to UCLA after all. Manti says Notre Dame may let me go there if he signs with them."
"Good luck, young Bruddah - you going to need it during those so-cold days in Indiana. You know it snow there? Just a pull hamstring waitin' to happen. Maybe you should go to UH?"
"Uh, coach, Hawaii didn't even offer me. Guess I wasn't good enough to play in the WAC. I can't understand why they didn't like me even though I played 5 minutes from the Manoa campus my whole entire high school career."
"Hey, you hold the line a minute, eh? ... (silence on the line)"
"Coach ... coach? You there? Hello? Anybody there? (dial tone)"
This is not merely beating a dead horse...the horse has been shipped to the glue factory or is now being served in cans of Alpo for Fido.
If both were offered as a package deal, UCLA surely realized it assumed the risk that Te'o would not come but still have an offer out to Toma who could still come to Westwood without Te'o. It didn't work out so best wishes to both of them in South Bend.
As for Scott "Pulitzer Prize" Wolf's blog:
Wolf's bit reeks of a teenage gossip mag full of he said, she said hearsay. I mean, we're down to a call placed by Dalton's father after Wolf's radio show where he relayed what his son told him about a phone conversation he had with NC where the topic discussed over the phone was what Te'o told NC regarding Toma.
Follow that? Yeah, neither did I.
brian, you never seemed to say they were a package deal before. Are you changing your tune?
Having lived in South Bend, IN for four years myself, Toma will be truly sorry this time next year.
Why won't this story die? Wolf is trying disgrace the Bruins. This is yellow journalism.
LS
Sounds like Te'o's family used Ucla to get an offer for Toma,when T'eo realizes he didnt want Ucla they shopped the deal to ND.No harm no foul everybody knows what went on,Toma's only other offer was Army.
Brian,
Do you think Dalton Hiliard will be punished in any way, now that his father revealed some of the program's dirty laundry?
Brian, you usually don't stoop to "gossip" reporting...linking to stories that are based on information you don't have and haven't confirmed through your sources. Are you saying by posting this that you have information that confirms what Wolf says?
You all praise Brian Dohn for not posting gossip, now you accuse him of posting a link to it?
I think Dohn might just be breaking from the "cheerleading journalism" reputation that he's been given.
By linking to Wolf's Te'o story he can still keep in the good graces of the UCLA program since he didn't directly break the news.
Hasn't Sam Gilbert been dead for 25 years? I wonder how he posts on the internet from the grave?
Speaking of dirty laundry Sam, how is the NCAA Investigation of U$C's numerous violations coming? It is interesting that Lame Kiffen and Sarkisian both get in trouble at their new gigs for trying to pull the same illegal stuff that they got away with for years in South Central.
If true, the only person who ends up looking bad here is Teo.
He's the one who silently committed to UCLA under the promise of a scholarship for his buddy Toma, and then reneged. Why should UCLA still honor the scholarship to Toma when all parties knew it was contingent on Teo coming too?
There's nothing wrong with package deals (see L'il Romeo), and if the players and coaches are all on the same page then they can benefit everyone involved. However when one of those parties backs out or is dishonest about the arrangement, then the whole thing can fall apart. Toma should be grateful UCLA didn't pull the scholie outright.
This of course, is assuming that the latest rumors are accurate...
Now I know why nobody reads Wolf...he can't write. Was he trying to say that UCLA broke a deal it had with T'eo? Was he trying to say that Toma broke the deal by announcing himself? If my kid wrote a paragraph like that for 7th grade English he'd be sent back to his room.
I applaud Dohn for acknowledging the incident.
It will be interesting to see how much this drama affects Norm Chow's standing in the mormon and Hawaiian community as far as recruiting goes.
Aaah, that link took me to the scott wolf blog. luckly I averted my eyes before it could do any real damage. Dohn, don't do that to me.
Brian thank you for clearing up the rumor. I imagine you do not want to confirm the rest of Wolf's story.
Guys I played with in the 70's had package deals, life in the big city....I live in Kansas City now and it gets REAL cold here...South Bend in the winter??? by October 30th those boys are going to say what the hell are we doing in this place.....SMILE
If Toma is no good
1. How did he make the Under Amour game?
2. How did he win the best hands competition at the AA?
Is anyone upset that a public school supported by state taxpayers is offering $20-25k per year in value to a friend of a star recruit in order to land the recruit? Isn't that akin to bribing 17 year olds, all with state money? Also, there is NO proof that ND offered Toma weeks in advance, as neither Toma nor ND announced such an action. This statement by Toma was a convenient cover up to hide the fact that ND swooped in at the last minute at Manti's request to offer Toma. I think Manti's plan was to stay in warm weather and choose either SC or UCLA. He made a late decision to go to SC, but with no such Toma package offer from SC, the whole enchilada unravelled. Actually, Neuheisel blew it up. Now they are both stuck with the fat man on the frozen tundra, but at least they have each other.
Yes, "avert your eyes" to reality.
You wanted to win at all costs and now you have the burden of Rick Neuheisel's techniques.
God Bless.
Yo Sammy Gilbert!
You believe in god so you must have gone to heaven! God takes care of the good ones (Bruins) so even though you messed up, he still loves you. Believe what you will but the cheating at $C will catch up with them. RN already paid his dues for past sins. PC still has his waiting!
Cheat On!
Taxpayer money doesn't pay for athletic scholarships. It's paid by donors or by revenue generated by the athletic dept.
Toma was at least 1st team all state two years in a row as a WR. It's not like some scrub who hadn't accomplished anything athletically. Sure he didn't have major offers on the table when UCLA offered but then again neither did Taylor Embree.
If the staff offered Toma with the idea of a package deal for Te'o then great. It's not like Neuheisel was arranging for agents to buy Te'o's parents a house.
Look, guys, thinks about the quality of receivers we have had over the past 6 years. The team has had walk-ons getting the touches for darn sake! Robbie Toma is a class kid, with good hands and speed, a wonderful work ethic and he would have been a fine addition and an upgrade to the Bruins and the team's recent receiving corp. That he waivered and chose ND over UCLA is his call, maybe b/c Manti (his best friend) is going there to. Cut him some slack on all fronts.
Sam Gilbert was one of the biggest under the table contributors to the USC Football in his prime during the 60's and 70's. USC Football would not be the same without his devotion to the program. Talk to USC old timers about Sam and they will give you a sly smile...
From the mouths of the UCLA English Department, watered down so they wouldn't be chased out of school:
http://www.english.ucla.edu/ucla1960s/7071/austin12.htm
Trojans aren't too bright.
So to wrap up the evenings events:
History Lesson:
John McKay and John Wooden's National Championships are just a little tarnished.
Current Events:
In a bit of role reversal, Tim Floyd and Rick Neuheisel are pushing the ethical limits of USC Basketball and UCLA Football in order to pull them out of mediocrity.
Welcome to the real world everyone.
It's funny. A first year student does a book report, puts it on the internet and SC fan think it's the voice of authority. I don't know how many times I've seen that link but I bet its the same Trojan goober posting it every time.
OT (somewhat): This makes one wonder why Wolf is "scooping" BD in "reporting" that Renardo Sidney will probably making a verbal commitment to the Bruins. If this were true, wouldn't Dohn be all over it?
According to Wolf's blog, Notre Dame was going to turn down the Hawaii Bowl bid but decided not to so Te'o could watch the Irish in person. Apparently it worked.
I'm not a fan of Weis' but that's smart thinking.