Making the morning rounds.
? Shocked, shocked! College football fans tuning in tonight to HBO's hour-long glimpse into "the state of big-time college sports in America" (10 p.m. ET) should expect to have their fragile psyches shattered by allegations that ?�brace yourself ?�"amateur" student-athletes are sometimes plied with cash and other illicit benefits both before and after they arrive on campus. Specifically, reporter Andrea Kremer interviews four former Auburn players ? Stanley McClover, Troy Reddick, Raven Gray and Chaz Ramsey ? who all claim they were frequently slipped cash by Auburn boosters between 2003 and 2007, including (in McClover's case) a backpack full of cash to make a payment on a car and $4,000 in cash for his four-sack effort in the "Honk If You Sacked Brodie" game against Alabama in 2005 (see above). McClover also claims he was slipped cash on a recruiting visit to Michigan State and accepted "sexual services" at a party at Ohio State.
OK, so what now? McClover and Reddick's claims fall outside of the NCAA's usual four-year statute of limitations on violations, but Ramsey and Gray's claims ? both dating to 2007 ?�are still right on the edge of the four-year window if the NCAA is willing to add to its caseload. (It's not like it isn't already interested in possible improper benefits at Auburn, anyway.) Tiger fans should probably go ahead and start preparing the "haterz" defense, just in case. [Sports by Brooks, New York Daily News, Opelika-Auburn News]
? I swear I am not making this up. A homebuilder has filed a lawsuit in Northern Indiana District Court against former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis for allegedly infringing on the builder's copyright in a complex built by Weis' charity for the developmentally disabled, Hannah & Friends (named for Weis' own developmentally disabled daughter). The owner of Garden Homes by E.L. Inc. alleges that Weis hired his company to build the first two homes in the complex in 2008, the designs for which E.L. Inc. obtained a copyright; Weis then hired another company, Rans Custom Homes, to build a third home (allegedly) based on the same design. The owner of Rans Custom Homes, also named as a defendant, called the suit "completely without merit." And if it's not, legally speaking, it's still completely without tact. [South Bend Tribune]
? But it's mine! In other legal news, N.C. State has sent an ultimatum demanding Loyola University in New Orleans drop the nickname "Wolfpack," on grounds that NCSU owns the exclusive legal right to the Wolfpack name and logo. (Notice that Nevada is the "Wolf Pack," not the "Wolfpack.") The university is proposing solutions to Loyola that (surprise!) could include paying N.C. State a fee for use of the name, even though Loyola was calling itself the "Wolfpack" some 15 years before N.C. State. [Charlotte Observer, ESPN]
? Writing's on the wall. Rutgers, demonstrating a strong commitment to burying last year's last-place finish in the deepest section of the nearest landfill, has moved leading rusher Jordan Thomas to cornerback for spring practice. Thomas was no star in the backfield as a redshirt freshman, churning out 417 yards with one touchdown, and thinks he has a better shot at developing into an NFL prospect at corner. And he doesn't want to say it, but with top-100 recruit Savon Huggins arriving in the fall, Thomas' time at running back was limited, anyway. [Newark Star Ledger]
Quickly… Jared Crick will miss the rest of Nebraska's spring practice with a knee injury. … Florida's down to one running back for the rest of its spring session. … UConn receiver Isiah Moore is suspended indefinitely for (say it with me now) an undisclosed violation of team rules. … A post-DUI suspension hasn't kept Johri Ferguson off of Washington's practice field. … Lache Seastrunk finally shows a little something on Oregon's practice field. … And Lane Kiffin muses on the inherent anarchy of USC's backup quarterback competition.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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