Joe
The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.
Dante Alighieri
----- Original Message ----- From: "kurtrasmussen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "rtf" <rtf@rolltidefan.net>
Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2005 8:22 AM
Subject: [RollTideFan] Trial of a booster
URL: http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/football/article/0,1426,MCA_478_3491558,00.html
Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal
Trial of a booster
U.S. case to focus on Young's alleged payment for recruit
By Gary Parrish Contact January 23, 2005
He has spent many sleepless nights, several defensive days and so much money on legal fees that it's a good thing he's a multi-millionaire.
Now, Logan Young finally gets his day in court. It starts Monday, and promises to be interesting, if not a complete spectacle that again turns the eyes of the college football world toward this scandal-ridden saga.
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"We have a client who told us he didn't do this," said Young's lead attorney, Jim Neal. "So we're ready to go to trial."
The United States vs. Logan Young. That's the way it reads on the court calendar.
A country against a man.
Logic against reasonable doubt.
Did Young indeed pay former Trezevant High coach Lynn Lang $150,000 during the 1999-2000 school year to get his star recruit, Albert Means, to enroll at the University of Alabama? If so, can the government prove it, and convince a jury of Young's peers to put him in prison?
Those are the questions that will loom largest in this trial, which is expected to last two weeks and was prompted by a Jan. 10, 2001 story in The Commercial Appeal.
"I'm not going to sit here and lie about it," said Milton Kirk, Lang's former assistant coach, in that article. "This is a story that needs to be told."
So he told it, to the dismay of many. Four years later, it's back in the news, the tale of how Kirk and Lang hatched a plan that resulted in Young allegedly funneling cash to Lang in exchange for Means signing with the Crimson Tide.
At first, nearly everybody outside of Kirk challenged the allegations. Since then, the claims have been legitimized by an indictment and Lang's admission of wrongdoing.
Kirk has already pled guilty to a federal charge for his role in the scheme. So has Lang. And the NCAA found Young guilty of paying for the prospect, which helped land Alabama on five years probation.
Means, shocked by it all, transferred to the University of Memphis after one season in Tuscaloosa and finished his college career last month.
Meanwhile, Kirk and Lang have also moved on with their lives, rekindled their friendship and fully cooperated with the prosecution. At least Lang -- who has spent the past few years living in Michigan, but has already arrived in Memphis for the trial -- is expected to testify against Young.
"He's prepared to testify truthfully," said Lang's attorney, Pat Brown. "Beyond that, I don't think it would be appropriate to comment."
It is no secret that the prosecution will use Lang's word against Young, and produce bank records that show two things:
That Young made more than 50 significant cash withdrawals in the span of the indictment against him, many of which were above $9,000, all of which were less than $10,000 to avoid IRS reporting requirements.
In that same timeframe, Lang's balance in his bank account increased dramatically, so much so that the former Alcorn State football player lived a lifestyle not normally accessible to most public school teachers, complete with a loaded SUV and stories of lavish nights out.
Past that, it's unclear exactly what approach the government will take.
Prosecutor Fred Godwin, an Asst. U.S. Atty., could call any number of college football coaches -- Tennessee's Phil Fulmer, former Memphis coach Rip Scherer, etc. -- many of whom have acknowledged they understood Lang was dictating Means's recruitment and offering the Parade All-American to the highest bidder.
Another character that could emerge is Tennessee fan Roy Adams, who has promised to be in court every day taking notes for a UT Internet site. It's also possible the prosecution will call NCAA investigator Rich Johanningmeier, recruiting expert Tom Culpepper and a former Melrose High cafeteria monitor who has long been tabbed by some as Young's "bagman."
"This trial is going to be very big," said Paul Finebaum, host of a popular talk radio show in Alabama. "I'm not sure that the day-to-day activity will be followed on a moment-to-moment basis. But I think the verdict will scream loudly for Alabama fans, one way or another."
Which is the tricky part of this whole trial, why it might not mean much to the masses who have already formed their opinions.
If Young is convicted, it will only confirm what the NCAA long ago decided, or simply fuel an already established theory among Alabama fans of a conspiracy by the NCAA, UT, FBI and several other entities to bring down the Crimson Tide program.
And if Young is acquitted? Well, here's Finebaum again:
"If he is found not guilty, there is going to be the idea here in Alabama that there was nothing to any of this, and that the school should've never been put on probation," Finebaum said. "Then, Alabama fans are going to be even angrier, if that's possible."
-- Gary Parrish: 529-2365
Copyright 2005, commercialappeal.com - Memphis, TN. All Rights Reserved.
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