This just in: Big-time college athletics can be sleazy, where individuals who don't care at all about, you know, the higher learning part of our institutions of higher learning inhabit the dark recesses of many programs.
An ongoing FBI probe, which began when investigators learned that assistant coaches at several basketball programs were receiving payoffs from shoe companies to help secure recruits, has already entangled several assistant coaches at major universities and now threatens the career of former Pitt star Sean Miller, the Ellwood City native who's Arizona's head coach ... for now.
Why would the FBI care?
Because those people funneling money into their pockets obviously weren't claiming it on their tax returns. And we're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars in the case of each individual. Remember, Al Capone went down for tax evasion.
This is not to equate college payouts to bootlegging or murder. But this scandal led to the arrests of four assistant coaches in the fall, including Emanuel Richardson, who was with Miller at Arizona and played basketball at Pitt-Johnstown. Then, things went quiet on that front. And a lot of coaches were nervous. Now we know why: ESPN reported Miller was caught on a wiretap talking with the center of the FBI's investigation, Christian Dawkins, about funneling $100,000 to recruit DeAndre Ayton. Uh oh.
Miller did not coach the Wildcats in their game Saturday night against Oregon. And given the nature of these allegations, he just might have coached his final college basketball game.
Thing is, Miller probably isn't the only major coach who is going to get caught up in this net. There are some other big-time programs out there that are dirty. Of that you can be sure.
That is what is going to make things difficult for Pitt in its coaching search to replace Kevin Stallings if/when the Panthers pull the trigger at the end of this season. As we have now seen, the wheels of justice are turning slowly on this latest college payout scandal. After all, despite the ESPN story, Miller hasn't come under indictment. And the NCAA isn't getting involved in this until after the federal government has had its say.
So, Pitt could make a hire and find out six months from now that the head coach it just hired or the big-time assistant it added is caught up in all of this. After all, had many had their way, Pitt would have moved earth and sun to hire Miller to replace Jamie Dixon last year -- even though that was a pipe dream.
• This whole scandal will once again raise the cries for student-athletes to be paid. But that's not going to end major payouts such as the ones the FBI is currently investigating. If NCAA Division I athletes are paid, say, $10,000 per season, somebody is going to want or need $20,000. And there are always the greedy hangers-on that get involved, as well, who see a talented kid as a meal ticket. That's not going to go away.
• The only people more surprised than me the Steelers didn't receive at least one compensatory pick from the league on Friday are in the Steelers' front office. I'm not quite sure how losing Lawrence Timmons and Markus Wheaton -- both of whom signed pretty significant contracts -- and signing no player of note other than Tyson Alualu didn't add up to at least a seventh-round pick.
• That leaves the Steelers with six picks in the draft, none in the fourth and sixth rounds but two in the fifth. That makes it very, very unlikely they will make any trade that moves them up in the first round. If anything, it makes it more likely that they will be actively looking to move back in some rounds in an effort to acquire an extra pick or two.
• The biggest takeaway from the Pirates' spring training opener Friday was Austin Meadows going 3 for 3 with two doubles. More importantly, he didn't get hurt. I kid. Meadows is a big part of the franchise's future. He has been a top-10 rated prospect in the past, though injuries last year took some bloom off that rose. But he is still just 22 years old, which leaves him with a lot of room for continued growth.
• Take a look at the Pirates' starting lineup right now and tell me it's not at least comparable to the one they ran out there for most of 2017. And remember, they didn't have Jung Ho Kang for the entire season and Starling Marte for half of it.. Again, I'm not saying this current lineup is better, but it isn't the 100-loss unit many are saying, either.