Thursday, “chatter” surfaced by way of a writer from an Auburn-centric Rivals.com website that an Alabama “supporter” had plied a Tide signee and at least one member of his family with cash and, in one case, a car.
Friday brings word that Alabama has already begun the process of taking a peek into the explosive claims.
According to, oddly enough, an Alabama-centric Rivals.com website, UA athletic department officials spent the day in Franklin County (Al.) investigating the “report” that impermissible benefits may have been involved in the recruitment of five-star linebacker Brent Calloway.
Calloway’s recruitment was, to say the least, an odyssey wrought with an embarrassing amount of intrigue when you consider the fact that it involved where a teenager was going to attend college. Originally a verbal commitment to the Tide, Calloway flipped to Auburn in early January before flipping back to Alabama on signing day a month later. In his claims made during an interview on an Alabama radio station yesterday, Jeffrey Lee, the editor of Rivals’ Auburn site, intimated that Calloway’s final flip came as a result of the financial inducements given by the Tide supporter.
Suffice to say, Tide officials were forced into action because of the allegations.UA compliance department officials interviewed Calloway, Russellville resident Darren Woodruff, bank officials at First Metro Bank and Calloway’s adopted father, Harland Lindsey Winston, known as “Peaches.”
At issue are allegations made Thursday morning by Auburn Rivals reporter Jeffrey Lee on Mobile radio station WSNP. Among Lee’s allegations were that an Alabama supporter - subsequently identified as Woodruff -- paid Winston $2,500 for Calloway to commit to Alabama, as well as supplying Calloway a new car. Lee also alleged Woodruff pulled Calloway out of school in the days leading up to signing day, taking him on a trip to Florida.
Woodruff told TideSports.com that he’s “confident the truth will come out.” Ricky Danley, the new cars sales manager at the dealership where Woodruff allegedly acquired the vehicle given to Calloway, told the website that Woodruff had merely taken the car in question -- a Camaro -- out on an extended test drive before returning it due to handling issues at high speeds.
Calloway’s high school principal, Tim Guinn, told the site that he has never seen or heard of Calloway drive any car, let alone a brand-new Camaro. If true, that would debunk the claim made by Lee that Calloway drove a new car to school one day and, because of the attention it garnered and the questions being asked, was forced to return it the same day.
“I don’t believe any of these allegations are true. No, not one of them,” Guinn said.
And, as if this episode needed another layer of intrigue, the man responsible for the initial allegations cancelled a previously scheduled radio appearance a day after very willingly allowing the claims to be broadcast in the first place. Lee issued a statement announcing the cancellation as well as expressing unwavering faith in the sources that led to the initial allegations.
In case you were wondering, yes, you read that correctly: a writer from a website issued a statement regarding a cancelled radio interview. In other, unrelated news, the Mayans are correct. Anyway, here’s the statement:
Sigh.
With all of the crap going on in what is truly a great on-field product -- from street agents to deceptive head coaches to fathers sticking their hands out looking for a little green greasing to arrests and suspensions -- doesn’t it almost makes one long for the relative peace and tranquility of the NFL’s off-field labor strife?