‘Noles OL arrested for illegal use of teammate’s debit card; Dismissed from team

By John TaylorMar 19, 2014, 3:46 PM EDT

As it turns out, Georgia’s not the only high-profile team to open spring practice with an off-field cloud hanging over its head.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Florida State offensive lineman Ira Denson (pictured, No. 55) had, back in late December, used the debit card of running back Mario Pender without his teammate’s permission. The situation escalated two days later, leading to one man being charged with attempted murder in connection to a botched meeting agreed upon by Denson and Pender.

Tuesday, there was yet another development connected to the mess. According to the Tallahassee Democrat, Denson was arrested by the Tallahassee Police Department and charged with petty theft and illegal use of a credit card. The paper wrote that “Pender said his card was used three times: once at a gas station for $5, another time at Champs for $134.36, and a third time at a Foot Locker for $362.”

Security video showed Denson and another man not connected to FSU athletics buying a pair of sneakers at the Champs location. That man, Shaquille Walden, told Tallahassee police that Denson had given him Pender’s debit card.

Pender informed the police that his card had been stolen from the football team’s locker room Dec. 19, and all of the illegal purchases were made that day. A probable-cause statement, as relayed by the Democrat, stated “Denson… was injured at the time and was only allowed to practice for a short time each day. Denson would leave practice early and go to the locker room before the other players.”

Denson, incidentally, is still listed on FSU’s online roster.

UPDATE (8:57 p.m.): The Associated Press reports Denson has been dismissed from the football team by Jimbo Fisher.

(Photo credit: Florida State athletics)

Jim Delany was highest paid conference commissioner in 2017-18; NCAA president Mark Emmert’s salary climbs to nearly $4 million

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By Bryan FischerMay 25, 2019, 4:26 PM EDT

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The life of a conference commissioner is not an easy one given the amount of criticism from just about every level but at least they are well compensated for their troubles.

Really well in most cases.

Thanks to the latest round of 2017-18 tax returns from the various Power Five conferences and the NCAA being released, we now have a good picture at how everybody stacks up and business booming has resulted in even larger paychecks for most. Here’s the latest figures for the Power Five and NCAA President Mark Emmert:

The Big Ten’s Jim Delany moved into the top spot as the highest paid commissioner thanks to a reported $5.5 million paycheck, per USA Today.
Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott was not far behind his Rose Bowl counterpart with over $5.2 million in compensation, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
Big 12 head honcho Bob Bowlsby was bumped to a total of $4.1 million.
ACC commissioner John Swofford took home slightly over $3.5 million.
SEC leader Greg Sankey was by far the best bargain of the group, with the most recently appointed commissioner making right around $2 million last year.
Emmert’s salary was the biggest mover of the group of power players as Yahoo! Sports notes his take-home pay jumped 60% by going from $2.4 million the previous year to $3.9 million. All told, the NCAA’s public face has seen his salary jump by some $2 million since 2015 alone.

As you all know, the compensation for the student-athletes officially remained at $0 in pay for the same time period.

Alcohol sales expected to be hot topic at SEC spring meetings

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By Bryan FischerMay 25, 2019, 3:25 PM EDT

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It just means more… beer?

It certainly could in the SEC as early as this upcoming season depending on how the league’s annual spring meetings in Destin, Fla. go next week. As Sports Illustrated reports ahead of everybody’s trip down by the beach, repealing an archaic conference rule banning alcohol sales in the general public sections of stadiums is expected to be the hot button topic that will drive the conversation among school presidents, athletic directors and coaches:

Many of the conference’s high-ranking administrators are optimistic that league presidents will not only seriously discuss the alcohol ban but will overturn an archaic policy that exists in no other major conference. The bylaw will be “front and center” during the four-day event at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort, says one athletic director; another AD says it’s “the main thing.” The administrators spoke to Sports Illustrated on a condition of anonymity.

It probably goes without saying that SEC fans have been clamoring for overturning the rule and expanding sales beyond the club areas where adult beverages are currently allowed to be sold. The conference is one of the few holdouts in this area as college football has swung back from being relatively dry the past decade-plus. Half the Big Ten will permit sales in 2019 and other programs like Oklahoma became the latest big program elsewhere to join the trend earlier this month.

There’s two positives supporters of an SEC repeal will no doubt trot out next week, the first being the increased revenues schools can make by opening up sales and the other being the decrease in binge drinking just prior to kickoff. The latter in particular is not something likely to escape the conference presidents given some of the game day atmospheres in the league.

We’ll see if things ultimately get over the finish line in terms of a repeal after a few years of discussion but it probably speaks to the health of the league that throwing a few drinks back is the topic de jour down in Destin this year.

Thanks to resurgence under Kirby Smart, Georgia donors have contributed $140 million the past two years

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By Bryan FischerMay 25, 2019, 2:24 PM EDT

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Kirby Smart is just plain good for business at Georgia as much as the head coach is for the Bulldogs on the field.

Like, really good for business.

The Athens Banner-Herald recapped a number of the financial figures for UGA athletics’ recently approved 2020 budget and while the overall $153.89 million figure was notable and the projected $44.5 million distribution from the SEC Network somewhat striking, it was one nugget buried in the story that was really eye-opening:

‘Fueled by the football team’s success the last couple of seasons under coach Kirby Smart, donors have contributed about $140 million total over the last two years.’

$140 million over two years!

“Sustainability in college athletics is an ongoing challenge and we are fortunate to be one of the few institutions being on solid ground,” AD Greg McGarity told the board.

We’ll say. That $140 million figure over two years is slightly more than what fellow SEC peers Kentucky and South Carolina brought in just last year in terms of total revenue, per USA Today’s finances database, and even if you split it in two is still a figure that greatly exceeds most Group of Five programs entire budget. And keep in mind this is just donations for the Bulldogs, not revenues from media deals, ticket sales and other items.

Given that UGA has made the national title game and the Sugar Bowl the past two seasons, it’s probably not a huge surprise to see a big uptick in donations but that quite the whopper of a figure thanks to the Smart-led resurgence in Athens.

Wyoming set to ask the state for funds to help with War Memorial Stadium renovation

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By Bryan FischerMay 25, 2019, 1:30 PM EDT