Coaches: Players also responsible for agent probe

NCAA Football Betting Lines

07/23/2010 -

HOOVER, Ala. (AP) -Tennessee coach Derek Dooley and Auburn's Gene Chizik both say the onus isn't just on agents to follow the rules, college athletes know the difference between right and wrong.

``A lot of this has got to go back to the young guy,'' Chizik said Friday. ``He's got to have an allegiance to his school. He's got to have an allegiance to his teammates. He's got to have an allegiance to his coaches and to his university. The bottom line is, I think everybody probably does a really good job of trying to educate their kids.

``If they know right from wrong and they choose to do wrong, then they don't really have an allegiance to the people that I just mentioned. They know right from wrong.''

It was a slightly different message from the first two days of the Southeastern Conference media days, when coaches were on the attack against unscrupulous sports agents.

Investigations are ongoing at Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida for alleged improper contact, along with North Carolina. The rash of issues led Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban to liken the actions of those rogue agents to the behavior of a pimp.

Dooley and Chizik both said the athletes are willing participants.

``At the end of the day, it's the responsibility of the player to not take it,'' Dooley said. ``And I don't know any other way to put it. It's a responsibility of the player that if somebody comes up and confronts you in public and wants to fight you, to walk away. It's a responsibility of the player not to break the law. So it's a responsibility of the player not to break the rules of the NCAA.''

Several players agreed with that sentiment, including LSU linebacker Kelvin Sheppard.

``Both sides are responsible,'' Sheppard said. ``Both are adults. Definitely, players need to take ownership and know certain rules they need to abide by as a college athlete.''

Tennessee and Auburn are among schools that hired consultant Joe Mendes, a former NFL executive, to help educate and manage players' dealings with agents.

``This is not a new problem,'' Chizik said. ``This did not happen this week for the first time. This is an ongoing issue that everybody is aware of, and I don't know what the right legislation is to kind of put a cap on this thing.

``I know that it's been a problem that everybody's been aware of, and this isn't the first time. It's one that's challenging in terms of being able to get our hands around it. Whether it's the NFL or NCAA, I'm sure that there's going to be a brighter light shined on trying to find some legislation somewhere to be able to regulate it. But it's hard to regulate.''

LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson said he was approached by agents or their representatives ``maybe three times a week'' at the start of his junior year.

``It was pretty crazy,'' Peterson said. ``It was wild. I knew how to tell those guys it's not the proper time for all this, it's not the right moment. I'll talk to you when it's the right time.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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