02/07 Morning Minute: 19 Action News
February 7, 2008Boobie Gibson Among Great Company
February 7, 2008OSU Recruit Not Fooled By Attempted Scam
The world of major college football recruiting can be a seedy one at times. Unless it’s something you or a family member have gone through, you can almost certainly never fully appreciate the weight of the mental pressure on these kids. Underneath these pressures lie many folks who are not always looking out for the players’ best interests. Furthermore, the scene is often times laced with lies and deceit. Scott linked to one such story in his morning minutes today. The story of the attemped scam to keep Prairie Eden Eden Prairie star defensive lineman Willie Mobley out of Ohio isn’t self inflicted like Scott’s story, but it can serve as a cautionary tale none the less.
The story comes from Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press, who writes,
“There was no doubt Mobley was prepared to finalize his commitment to the Buckeyes and end rampant speculation that he had changed his mind and would enroll at the University of Minnesota in the fall.
“I heard rumors every day until about two or three days ago,” Mobley said after signing a national letter of intent to attend Ohio State. “I knew all along I was going to be a Buckeye. It didn’t matter to me what anybody was saying.”
Along the way Mobley even received a bogus letter allegedly signed by Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel. The letter, dated Jan. 8, advised Mobley that his “football future would be best suited elsewhere.”
Locally, rumors circulated on Web sites and blogs that the 6-foot-3, 265-pound Mobley was rethinking his oral commitment to Ohio State and was planning to sign with the Gophers. Mobley, who chose Ohio State over the Gophers, UCLA and Tennessee, said he never wavered on his December decision to attend Ohio State, runner-up in the national championship game the past two seasons.
But the rumors continued, including one in January that claimed Mobley and Gophers football coach Tim Brewster had dinner at a restaurant the same night Gophers men’s basketball coach Tubby Smith was doing his weekly radio show there.
“That was the wildest one of all,” Mobley said. “I was never there.”
Mobley’s mother, Roxanne, said Tressel assured her the letter was not written by him nor any member of his staff. She displayed it at Wednesday’s signing.
Roxanne said she became suspicious because the letter, which was on Ohio State letterhead and postmarked Columbus, Ohio, read: “I know Minnesota has not had the greatest season, but in three years you would be eligible for the NFL. … If you come to Ohio State, you will be sitting behind upperclassmen for at least two years anyway, and then you never know.”
“Coach Tressel was upset about it,” Roxanne said. “I’ve known him long enough to know he wouldn’t do something like that, and I know his signature. I’m so glad this recruiting stuff is over.”
Persistent efforts by [Minnesota head coach Tim] Brewster almost turned the recruiting process into a nuisance for Mobley and his family. Brewster made one final pitch Monday.
“I think Brewster is a real nice guy,” said Mobley, who helped lead Eden Prairie to a 13-0 season and the Minnesota Class AAAAA state championship. “I just had a gut feeling that Ohio State is the right place for me. It was my decision all the way.””
I want to be clear here, first of all…..there is NOTHING to suggest that Tim Brewster was behind this in any way. By all accounts, Brewster is a stand up guy and a clean coach. It seems hard to fathom that a coach would have the audacity to try such a blatant stunt. I think it’s much more likely that this was the result of an over-zealous booster who was willing to stop at nothing to keep Mobley in state.
It’s truly disgusting that things like this go on in recruiting. It’s refreshing that Mobley’s mother was grounded enough to realize that something like this coming from Senator Tressel just doesn’t make sense. It’s obvious where Willie got his great attitude and outlook on life from, and it’s unfortunate that people would stoop to this level of manipulation for such selfish reasons. Imagine if this stunt had been successful, and Mobley would have signed with Minnesota. Not that there’s anything wrong with Minnesota, but if Willie’s heart and desire was to be a Buckeye, it all could have been taken away from him for no good reason.
Just another cautionary tale of some of the things that go on in recruiting that we don’t always hear about. I’d love to see a full investigation into this letter to at least try to find the source, but I doubt that will happen. We will have to just be happy and content that it failed and that Willie Mobley is officially a Buckeye!
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