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Much ado about nothing.

(11-10-2017 09:58 AM)okgc Wrote:  Elmhurst NCAA document puts ALL the violation blame on Director of Financial Aid.
The is no mention of Tim Lester or any other Elmhurst coach.

http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/...171027.pdf

Really? Man, how naive can you guys get? Coaches know everything...where you really need to look is what Lester said about the incident. And it was a no comment. If you are not guilty of something as a football coach, you say, I had nothing to do with that. I was unaware, I think we all were. Especially after that person was fired.

Here is more likely what happened.

"I really want to get this kid, any way we can get some financial aid for him?'

"Sure, I will take care of it"

"Okay."

Innocent enough because he probably didn't ask how it was being done. But that is just sticking your head in the sand because you want to be able to deny what you know. and again, he didn't deny that he knew. He didn't want to talk about it when asked a direct question.

I mean, I can see that our message board posters and fans are going to form a wall around the coach and believe that the ole' ball coach wouldn't do anything wrong, but dang, you would have to think Tim Lester is some kind of special naive to not know anything was going on.

So Tim Lester coached Elmhurst from 2008 - 2012... he left after the 2012 season to coach QB's at Syracuse...

According to the official NCAA Public Infraction Decision Document

Quote:Elmhurst and the director of financial aid committed major violations of NCAA legislation when
the director of financial aid considered athletics criteria in the awarding of financial aid. From
the 2012-13 through the 2015-16 academic years, the director of financial aid awarded aid to 26
student-athletes on 42 instances from five institutional scholarships, three of which included
specific athletics criteria.

I am really struggling here to understand how anyone can implicate Tim for any involvement in the infractions if they occurred on his way out.... and never would have effected any of the players he coached.... His final season was the 2011-2012 season... the following season (2012-2013) was when the infractions would have occurred.

(11-10-2017 12:28 PM)flushtheherd Wrote:  So Tim Lester coached Elmhurst from 2008 - 2012... he left after the 2012 season to coach QB's at Syracuse...

According to the official NCAA Public Infraction Decision Document

Quote:Elmhurst and the director of financial aid committed major violations of NCAA legislation when
the director of financial aid considered athletics criteria in the awarding of financial aid. From
the 2012-13 through the 2015-16 academic years, the director of financial aid awarded aid to 26
student-athletes on 42 instances from five institutional scholarships, three of which included
specific athletics criteria.

I am really struggling here to understand how anyone can implicate Tim for any involvement in the infractions if they occurred on his way out.... and never would have effected any of the players he coached.... His final season was the 2011-2012 season... the following season (2012-2013) was when the infractions would have occurred.

In 2012 Lester was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Coach of the Year after leading the Bluejays to their first NCAA Playoff appearance in school history. The conference championship was the first for the football program since 1980. The 2012, the Bluejays featured running back Scottie Williams, the Gagliardi Trophy award winner as the most outstanding player in Division III.

In 2013, Lester resigned from Elmhurst to accept an offer to be the quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator at Syracuse.

Lester coached the 2012-2103 Elmhurst team, didn't start Syracuse until after that season which was 13. Again, go to the original article. He says no comment about the violations (if he wasn't there he would have said I wasn't there), but then goes on to be proud of what he accomplished. Even says I recruited those kids.

(11-10-2017 11:35 AM)Stampede your face!! Wrote:  

(11-10-2017 09:58 AM)okgc Wrote:  Elmhurst NCAA document puts ALL the violation blame on Director of Financial Aid.
The is no mention of Tim Lester or any other Elmhurst coach.

http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/...171027.pdf

Really? Man, how naive can you guys get? Coaches know everything...where you really need to look is what Lester said about the incident. And it was a no comment. If you are not guilty of something as a football coach, you say, I had nothing to do with that. I was unaware, I think we all were. Especially after that person was fired.

Here is more likely what happened.

"I really want to get this kid, any way we can get some financial aid for him?'

"Sure, I will take care of it"

"Okay."

Innocent enough because he probably didn't ask how it was being done. But that is just sticking your head in the sand because you want to be able to deny what you know. and again, he didn't deny that he knew. He didn't want to talk about it when asked a direct question.

I mean, I can see that our message board posters and fans are going to form a wall around the coach and believe that the ole' ball coach wouldn't do anything wrong, but dang, you would have to think Tim Lester is some kind of special naive to not know anything was going on.

Dang. You are like Dan and Randy, jumping to conclusions just to smear a guy you don't care for.

Let the process and the facts play out. Don't hang a guy based on speculation, fabrication and conjecture or we'll call you "DB."

IF Lester knowingly broke the rules, he should be held accountable and we will know soon enough.

I doubt he did, but this practice is not uncommon in D-III (see K-College).

My guess is that, at worst, Lester didn't realize what was going on wasn't allowed. Still falls on him, but hardly the end of the world or a sign of nefarious doings. People make mistakes and it appears this was "standard procedure" in that AD.

(11-10-2017 01:07 PM)Stampede your face!! Wrote:  

(11-10-2017 12:28 PM)flushtheherd Wrote:  So Tim Lester coached Elmhurst from 2008 - 2012... he left after the 2012 season to coach QB's at Syracuse...

According to the official NCAA Public Infraction Decision Document

Quote:Elmhurst and the director of financial aid committed major violations of NCAA legislation when
the director of financial aid considered athletics criteria in the awarding of financial aid. From
the 2012-13 through the 2015-16 academic years, the director of financial aid awarded aid to 26
student-athletes on 42 instances from five institutional scholarships, three of which included
specific athletics criteria.

I am really struggling here to understand how anyone can implicate Tim for any involvement in the infractions if they occurred on his way out.... and never would have effected any of the players he coached.... His final season was the 2011-2012 season... the following season (2012-2013) was when the infractions would have occurred.

In 2012 Lester was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Coach of the Year after leading the Bluejays to their first NCAA Playoff appearance in school history. The conference championship was the first for the football program since 1980. The 2012, the Bluejays featured running back Scottie Williams, the Gagliardi Trophy award winner as the most outstanding player in Division III.

In 2013, Lester resigned from Elmhurst to accept an offer to be the quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator at Syracuse.

Lester coached the 2012-2103 Elmhurst team, didn't start Syracuse until after that season which was 13. Again, go to the original article. He says no comment about the violations (if he wasn't there he would have said I wasn't there), but then goes on to be proud of what he accomplished. Even says I recruited those kids.

The school article quotes an earlier feature they did where he said he was proud of what he accomplished, there was no statement given, and probably not even a callback to the paper. Make sure you get that straight in your post here.

I wish public relations were that easy, but as someone who works in public relations, even if you're so squeaky clean you do a spit take and almost stroke out when you see a story like this, there's nothing to gain from the story being picked up elsewhere because you issue a public comment about it. My instinct is to be upfront with everyone, but once you touch a hot stove enough, you realize few people care about the truth, and few publications will leave salacious clicks on the table, and you turn stuff down a lot.

So far this story went nowhere, except for the Elmhurst student newspaper and this board. This board of all places should understand why you don't address rumors in public unless you need to...

Now, if you did something wrong, it's better to get in front of it than being like all these creepy turds the last few weeks in LA/NY/DC waiting for the hammer to eventually drop on them next.

I don’t know what the rules are exactly, but in 1965 I was contacted by one of the nice MIAA schools about playing football. I said that’s nice but no way can my family afford that. Turns out no problem. He says well you can get an academic scholarship for tuition and you can pass out towels at gym class for spending money, and the track coach has a spare bedroom and his wife is really a good cook.

So I ended up with a better offer, but that was 52 years ago this isn’t anything new. And in technical terms, in my case, an academic scholarship and a part time job, and a kind hearted track coach, is there something wrong with that? And a wife who likes to cook? I guess it was pretty clear football was involved as well, but not directly.

(11-10-2017 02:26 PM)GullLake Wrote:  Dang. You are like Dan and Randy, jumping to conclusions just to smear a guy you don't care for.

Let the process and the facts play out. Don't hang a guy based on speculation, fabrication and conjecture or we'll call you "DB."

IF Lester knowingly broke the rules, he should be held accountable and we will know soon enough.

I doubt he did, but this practice is not uncommon in D-III (see K-College).

Exactly. I might be disappointed in what I've seen from our coaching staff this year, but there is no way Tim was knowingly breaking any rules. He's just not wired that way. Tim Lester might be one of the most trustworthy people I've ever known.

(11-10-2017 02:26 PM)GullLake Wrote:  

(11-10-2017 11:35 AM)Stampede your face!! Wrote:  

(11-10-2017 09:58 AM)okgc Wrote:  Elmhurst NCAA document puts ALL the violation blame on Director of Financial Aid.
The is no mention of Tim Lester or any other Elmhurst coach.

http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/...171027.pdf

Really? Man, how naive can you guys get? Coaches know everything...where you really need to look is what Lester said about the incident. And it was a no comment. If you are not guilty of something as a football coach, you say, I had nothing to do with that. I was unaware, I think we all were. Especially after that person was fired.

Here is more likely what happened.

"I really want to get this kid, any way we can get some financial aid for him?'

"Sure, I will take care of it"

"Okay."

Innocent enough because he probably didn't ask how it was being done. But that is just sticking your head in the sand because you want to be able to deny what you know. and again, he didn't deny that he knew. He didn't want to talk about it when asked a direct question.

I mean, I can see that our message board posters and fans are going to form a wall around the coach and believe that the ole' ball coach wouldn't do anything wrong, but dang, you would have to think Tim Lester is some kind of special naive to not know anything was going on.

Dang. You are like Dan and Randy, jumping to conclusions just to smear a guy you don't care for.

Let the process and the facts play out. Don't hang a guy based on speculation, fabrication and conjecture or we'll call you "DB."

IF Lester knowingly broke the rules, he should be held accountable and we will know soon enough.

I doubt he did, but this practice is not uncommon in D-III (see K-College).

I'm not out to smear him. And I didn't start any rumors. The process has played out. He was the head coach of a team that had his wins vacated. The NCAA ruled. Those are the facts. I've not made up a thing.

The only leap I've made is that I think it's naive for people to think a head coach is completely in the dark on something like this.