Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Did Chip Kelly Jump Ship to NFL Because of Looming Allegations?

According to the Oregonian and Portland local news station KATU Monday night, the University of Oregon shared documents with the NCAA that both agree were "major" violations committed by the football program during the tenure of former head coach Chip Kelly. The school has admitted that at least one major violation was committed by members of the coaching staff.


The main suspect in the alleged allegations is Will Lyles, who ran a recruiting and scouting service under the payment of $25,000 from Oregon, one violation that the school and the NCAA are disagreeing about. According to KATU, NCAA enforcement staff wrote in the report:
"There were underlying major violations coupled with failure to monitor violations involving the head coach (2009 through 2011) and the athletics department (2008-2011),"
The disappointing trend that seems to be continuing here is that yet another college coach (Kelly) was fully aware of these inevitable violations and jumped ship to the NFL just in time to avoid any major repercussions. The same can't be said for Oregon, who could very well be facing similar penalties that have already left its mark on Ohio State and USC. Kelly released a statement concerning the allegations as well as his involvement in his time at Oregon:
"I am aware of the recent reports and of the ongoing investigation being conducted by the NCAA and the University of Oregon', Kelly said in a prepared statement. 'While at Oregon, I know we were fully cooperative with all aspects of the investigation and I will continue to contribute in any way that I can. But until the NCAA rules on the matter, I will have no further comment."
While it's been made clear that violations were committed, Oregon will now have to cooperate and play the waiting game with the NCAA to find out the severity of their actions. A piece of advice to college programs from here on out -- if your star coach is set to jump ship to the NFL, expect NCAA sanctions to follow shortly thereafter.

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