The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football
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Jason Neff, a criminal defense attorney for Brent Calloway, was helpful in providing information in the early stages of the criminal case against the four Alabama football players. Reporting on prior arrests at Alabama during Saban’s tenure was based on published reports in Alabama newspapers and on ESPN.
NOTRE DAME
One of the authors spent significant time with Tom Seeberg and was given access to e-mails and other correspondence between the family and Notre Dame officials, medical records, text messages and documents. We also relied on a report issued by St. Joseph County prosecutor Michael Dvorak.
PENN STATE
One of the authors covered the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse trial and the fallout from the scandal, spending more than a hundred hours on and around the Penn State campus and conducting dozens of interviews. The authors also relied on the 270-plus-page independent report issued by former head of the FBI Louis Freeh and Freeh’s subsequent press conference in Philadelphia on July 12, 2012, to announce the findings of the investigation.
ALPHONSO MARSH AT DOMINGUEZ HIGH AND THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
The reporting on the Dominguez High School football players is based on multiple trips the authors made to Compton in 2011 and 2012. The authors attended games and practice sessions and conducted interviews with all of the mentioned players, along with their parents. One of the authors also made multiple trips to Salt Lake City to chronicle Alphonso Marsh’s arrival and experience during the summer and fall of 2012. The authors also relied on additional reporting from Deanne Fitzmaurice, a photographer who was retained for this book to shadow Alphonso Marsh in Compton and in Salt Lake City. Some information from her observations enriched the reporting. One of the authors also communicated regularly with Marsh and his former teammates at Dominguez High through Facebook and Twitter.
23. THE GAME: “I hate losing more than anything”
Most of what’s reported in this chapter—the pregame rituals, the locker room scenes, the games and the postgame material—was observed firsthand by one of the authors during visits to Provo, Salt Lake City and Atlanta in 2012. During these visits, one of the authors shadowed Kyle Van Noy, Mike Leach, Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah and Bronco Mendenhall. Photojournalist Deanne Fitzmaurice accompanied one of the authors during the visits to Provo and Salt Lake City. She had access to the players and coaches and was present on the sidelines and in the locker room. Her photography was used to enhance the reporting.
Additionally, one of the authors conducted multiple interviews with Kyle Van Noy, Cody Harris, Mike Leach, Bronco Mendenhall and Ezekiel Ansah. All statements and actions attributed to University of Utah fans during the BYU–Utah game were observed by one of the authors.
Quotations attributed to Max Hall and Austin Collie regarding the BYU–Utah rivalry appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News.
24. THE COACH: Part IV, The letter
For this chapter, interviews were conducted with Mike Leach, Bill Moos, Elson Floyd and Tyler Bruggman. Marquess Wilson did not respond to requests for an interview.
All documents referred to in this chapter either are in the possession of the authors or were shown to the authors. Washington State University also provided access to the e-mails and text messages to and from Bill Moos and Elson Floyd, as well as those to and from WSU trustees Ryan Durkan and Scott Carson. The authors also had access to the text message from Marquess Wilson to Bill Moos, as well as Wilson’s letter.
Additional sources included WSU’s internal review of the football program; the outside review conducted by the Pac-12; published reports of Mike Leach’s postgame press conference following the Utah game; a report by Bud Withers in the Seattle Times regarding Leach’s behavior following the Utah game; Stewart Mandel’s reporting on SI.com regarding Leach; a Los Angeles Times story, “Ring of Fire,” about Barry Alvarez; and published reports on ESPN.com and elsewhere regarding Marquess Wilson’s departure from the team.
25. THE DRAFT PICK: To go pro or not to go pro
One of the authors attended the Poinsettia Bowl and was given access to BYU’s locker room before and after the game. All scenes and dialogue from the bowl game were observed firsthand. One of the authors also shadowed Kyle Van Noy as he walked alone across the field following the game. Thoughts attributed to Van Noy came from a discussion between the author and Van Noy. Similarly, the thoughts attributed to Ezekiel Ansah, Kyle Van Noy and Bronco Mendenhall in the postgame locker room were told to the author. Interviews were also conducted with Tom Holmoe.
Thoughts attributed to Kyle Van Noy during his decision-making process on whether to remain at BYU for his senior year were told to one of the authors by Van Noy.
The Detroit Lions were helpful in providing background information and photography for the portion of the chapter that chronicles Ezekiel Ansah at the NFL draft.
26. GAMEDAY: The genius of ESPN
This chapter was constructed in large measure over the weekend of the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. During that period the authors interviewed Lee Fitting, Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and, briefly, Tom Rinaldi. In a supplemental interview, Fitting provided additional technical information about the production crew and broadcast.
ESPN’s securing the rights to the college football playoff was based upon an interview with Burke Magnus, who declined to comment on specific multimedia rights numbers. Those numbers were obtained from sources within the television industry and later confirmed by a high-ranking member of the BCS coalition.
An all-access spot inside the main production truck provided the real-time feel of the two-hour GameDay broadcast. That feel was enhanced by one of the authors watching a DVD copy of the entire two-hour show in order to create a sense of what the viewer was witnessing at home. None of this access or information would have been possible without the help of ESPN’s Mike Soltys, the approval of ESPN’s president, John Skipper, or, most directly, the assistance of Keri A. Potts, ESPN’s senior public relations director of college sports.
27. BUILT BY BAMA: In a class by itself
The information in this chapter came from a wide variety of sources: interviews with Nick Saban and members of his Alabama coaching staff, athletic department personnel and the late athletic director Mal M. Moore. Some of Saban’s comments and those of defensive coordinator Kirby Smart were from press conferences at the 2013 BCS national title game. In addition, Saban was observed by one of the authors at practice, before, during and after games and at public and private events, some for this book, some as part of reporting for 60 Minutes, which featured Saban in a piece on college football in November 2012.
The financial data subsequent to Saban’s arrival in Tuscaloosa was the work of associate athletic director Douglas Walker.
It was with Saban’s approval that the authors were allowed access to Wesley Neighbors Jr., who was interviewed in person at Alabama on two separate occasions and also over the phone. His personal story was augmented with information from the Alabama football media guide and published reports.
The player interviews with Barrett Jones, Dee Milliner, Damion Square, Eddie Lacy, Cyrus Kouandjio and strength coach Scott Cochran were conducted by one of the authors.
The final scene of the book—Saban on the stage before exiting Sun Life Stadium with his index finger in the air—was observed from the field.
A Note About the Authors
JEFF BENEDICT is one of the country’s top investigative reporters. He is a special features contributor for Sports Illustrated and the author of ten critically acclaimed books, including Pros and Cons and Out of Bounds. His essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, and the Los Angeles Times, among other publications, and have been the basis of segments on CBS’s 60 Minutes, ABC’s 20/20, NBC’s Dateline, HBO’s Real Sports and the Discovery Channel. He has a law degree and is a Distinguished Professor of Writing and Mass Media at Southern Virginia University.
ARMEN KETEYIAN is a CBS News correspondent based in New York an
d the lead correspondent for 60 Minutes Sports on Showtime. An eleven-time Emmy Award winner, he is widely regarded as one of the finest investigative journalists in the country. He is also the author or coauthor of nine previous books, including Money Players, Raw Recruits, and the autobiographies of Hall of Fame pitcher Catfish Hunter and Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary.
For more information, please visit www.doubleday.com
In 2013–14, Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron will attempt to lead the Crimson Tide to its third national title in a row. (Deanne Fitzmaurice)
“Wow”—the first night game in University of Michigan football history against Notre Dame on September 10, 2011, drew a record crowd of 114,804. (Michigan Photography)
Together, athletic director Dave Brandon (left) and head coach Brady Hoke have revitalized Michigan football. (Michigan Photography)
In the good old days, DFO Cleve Bryant (left) and Texas head coach Mack Brown communicated like an old married couple. (Harry Cabluck/Associated Press)
Towson University head coach Rob Ambrose and his Tigers put up a great fight before bowing on the road at LSU. (Courtesy of Towson University)
BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall has compiled a 74-29 record and led the Cougars to a bowl game in each of his eight seasons. Above, he celebrates in the locker room with his team after defeating Georgia Tech on October 27, 2012. (Mark A. Philbrick)
Kyle Van Noy was recruited by LSU, Oregon, Nebraska and UCLA. But after hearing Bronco Mendenhall speak at a Mormon church in Reno, Nevada, he chose to play for him at BYU. Van Noy chose not to enter the NFL draft in 2013 in order to complete his degree. He is projected to be a first-round selection in 2014. (Deanne Fitzmaurice)
Billionaire T. Boone Pickens (center) at the Oklahoma State–Texas game in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on September 29, 2012. Pickens has given $248 million to OSU, which is not only the largest donation for athletics but the largest single donation to an institution of higher education in American history. Oklahoma State’s stadium is named after him. (Jeff Benedict)
Left to right: Former Cleveland Browns star Reggie Rucker and Hall of Famer Jim Brown joined Bobby DiGeronimo at the record-setting 2013 Cornerstone of Hope gala. (Courtesy of Cornerstone of Hope)
Washington State athletic director Bill Moos (right) hired Mike Leach three years after Texas Tech fired Leach over an incident involving wide receiver Adam James. (Courtesy of Washington State Athletics)
Mike Leach led Texas Tech to the No. 2 ranking in the country in 2008 and was named college football Coach of the Year. Above, he leads the Washington State Cougars in prayer prior to facing BYU on August 30, 2012. (Deanne Fitzmaurice)
Quarterback Pete DiNovo of champion Team Tampa (Fla.) attempts a pass to teammate wide receiver Zach Benjamin in the 2012 IMG 7v7 National Championships. (IMG Academy)
Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah leaves the field after his final college game at the Poinsettia Bowl. (Jeff Benedict)
BYU’s Ziggy Ansah (left) and Kyle Van Noy (right) converge on an opposing quarterback. In 2013, the Detroit Lions chose Ansah fifth overall in the NFL draft and Van Noy was named an all-American defensive player as a junior. (Jaren Wilkey)
It has become all too common to see college football players carted off the field with serious injuries. Roughly two hundred players sustained season-ending injuries during the 2012 season. This Georgia Tech player had to leave the game after being injured against BYU on October 27, 2012. (Jeff Benedict)
Ricky Seals-Jones surrounded by his parents, Buffy and Chester, before No. 4’s final game for Sealy High School in Texas. (Courtesy of the Seals-Jones family)
University of Utah recruit Alphonso Marsh and his mother Curley Rachal at home in Compton, California. Marsh escaped the lure of street gangs while in high school, but was shot multiple times while visiting home during his freshman year of college. (Deanne Fitzmaurice)
Dominguez High football coach Keith Donerson uses football to keep kids out of street gangs. In 2012, five of his players, including Alphonso Marsh, received scholarships to play Division I football. (Deanne Fitzmaurice)
Left to right: Reporter Tom Rinaldi, host Chris Fowler, producer Lee Fitting and analyst Desmond Howard doing some last-minute GameDay prep. (ESPN Images)
Crimson Tide players getting a massive dose of the passion and pride that is Alabama—and SEC—football. (Deanne Fitzmaurice)
Nick Saban savoring, if only for a while, a glittering championship night in South Florida. (Getty Images)
ALSO BY JEFF BENEDICT
Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. coli Outbreak That Changed the Way Americans Eat
Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage
How to Build a Business Warren Buffett Would Buy: The R. C. Willey Story
The Mormon Way of Doing Business: How Nine Western Boys Reached the Top of Corporate America
Out of Bounds: Inside the NBA’s Culture of Rape, Violence, and Crime
No Bone Unturned: The Adventures of a Top Smithsonian Forensic Scientist and the Legal Battle for America’s Oldest Skeletons
Without Reservation: How a Controversial Indian Tribe Rose to Power and Built the World’s Largest Casino
Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL (written with Don Yaeger)
Public Heroes, Private Felons: Athletes and Crimes Against Women
Athletes and Acquaintance Rape
ALSO BY ARMEN KETEYIAN
Raw Recruits (written with Alexander Wolff)
Rod Carew’s Hit to Win: Batting Tips and Techniques from a Baseball Hall of Famer (written with Rod Carew and Frank Pace)
Calling the Shots (written with Mike Singletary)
Catfish: My Life in Baseball (written with Jim “Catfish” Hunter)
Big Red Confidential: Inside Nebraska Football
Ditka: Monster of the Midway
Money Players: Days and Nights Inside the New NBA (written with Harvey Araton and Martin F. Dardis)
Why You Crying? My Long, Hard Look at Life, Love, and Laughter (written with George Lopez)