Oregon Under Scrutiny For Paid Recruiting Service
Yahoo! Sports revealed today that Willie Lyles, an aspiring scout of college athletes, was paid $25,000 by the University of Oregon to specifically steer top football recruits in its direction.
Lyles acted as a mentor to many highly rated players across his home state of Texas, including recent Heisman Trophy finalist LaMichael James. He encouraged James, who was unable to pass a high school exit exam, to transfer to another school where this test was not required so that he could be academically eligible for college. This was supported by current Oregon head football coach Chip Kelly. He later convinced running back Lache Seastrunk to sign with Oregon against his mother's wishes by exploiting a loophole in the recruitment signing process.
In February, the University paid Lyles for his services and agreed to continue working with him. However, the recruiting information he provided was out of date and of poor quality. Oregon then severed ties with Lyles.
With this information coming to light, there is no doubt that Oregon will be next in the NCAA's line of fire as it continues its crusade against programs that don't follow its bylaws and procedures.
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