Never been hard to identify To$u athletes receiving benefits
by cmhirish (2020-05-02 10:05:11)

In reply to: Ohio State poised to jump in with both feet  posted by TWO

Post Reply Return to Cartier Field

so their actions bring no surprise here.
This will just make it kosher. Profiting from one's name, image, and likeness will be legally earned income, which is fine.

I remember a third of the '91-92 men's basketball roster showing up at Cellular One to have cell phones installed in their brand new Grand Cherokees. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions though. Maybe those weren't improper benefits. Maybe their parents or guardians all agreed the kids needed new Jeeps and cell phones, and footed the bill. It's possible.



The Jimmy Jackson, Lawrence Funderburke years *
by Hanratty5ND  (2020-05-02 10:44:17)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

you witnessed this? Holy moly! *
by novadamer  (2020-05-02 10:21:59)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

While finishing school I was working at Cellular One.
by cmhirish  (2020-05-02 21:31:47)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

It was a Saturday, which meant closing at noon. There was a bit of a stir when the first player showed up sometime between 1030-1100. I remember being asked "Is that so-and-so?"
"I can't really tell... yep. Sure is. What's he doing?"
"Getting a phone"
"Oh yeah? In what?"
"In that over there" (nodding in direction of new SUV).
"Really? Wow. I wonder what that's about."

We thought maybe he was helping one of his parents pull off a surprise for the other, which was not an uncommon gesture in those days. Getting a phone installed in your car provided safety for you and your loved ones. It was a status symbol. It was cool. And as it turned out, it could be used to help convince select athletes yours was the right program for them.

However, I didn't put it together until about an hour later when the next player showed up. The last two didn't show up until about 5 minutes before noon. I remember them being far more enamored with their new wheels than in getting a phone. It was pretty apparent they hadn't seen each other's rides, though not one was surprised by what their teammates were driving.

Closing time. I didn't hang around, mine and everyone else's day was done, save the store manager and his crony tech. Out of curiosity I looked up the old building. Looks like it shares tenants now, but back then Cell One had the whole thing.