Phillip Marshall is outraged Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban would expose the corruption in ESPN, YAHOO/Rivals and Scout’s business model—a model where fans run websites and attempt to help their teams recruit while pocketing loads of money by being homers. Marshall wrote an attack piece on his blog at Auburn Undercover in response to this outrage. (H/T Eight In The Box)

I’m a reporter who covers Auburn just like I was when I was a newspaper beat writer. It is not my place to help Auburn’s recruiting or hurt anyone else’s recruiting. It’s my place to report the news in the best and most thorough way possible. My approach is no different than when I was covering Auburn for The Huntsville Times, except that I do a lot more.

A lot more? Sucking up? Because that is about all you ever did to Tommy Tuberville. Wait, there was some brown nosing in there too.

This independent journalistic integrity stuff from a guy who vomited up on page everything Tommy Tuberville told him to write? Marshall is the classic suck-up. First, he didn’t like Gene Chizik, and then once Chizik was hired, the position flip-flopped and he french kissed the new head man.

Alabama’s Nick Saban, South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier, Illinois’ Ron Zook and others outside of major college football have seen the corrupting influence of these “journalists” on the recruiting process; it is a problem around the country. The NCAA must act to save the integrity of college football. The NCAA should move to declare these fan recruiting sites as boosters. Such a move would allow the NCAA to punish schools who use these cheerleaders cloaked in the First Amendment.

22 thoughts on “PRAVDA: We don’t cheat for Auburn!”

  1. Can’t believe you’re working on Sunday night. Boored? This post is bound to stir the pot. Think I’ll wait and see what falls out of the tree! ‘Course I know you’re just f–kin’ with the Barners and Volunqueers. They’re so easy to get started. ‘Aint it fun? In reality nobody should really want the Nazi’s at the NZAA to have the power to regulate the public airwaves or the internet! Anyway how are we going to justify our complaints after we’ve signed a first time in NCAA history 3 #1 classes in a row? LOL! RTR!

  2. Ernest,

    I’ve been trying to figure out why some people get a popup everytime they visit and most don’t. The popup should only show for you once every 4-16 hours, according to the settings. (FYI, the NY Post and other companies use the same popup providers because I was reading the Post this morning and got the same ad when I visited there.)

    Anyway, the only thing I’ve been able to figure out is that you likely aren’t accepting a tracking cookie from the website, so the software is getting confused if this is your first visit each time you click on a link.

    I use ZoneAlarm Extreme Security on my PC (and nothing on my Mac), and I don’t have any problems with popups.

    The truth is, something has to pay the bills, and I can’t afford to turn off one of the few sources of advertising revenue–especially, when the stuff this site uses is the same as many of the major news outlets.

    I’ll keep looking at it, in hopes I can figure out why some people are having problems. I know excessive popups can be annoying.

  3. Careful Cap….Wouldnt that be akin to infringing on someones freedom of speech ? After all, its just an article picked up by papers. No different than Shane for the Western Star. Where is your disdane for his journalistic bias ?
    Only if it beneifits BAMA do you remain silent. If its not good for Bama, you spout off. Cant have it both ways. Sorry.

    Egg…….You are without a doubt the thickest goggled crimson glasses wearer on the face of the earth.

  4. There is a big difference between Shane and Phillip Marshall.

    Everyone knows Shane is an Alabama fan; he has said as much on the radio. However, Marshall was just as biased but pretends to be impartial.

    Marshall has every right to write whatever he wants. He has every right to conduct business. However, he doesn’t have a right to access to campus or football games or practices or the athletic building. The NCAA should declare these organizations as boosters and ban them from any contact with recruits. Those who fail to do so, would then be banned from campus and contact with the football team

    I believe the threat of serious sanctions would end this problem. I can guarantee that Rivals, Scout and ESPN would make sure their reporters obeyed the rules if their access to the school, and thereby their access to profits were under threat.

    Schools should also face sanctions if their “boosters” at ESPN, Scout and Rivals were to recruit on behalf of the school.

    Combine those sanctions and fans would leave sites like Rivals or Scout or ESPN if they got their team put on probation.

  5. I was joking about Shane. But, Im sure I could name some biased media slanted the bama way. Surley you can admit that they are out there. If you cant……well. Anyhow, what EXACTLY did Marshall do that was so bad ? Yes he is Auburn tilted. But so what. He doesnt go out of his way to spin negativity toward Tuscaloosa, does he ?

    Sanctions toward writing positive things about a program is absurd. No matter who the program is. Slanderous accusations are altogether different. In cases like that, the NCAA does NOT have to get involved. There are already laws in the books for that kind of thing.

    So what gives ?

    Why the outrage ?

  6. Phillip has always been biased toward Auburn. He spent years trying to get people to buy his book “The Auburn Experience”. Because it made him money and it glorified Auburn at the same time.
    And it does not take long to see through to Phillip Marshall and his agenda. He will say almost anything to stay in the good graces of the “Auburn Family”. (aka… the Auburn PR machine in his case.)
    Why?
    Because it keeps him in the know (sorry about that ITK) and keeps the doors wide open for him. (He is the journalistic Jimmy Raines.)

    Take Evan Woodberry on the other hand. He is very fair about reporting the good and bad at Auburn and he is cursed for it. (I dont know if he is very welcomed when they have thier little get togethers and “family” bar-b-ques in Lee County.) But at least I can read a piece by him and know that he is just giving the news. And that is something Phillip Marshall cant claim. He gave up on being a journalist years ago to be an Auburn mouthpiece. And if he gets offended when someone calls him or his website out for it… Well sorry there, Phil….But if you tell enough lies and show enough bias your credibility suffers. You being a college grad should know that by now.

  7. Again……..What specificly did he say about Alabama to get all of your panties in a wad ? Is it not O.K. to be an Auburn slanted journalist as long as you dont slander other teams ? You guys act like you get no good P.R. stories from any other journalsists. What gives.

    Again, how has he been slandering Bama ? If you cant produce a specific and obvious case, then you are blasting a man for an opinion. Definantly NOT anything wrong with it. If he did, then he is in the wrong and should be dealt with.

  8. It doesn’t have to be bias against Alabama to matter. Marshall’s stuff I linked to in the past were like propaganda pieces.

    The problem is journalistic integrity. When anyone pretends to be unbiased, it injures the entire media structure. In fairness to Marshall, I’ve not really written much about him since he is working for an obviously biased Auburn site. When he worked for a major Alabama newspaper, it was a different story.

    The only times I’ve commented on Marshall was when he was doing something really interesting (like this column against Nick Saban).

  9. And it depends on what your definition of “sex” is… blah blah blah.
    Same old tired excuses for answers. Ssadly, it didnt work for lick Wilie and it wont work for you either. so what if Cappy links you to the information you want …what then…. More hairsplitting?

    Ballplay,
    Now sit down… and try to comprehend this…
    Phillip Marshall is biased. Period.

    If you cant read HIS BOOK “The auburn Experience” and come up with that conclusion, you need to go back to school and sue them for shortchanging you on your education.
    Man, I am not trying to bag on you. But the man works or a Website that is FOR AUBURN FANS. Cant you connect the dots here?

  10. Why thank you Ballplay! That’s the same way I feel about me! But as far as what you’re saying to Cap, it’s outta line. He’s not making personal accusations. He’s repeating what CNS and CSS and several other reputable coaches are saying. Are you calling them liers? I mean who you gonna believe, a bunch of HIGHLY REPUTABLE (tongue in cheek) reporters, or the coaches? (Excluding Pat Dye or Lane Kiffen of course!) RTR!

  11. Look ………I said he has an Auburn slant. So What !! Ive read many Bama biased articles printed in the Bham news and other papers. And you know what, thats O.K. Whoop-a-dee-doo…..Im not splitting hairs, Im making an observation.

    Egg….He is most definantly making personal observations. And guess what ? Im O.K. with that too. Just cause I say something about it doesnt mean I wont sleep tonight.

    I just dont get the double standard. Cap loves to quote friggin Finebaum of all people as a bona fide journalist when he is bitching about Auburn (You know the arguement about Tubbs accusing Saban of cheating, wich I may not even disagree with that, its just the fact no one could quote Tommy)….But phillip Marshall is just pro Auiburn, and its like he pissed on the Denny Chimes, and took a dump on the walk of champions…. I just dont really get it.

  12. Speaking of that standard. This blog/site has a pic of the capstone and it says “News and commentary on Alabama athletics” …..Does that mean this is the “Official” stance of the University ? I wouldnt think so, but since the “Capstone” is on it. then it must be.

  13. WHat about SNITCH SABAN? Hell hes told on EVERYBODY including Bamma! I think hes swallowed a lil bit of his own kool aid and thinks he should be KING SABAN! you guys keep knighting this fukr and its gonna make for a nasty BREAK UP!!!

  14. Ok, maybe so. Anyway I’m not going to get into it over this subject. The only way to control it would be to give the Nazi’s even more power. And I’m damn sure not comfortable with that! In fact I’m totally pissed of with this countrys’ obsession during the past 30 years of thinking the remedy to every damn problem is to pass another law, regulation or ordinance; thereby giving the government more and more control. The damn place is fast becoming a facist police state! Actually a good case of vigilantyism would straighten out a lot more shit than more stinking police with more invasive power!

  15. All schools including Alabama have these type sites… Saban should know this.. not sure why he brought this up..

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