Tuesday morning exposed a real problem for a successful athletic program like the University of Alabama—those who try to enrich themselves at the expense of others. In this case, two area businessmen have exploited University of Alabama athletes in an attempt to make money with their own snakeoil miracle elixir that would have Mayberry’s Aunt Bee shelling out dollars. They have done this while ignoring cease and desist letters from the University of Alabama.

“UA has been aware of this situation for some time, and we have monitored this company for several years. They have twice ignored cease and desist letters sent by our compliance office,” said Deborah M. Lane, Assistant to the President and Associate Vice President for University Relations at the University of Alabama in a statement emailed to the Capstone Report.

The first cease and desist letter (below) was sent to Mitch Ross and S.W.A.T.S. in 2009:

In this letter, the University explained the reasons S.W.A.T.S. should not use current student athletes in what amounts to promotional or advertising material. The letter requests Ross refrain from giving or selling items to present Alabama athletes.

According to the March 30, 2009, letter from Alabama’s Director of Compliance, the University asked, “That you not give or sell any product to our student-athletes. If they wish to use your product, they should obtain them through the athletic training staff and under the supervision of the athletic training staff.”

Unfortunately, this did not work.

A second cease and desist letter (below) was sent to Christopher Key on October 31, 2012. This letter was prompted by YouTube videos showing student-athletes.

The letter repeated the request that the men stop giving or selling these items to athletes.

This was not Alabama’s only response. The University continued educating students about this situation.

“We have maintained consistent education of our student-athletes regarding the substances in question and will continue to do so,” Lane said.

Ross was on local television tonight promoting himself and his product. On ABC 33/40, Ross said in an interview, that many teams across the country have used his product and despite getting letters from many programs, student-athletes continue to seek his product.

Unfortunately, these snakeoil salesmen will gain additional attention from this situation as local television, radio and websites (even this post) provide the company with unpaid publicity.

Why do I feel comfortable calling these men snakeoil salesmen? This quote from Tuesday’s Sports Illustrated story: “We don’t have to prove that this is real or not,” (Key) says. “What we’re looking for is for [science] to prove that it is not real.”

That isn’t how most companies promote their product. Most companies want to use professional studies conducted by researchers to prove the veracity of their claims. Not these guys. Science might get in the way of a quick buck.

Alabama fans need to know about this business model.

24 thoughts on “Alabama Football: S.W.A.T.S.’s Mitch Ross & Christopher Key ignored cease & desist letters”

  1. I know Mitch Ross from afar. The guy is the type of scumbag that would sell his grandmother if it’d make him a buck.

    He’s the type of gymrat dweeb that bumps into somebody famous, then tells everybody who’ll listen he and that person are tight.

    Snake oil salesman doesn’t begin to describe this cretin, who doesn’t own a shirt with sleeves in it.

    This story will soon die, like they all do. But sleazeballs like Ross don’t stop scamming people until they themselves die. Somewhere in the midst of their lies they begin believing what they’re saying themselves, and the more people they dupe, the more fuel their make-believe lives receive.

    Ross doesn’t care whose career he affects. He doesn’t play by the rules. He doesn’t care about consequences he causes in the lives of people that believe his crap.

    All he cares about is himself. And the world will be a better place once a headstone announces his wake of bullcrap has come to an end. Let me be clear, I’m not calling for that day to happen, but I will sleep a little better when it does. As a father with children, predators like Ross are the type of people I ask God to protect my kids from every day.

  2. SWATS and Deer antler extract????

    My dad once showed me how to use a live cougar and a bag of lucky charms as performance enhancers… Is that against the rules too???

    (he did caution me about sniffing the lucky charms so I’m a little suspicious that might not be totally legal)

  3. If Mr Ross has any common sense he better
    get the hell out of Alabama!! Don’t piss off Bama
    Nation and live in the state!! Harvey needs to
    make a call to Mr Ross with that crap he used
    to kill the trees at COW COLLEGE U!! RTR

    1. Not likely…..but keep enjoying your wet dream!

      By the way, is Tennessee going to have enough money to keep playing football?

      Better question: Do they WANT to keep playing football?

      1. A $198 Million deficit may be enough to sink the Vols for a lifetime. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of hill billies.

        1. ITK (Inbred Turd King),

          The Bammer Moron Nation is the largest group of hillbillies in the world; a bunch of inbred, goat-humping, tree-poisoning, tea-bagging, toothless, uneducated wonders that have no life other that Crimson TURD football!

    1. It is when it’s been enhanced with synthetic testosterone. These guys are criminal jerks that deserve to be run out of business.

  4. someone needs to help these two boneheads come to a clearer understanding of what “cease and desist” means.

  5. The cell phone strength test seen is the video is pure quackery. That trick has been around for years. I actually had it done on me in the early ’80s, except then it was done with a packet of sugar instead of a cell phone.

  6. So all the Bama athletes are doping IGF1. Kind of like in the 80s when all the track and field athletes swore they weren’t doping and all were on Stanazol or growth hormones. Some took so much growth hormone they had to get braces in their 20s. I guess it proves why you guys won some of those games, cause your athletes were juicing like the cheaters we know you are.

    Memphis conspiracy, cocaine parking lot pimps, textbook scandals, free tuxedos, and now doping. The dirtiest program in the country.

    1. Stupid bastard. Your 2010 Barnturd team were the first ones who used it and next was the 2011 LSU team for the 9-6 upset in BDS. Anyway it’s natural, same as in beef and milk, mot synthetic, so it’s not illegal. Anyway, I know for a fact that it doesn’t work. I use to buy under a different name when they sold it in truck stops and conveinience stors as an under the tongue energy spray. Shit tastes awful. More bitter than a green perssimon, and don’t do shit. The athlets who allegedly used it and said it works – well they are athletes – not the smartest bunch on the face of of the earth. Easily convinced of bulshit. If a coach gave them an injection of sterile water and told them it was angle wing extract they’rd jump of the top of the stadium thinking they could fly. There’s nothing to see here, and impossible to prove they even used it. The NCAA is rotfltao at this. RTR!

    2. The Memphis Conspiracy? Seems like it is your inbred trailer park school that has problems in Memphis now. Jovon Robinson ring a bell? The NCAA now has an Opelika branch to look into your school’s cheating. Why else was Trooper Taylor not retained? Because if he was the hammer would have come down hard,

  7. alabama is as pure as the white driven snow…anything to the contrary is anal area grief at best

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