#10: Sportico’s Daniel Libit reports the FBI’s Washington Field Office has been in touch with George Mason about its men’s basketball foreign tour to the Bahamas that was scrapped when the school says it discovered its airline and hotel accommodations had not been secured. “The extent of the FBI’s current involvement in the matter is not known. As per bureau policy, a spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation and a GMU athletic department spokesperson would only refer to the school’s previous announcement.” On August 16, Christian Roccia, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Northern Virginia Resident Agency, emailed GMU Deputy AD for External Operations Zack Bolno: “Were you able to assist with scheduling a meeting with someone from your office regarding the topic we discussed?” Libit reports that Bolno passed that message along to Patriots AD Marvin Lewis, who then forwarded it to Eli Schlam, one of the school’s in-house lawyers, noting: “We received a call and email from an FBI agent inquiring about the Bahamas trip. Will you advise on the appropriate next steps? … I can follow up but wanted to check-in prior to responding to the agent.” At Schlam’s instruction, Lewis then reached out to Carl Rowan, Jr., the chief of GMU’s campus police, for further guidance. More from Libit. (link)
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#9: The NCAA “might figure it’s time to make a game-breaking gamble by trying to win House” in the U.S. Supreme Court, according to Sportico’s Michael McCann, who points out the NCAA already made sweeping concessions in the settlement: “It has accepted an arrangement that demolishes its longstanding fidelity to amateurism, converts the upper echelon of college sports into a pro sports model, and obligates the association and member schools to pay about $2.8B over a 10-year period.” Therefore, it “stands to reason that NCAA President Charlie Baker – especially if swayed by conference commissioners, prominent university presidents and influential athletic directors – could decide enough is enough. Don’t be shocked if he declares he’s willing to take his chances in court.” McCann goes on to submit that before the case even comes before SCOTUS, it’s “not a slam dunk the NCAA would lose a trial. Some jurors might find the commercialization of college sports problematic and off-putting. Some might regard the transformation of college sports into something akin to pro sports undesirable, especially if they believe it would reduce academic opportunities for athletes. Jurors are ordinary people. They’re not seasoned litigators who can instantly cite sports antitrust case precedent or Ivy League economists who conduct empirical analyses on fan behavior. They often go with their gut and follow their moral compass.” In the event the case does go before SCOTUS, McCann emphasizes that while the court ruled 9-0 in the Alston case, no other justices signed onto Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s concurrence. (link)
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#8: St. John’s makes it official, announcing Fordham AD Ed Kull will take over in the same capacity. St. John’s President Brian Shanley: "Ed Kull has demonstrated a commitment to excellence on and off the field of competition. This is an important hire at a critical time in the shifting landscape of college athletics, and I am pleased to have Ed rejoin our team." Kull: “As a kid from the neighborhood who got his start working as a graduate assistant in Carnesecca Arena, to be able to follow in the footsteps of Jack Kaiser as the athletic director at St. John's is surreal. I understand the work that we have ahead of us will not be easy, but I wholeheartedly believe that we will commit every resource necessary to restore St. John's to its natural place atop the collegiate athletic landscape.” Collegiate Sports Associates assisted with the search. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported the news first. (link, link)
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#7: Alcorn State selects Deputy Assoc. AD for Compliance E. D’Wayne Robinson as its next AD. Alcorn President Tracy Cook: “Robinson has a deep history with the university as an alumnus, and his parents attended the university. I know he will hit the ground running with new ideas, innovation, and growth for our athletics programs.” (link)
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#6: A view of Kentucky’s renovations to Memorial Coliseum. (link)
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#5: Davidson’s football team debuted in the new Davidson College Stadium with a 49-14 win over Catawba (DII) before a crowd of 4,477. Wildcats HC Scott Abell: “We’re all excited about playing here. [...] We’ve moved from an old stadium to the nicest facilities in our conference.” Adjacent to the new stadium is a sports performance/training center, which the Wildcat football program began using last spring. It includes a training center, office spaces for the coaches, locker facilities, and multipurpose rooms. (link, link)
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#4: Auburn Deputy AD for External Affairs Rhett Hobart notes one upgrade at Jordan-Hare Stadium: “...we introduced an all new concessions experience for more than 60% of the stands across Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Fast Flight experience was a complete retrofit of the traditional stadium stands which was designed to get fans back to their seats faster.” Take a look. (link)
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#3: Former Pittsburgh AD Heather Lyke has released a statement regarding her time leading the Panthers and writes: “Today, I reflected on the wise words from a mentor: 'If you leave a place better than you found it, you can be proud of your work.' Those words ring true for me. I am immensely proud of the accomplishments of the student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni, donors and community members that I have had the privilege to serve alongside at the University of Pittsburgh. This great university’s reputation and standing in intercollegiate athletics has never been stronger – a testament to the work of so many during my tenure.” Lyke goes on to thank the student-athletes, coaches and staff and notes: “With the focus on our purpose to build champions and remain committed to excellence, while preserving the mission of collegiate athletics, we have adapted our mindset, and internal and external operations, to ensure sustainability and long-term victories for the Panthers. When we began this journey seven years ago, we had won only one ACC Championship; today, we have ten, and six Coach of the Year accolades. And our graduation rates have consistently broken records and continue to rise. As someone who deeply values our team, and Pitt Athletics, I encourage everyone to stay the course and continue to strive for new heights.” Full statement. Also, per a source: “Lyke was highly recruited by Ohio State and Northwestern, but anyone who knew her knew she wanted to be at Pitt and continue building programs in the trajectory that they were going. Lyke was in on-going negotiations to stay at Pitt and was surprised by news from Chancellor Gabel. There is nothing to see here except growth and positive culture.” (link)
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#2: South Carolina will begin the search for a new AD as AD Ray Tanner will transition to a new role as special advisor to the president once his successor is selected, per The Post and Courier's David Clininger, who adds the decision was Tanner's. (link)
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#1: Pittsburgh has parted ways with AD Heather Lyke. Executive Assoc. AD for Sport Administration/SWA Jennifer Tuscano will serve as Interim AD. ESPN’s Andrea Adelson reports that Lyke and Gabel “did not see eye to eye on a variety of issues, including NIL,” and adds that Lyke “had been openly seeking other jobs in recent years – including Ohio State earlier this year. Her contract was set to expire in June 2025, and though she and the school had been having conversations on an extension, they could never come to an agreement.” (link, link)
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