Julio Jones
The NCAA is at it again. The almighty organization is investigating whether or not a chartered fishing trip made by ‘Bama football players, Julio Jones and RB Mark Ingram, was in violation since it was paid for by Athens, GA business owner, Curtis Anderson.
What makes the situation interesting though is the fact that Anderson, who accompanied Jones and Ingram, suffers from degenerative disk disorder. He has undergone 6 major surgeries in hopes of being able to stand on his own again. Jones and Ingram helped carry and support him during the fishing trip. Anderson claims that he doesn’t follow football and didn’t even know who Jones was, “When I was told, ‘This is Julio Jones,’ I said, ‘Whoopty-do,”‘ Anderson told The Birmingham News. “I had no idea who Julio Jones was. I’ve got my right hand on this Bible. I swear to Jesus Christ, I had no idea who Julio Jones and Mark Ingram were when I met them and they became friends of mine.”
The good news for Bama fans is that it’s been established that Anderson is not an Alabama booster, which throws out the potential for major violations. The question lies, was the trip offered as preferential treatment for athletes? As of now, Alabama has not reported any secondary violations either but they have sent a compliance officer to NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, IN to meet with officials. This situation should be resolved soon and everything will probably be swept clean.
Shouldn’t the NCAA be worried about players in Southern California receiving houses and money in exchange for commitments, or widescale cheating, rather than a measly fishing trip?
