USC Apologizes to Alabama for Baxter Accusations

In June of 2010 the USC football program was placed on probation. In July of 2010 the USC athletics director issued an apology letter…to Alabama.

In the wake of the NCAA sanctions which handcuffed the Trojans, USC freshman running back Dillon Baxter made serious claims against several institutions concerning illegal contact.

Baxter had claimed Alabama, Florida, Fresno State, Oregon, and Washington had called him just hours after NCAA sanctions were handed down against the Trojans.

Baxter claimed he was contacted via phone and asked if he would be interested in transferring, due to the recent sanctions handed to USC. Given his status as an incoming freshman, contact with Baxter would have been illegal.

One minor problem…Dillon Baxter lied. Oops!

University of Alabama athletics director Mal Moore received an apology letter earlier this week from USC athletics director Mike Garrett. The issue regarding Baxter and alleged illegal contact took an entire month to finally resolve.

Garrett now confirms that he recently spoke with Dillon Baxter, and the USC freshman has said he was not contacted by the University of Alabama. Therefore, no actions will be taken by USC, the PAC-10, or the NCAA.

Mike Garrett also apologized for any inconvenience or embarrassment this matter caused the University of Alabama.

Dillon Baxter goes public about being contacted by Alabama…which is a lie…and Alabama is supposed to feel embarrassed? Okay?

At any rate, it has also been reported the University of Florida has received an apology from Mike Garrett…with the identical wording as the apology sent to Alabama.

In the early stages of the Baxter claims, many individuals deemed the allegations a lie. Just hours after the claims, knowing phone records could either prove or disprove his story; Baxter was said to have lost his phone.

In another interesting turn, it was discovered that Dillon Baxter was never recruited by the Crimson Tide. Alabama was not on the final “offer list” when Baxter signed with USC. This obvious fact made many people question, if ‘Bama didn’t want Baxter in February…why would they want him now?

Did 'Bama know about Baxter? Yes. Did 'Bama actively recruit and pursue Baxter? No.

Dillon Baxter was regarded as one of the nation’s top running backs coming out of high school. One can only hope he’s better at “covering the football”…than he is at “covering a lie.”

Crimson Notes 7/6/10

When the Penn State Nittany Lions arrive in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 11 to tangle with the Alabama Crimson Tide, ESPN College GameDay will be front and center.

GameDay analyst Lee Corso was in Daytona over the weekend for the NASCAR event, and reportedly confirmed to Jay Paterno (Joe’s son and Penn State assistant) that ESPN College GameDay will be live in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 11 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

In one of the most anticipated early season matchups of the 2010 campaign, Penn State/Alabama will certainly be a contest which will garner the attention of the entire college football nation.

Penn State/Alabama will be televised by ESPN, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. central time.

In other news, prominent radio personality and sports columnist Paul Finebaum has written a very detailed piece regarding a new film entitled, "Nick Saban: Gamechanger.”

The film, which is scheduled to premiere in late August, will give the viewing audience an unprecedented look at Nick Saban behind the scenes. Saban, who is known by the general public to be very private, opened his office, and even his home, in order to be the focal attraction in this new film.

Click HERE to read the entire article on the upcoming movie, "Nick Saban: Gamechanger.”

SEC Football Media Days 2010 Schedule

SEC Football Media Days 2010 will be held July 21-23 at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama.

The following schedule is subject to change, but as of present day the format listed below is the current agenda for SEC Football Media Days 2010.

July 21
Morning Session: Alabama/Mississippi State
Afternoon Session: Kentucky/Florida

July 22
Morning Session: Georgia/Arkansas
Afternoon Session: Vanderbilt/South Carolina

July 23
Morning Session: Auburn/Tennessee
Afternoon Session: LSU/Ole Miss

If the schedule listed above undergoes a modification for any reason, I will post an updated itinerary as soon as possible.

Fund Established to Assist Kines Family

In the aftermath of the car accident which killed Susan Kines Langston, daughter of former Alabama defensive coordinator Joe Kines, a fund has been established to help Joe's son-in-law and grandchildren.

For those who may have missed the initial story, Susan Kines Langston was tragically killed in a traffic accident on Monday, in Tuscaloosa. Her 7-year old son Josh and 14-year old son Matthew were in the vehicle, but thankfully survived the accident.

Langston’s husband, Keith, currently holds the position of assistant football coach at Northridge High School, in Tuscaloosa.

The support fund was established courtesy of current Alabama Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, and Northridge High School head football coach Mike Smith.

The support fund is being managed by Bank of Tuscaloosa.

All donations should be made payable to The Keith Langston for Benefit of Susan Kines Langston Fund and respectfully sent to Bank of Tuscaloosa, P.O. Box 2508, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35401 to the attention of Mr. Jim Clayton.

The names of those who donate will be sent to the Kines family.

In this time of great sorrow, I would personally like to extend my condolences and deepest sympathies to Joe Kines and the entire family.