Don't mess with Texas

[laxtonto]

Looks like ESPN OTL is at it again..

Saw the headline "Despite concern, Texas paid service" and thought ohh wow.. some good dirt in here...

Needless to say, it is nothing like what the title makes it sounds like...

1. Texas used the same scouting service that Lyles used to work at.
2. Lyles approached a UT booster for $3k to send a kid for a visit
3. Booster contacted the AD
4. Applewhite eventually confronted Lyles
5. UT AD said GTFO and then went hardball
6. UT launched a full investigation on Lyles
7. Tried to use their alumni pull to go after him legally
8. Their Internet media contacts are the ones that gave Lyles up to Yahoo!
9. The NCAA loves Texas for this
10. Canceled contract with Lyles employer (who blames Lyles for losing the contract) and documented everything

Lyles, who did not return calls for comment, has previously accused Texas of leading a campaign against him because he refused to push players toward the school. The documents -- including email exchanges between coaches and staff, as well as boosters and friendly media types -- clearly indicate UT was eager to play a role in exposing Lyles.
Media accounts tying Lyles to other college programs routinely were exchanged via email among the UT athletic staff, often originating with head coach Mack Brown.
Yet at the same time Lyles was being cast as a bad guy by UT staff, the Longhorns wrote four checks to the service that employed him as their scout in Texas, where he was responsible for evaluating prospects and rounding up game film and piecing together highlight tapes.
According to documents, Applewhite met with UT compliance officials and also detailed what he uncovered about Lyles' recruiting practices in a statement signed Aug. 31, 2008.
Soon after he was hired to the coaching staff in January 2008, Applewhite received a call from Ken Collins, a Texas grad and successful Houston business executive, suggesting he make himself known to Lyles because he was close to some top recruits. Applewhite eventually spoke with Lyles, who unsuccessfully tried to pitch him on a player wanting to transfer from Georgia Tech. Lyles was told UT was only interested in high school recruits.
Fearful that Lyles had already cost Texas "three or four recruits,'' Collins looked into bringing political heat on the "street agent that breaks not only ncaa (sic) rules, but also Texas legal rules.'' Collin portrayed the description of Lyles in an email to Texas grad Amy Maxwell, a politically connected Austin attorney, on July 31, 2009, and sought her assistance in getting Texas attorney general Gregg Abbott on the case.
Collins wrote Maxwell: "Bottom line is that I will pursue this through Gregg IF the Texas coaching staff tells me OK AND if you can get me through to Abbott.''

Lots of scary stuff in there and more importantly lots of potential concerns for UT abusing their influence. No NCAA problems or anything close to it, but some serious overall ethics questions need to be addressed both with the attached media and ties into the public infrastructure. Plenty of things that actually jive with some of Lyles' stuff about the animosity between him and UT and they being out to get him. Maybe being a out in the open street agent ruffled some feathers. I guess to old adage Don't Mess with Texas is way truer than ever expected.