Former Bball players under investigation

UNT90 · May 3, 2017

11 minutes ago, TheTastyGreek said:

I just hope McCasland turns out to be a significant Upgrayedd over our last coach.

UNT going straight to a law firm shows they are concerned about liability. Period.

This smacks of a hide the responsibility move by the administration, and it's upsetting. This is a criminal matter. The proper thing to do would be to not only say you will fully cooperate with any police investigation, but to actually DO IT. Running out and hiring counsel is an ass covering move.

Extremely concerning.

6 minutes ago, xyresic said:

UNT90. Back in mid season form I see. No idea what the situation is, no inside info so yes let's speculate wildly about this.

You are incredibly off base as usual, but as long as you give yourself the out that anyone who disagrees with your diatribes is blindly following Wren then you can never be wrong right?

Disagreement is fine, but why do you feel the need to come out of your hibernation on a topic like this? Because you truly care about UNT athletics or because you are a bit of a jerk?

There he is. Defending the indefensible.

There will be more.

This wouldn't have happened if Smatresk had got off his ass sooner and fired RV, or if ANYONE at UNT had seen through the obvious charade that was Tony Benford. If that happened, maybe these girls wouldn't have been pimped out.

But you are right, I'm obviously the problem. 🙄

Edited May 3, 2017 by UNT90

GrandGreen · May 3, 2017

25 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

If by family, you mean pimping out young females to make money, you are spot on.

A sloppy program on the court is a sloppy program off the court. I doubt some on this forum ever learn that lesson.

Good thing Baker let Benny mismanage this thing all the way through, isnt it? Can't wait to see the usual suck ups posting how this isn't Baker's fault. It is. He knew the element Benford brought in this last year and allowed it.

I wonder if human trafficking charges come out of this mess. For those that don't know how the prostitution game works now-a-days, pimps find girls who have ran away from home, aged out foster care with nowhere to go, or have other circumstances that leave them with zero life options and zero support systems. The pimps pretend to be their boyfriend and promise to support them. It seems legit at first as the pimp puts them up in a hotel room. Pretty shortly after, the pimp asks them to turn their first trick. He manipulates if it works, beats them if it doesn't. The girls turn 20-30 tricks a day and give every last cent to the pimp. The girl gets a hotel room for tricks and food, and that is it. Food is often withheld as a form of punishment. The girls feel helpless and trapped, feeling the only dependable person in their life is their pimp, even if that dependability includes tricks and beatings..

This is the playbook of every ghetto pimp out there.

Lets be VERY clear. This isn't college girls making extra money.

I don't think anyone on this forum gets (or wants to get) how big this could be. It very well could be the final death blow to UNT basketball.

And I expect this post to be pulled the second it is seen by mods.

The law firm was hired to protect UNT and it's staff. They aren't investigating shit. That isn't the way this works.

Thank you, President Smatresk, for allowing 5 full years of this.

Unless you have a lot of information that most of us don't, your post is way over the line. Is the screen time worth making a complete ass out of yourself.

Brett Vito · May 3, 2017

Updated story:

http://www.dentonrc.com/news/news/2017/05/02/warrants-three-unt-students-following-alleged-prostitution-drugs

UNT90 · May 3, 2017

4 minutes ago, GrandGreen said:

Unless you have a lot of information that most of us don't, your post is way over the line. Is the screen time worth making a complete ass out of yourself.

Right? The mods should pull it, shouldn't they?

knowing how the prostitution game works is a little uncomfortable for you? Tough Ts. At least you didn't have to live it. Criminal conspiracy charges and promoting prostitution charges are nothing to sneeze at. That is a real possibility and the article tends to support that is what is coming.

But hey, UNT will make Sports Center. Any pub is good pub, right?

Edited May 3, 2017 by UNT90

MCMLXXX · May 3, 2017

3 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

UNT going straight to a law firm shows they are concerned about liability. Period.

This smacks of a hide the responsibility move by the administration, and it's upsetting. This is a criminal matter. The proper thing to do would be to not only say you will fully cooperate with any police investigation, but to actually DO IT. Running out and hiring counsel is an ass covering move.

Since the investigation is being conducted by UNTPD it is a good move to conduct an independant and broader investigation.

Hiring counsel is a smart move by anyone under criminal investigation and when faced with potential civil litigation. I don't see any indication of covering anything up.

ChristopherRyanWilkes · May 3, 2017

2 minutes ago, Andrew said:

Considering Benford was already long gone and the players were also not a part of the basketball team anymore at the time I am unsure how you could say this is RV, Benford, or anyone else's fault other than the players who made a foolish choice.

Still having trouble understanding how can say this wouldn't have happened if RV was fired. Your hate is irrantional and very much over the top.

You're right. Let's reinstate Briles and apologize to dead Nixon. The guy who just came in, plausible deniability for sure. But the guy who brought them here? Not how that works.

UNT90 · May 3, 2017

5 minutes ago, Brett Vito said:

Updated story:

http://www.dentonrc.com/news/news/2017/05/02/warrants-three-unt-students-following-alleged-prostitution-drugs

"When something like this occurs, we take it seriously," Smatresk told the Record-Chronicle. "We take action and we do what we need to do to preserve the safety and security of the campus."

Too bad UNT is reactionary and did nothing to prevent it.

This statement by the Prez encapsulizes the dysfunction inside UNT athletics.

I wonder if anyone gets fired now? Doubtful.

Andrew · May 3, 2017

3 minutes ago, ChristopherRyanWilkes said:

You're right. Let's reinstate Briles and apologize to dead Nixon. The guy who just came in, plausible deniability for sure. But the guy who brought them here? Not how that works.

When was RV relieved from his position and when did this event occur? As of the evidence now RV and Benford were not involved in anyway when this started and the University jumped on it once they got wind of it.

Edited May 3, 2017 by Andrew

UNT90 · May 3, 2017

2 minutes ago, Andrew said:

When was RV relieved from his position and when did this event occur? As of the evidence now RV and Benford were involved in anyway when this started and the University jumped on it once they got wind of it.

I think you just posted this so you could defend all your "Benford ran a clean, family oriented program" posts. Lol.

If UNT fired Benford when every other university would have, these players aren't on campus. Get it?

Edited May 3, 2017 by UNT90

ChristopherRyanWilkes · May 3, 2017

5 minutes ago, Andrew said:

When was RV relieved from his position and when did this event occur? As of the evidence now RV and Benford were involved in anyway when this started and the University jumped on it once they got wind of it.

Your logic holds no water, that's like saying Paterno has no culpability for Penn State. It happened under their nose. They hired/recruited the responsible parties. We don't have all the facts but if they are alleging a criminal conspiracy, then it's doubtful March 30th was the first occurrence. If true and depending on the facts, Benford is undeniably culpable.

Edited May 3, 2017 by ChristopherRyanWilkes

UNT90 · May 3, 2017

1 minute ago, ChristopherRyanWilkes said:

You're logic holds no water, that's like saying Paterno has no culpability for Penn State. It happened under their nose. They hired/recruited the responsible parties. We don't have all the facts but if they are alleging a criminal conspiracy, then it's doubtful March 30th was the first occurrence. If true and depending on the facts, Benford is undeniably culpable.

Come on now, they were just sad that Benford left so they decided to pimp just once and were caught the very first time. Lol.

12 minutes ago, MCMLXXX said:

Since the investigation is being conducted by UNTPD it is a good move to conduct an independant and broader investigation.

Hiring counsel is a smart move by anyone under criminal investigation and when faced with potential civil litigation. I don't see any indication of covering anything up.

Right. Ass covering. Just like I said.

ChristopherRyanWilkes · May 3, 2017

4 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

Come on now, they were just sad that Benford left so they decided to pimp just once and were caught the very first time. Lol.

Right. Ass covering. Just like I said.

Dude, that is just standard procedure. Hiring an attorney is smart, not an admission of guilt.

UNT90 · May 3, 2017

4 minutes ago, ChristopherRyanWilkes said:

Dude, that is just standard procedure. Hiring an attorney is smart, not an admission of guilt.

Does anyone not see the conflict of interest of UNT PD investigating a criminal case in which UNT may have civil liability? Maybe the civil law firm will run the criminal investigation after all.

What a GD mess. UNT Police need to recuse themselves and hand the investigation off to Denton PD or some other agency. Ask the Rangers to take it over if Denton PD feels too close to take it.

Edited May 3, 2017 by UNT90

TheTastyGreek · May 3, 2017

11 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

Come on now, they were just sad that Benford left so they decided to pimp just once and were caught the very first time. Lol.

Just imagine the shenanigans they might have gotten into if we had fired Benford mid-year!

Quote

“If you talk to coaches who have taken over after mid-season coaching changes, it’s tougher,” Baker said. “Kids don’t respond to interim coaches like they would head coaches. Generally speaking that is the players’ worst academic semester. They are less focused in the weight room and in life. There are going to be more issues with behavior. For all of those reasons, I felt it wasn’t the right thing to do.”

Hell, we're just lucky this wasn't some sort of international assassin, murder-for-hire situation like we'd probably have gotten without the steadying, fatherly, guiding hand of Benford for the full 5th year.

Quote

I would say it would not be accurate to paint this men’s basketball staff as a failure. We haven’t had hardly any off-the-court incidents with our kids. Don’t take that for granted.

Thanks, Wren!

2 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

Ask the Rangers to take it over if Denton PD feels too close to take it.

They're dead last in their division, man. They have their own problems to deal with.

El Paso Eagle · May 3, 2017

50 minutes ago, TheTastyGreek said:

If there's one true villain here, I think it's obviously @UNT90.

Just when you thought it was safe 🦈

UNT90 · May 3, 2017

31 minutes ago, TheTastyGreek said:

Thanks, Wren!

Now, now. Wren CLEARLY meant no off the court incidents that had been made public. Come on, now. How can you expect a guy to be held accountable who received multiple, direct warnings about his basketball coach and yet did nothing?

Thats just asking way too much, especially at UNT. I mean, maybe Austin College, but not UNT.

As a bonus, I wouldn't be surprised to see NCAA violations come from Benford's tenure...

Edited May 3, 2017 by UNT90

MGNation92 · May 3, 2017

At this point I'm becoming more and more convinced this is UNT90's day job:

MCMLXXX · May 3, 2017

1 hour ago, greenminer said:

If I'm LSU I'm questioning Benford and Combs about this.

Leave Jeremy out of this. He. Was a good all conference player. He played hard and will graduate this month after 3 years. He has absolutely nothing to do with this issue.

Ben Gooding · May 3, 2017

24 minutes ago, MCMLXXX said:

Leave Jeremy out of this. He. Was a good all conference player. He played hard and will graduate this month after 3 years. He has absolutely nothing to do with this issue.

I do hope you're right, but how would you possibly know this. Would you or could you say he didn't at least know of it? Hear rumblings of it in the locker room or at practice. If a real investigation is done then he and Benford should at least be questioned. As should all others with any association. Hopefully this ordeal was just catching traction and it's being stopped in its tracks before it could catch momentum. But that's unfortunately not how things of this nature happen.

Bullyballer · May 3, 2017

All I have heard about is an "Investigation" and Brice being arrested with what amounts to a ticket in most states now days. But some how, he has become the face of what's alleged, as if its all true. From everything I know about Brice is he's a very nice young man, that's never been in any trouble EVER. Not even been in a fight before. Now, based on accusations alone, he's being looked at like he's Frank Lucas, running a prostitution ring. Obviously, he's made a bad decision, that will affect his life.

It's totally possible, that the alleged "promoting prostitution" could be offering weed for sex, from a single person. It's also possible, that the alleged "organized criminal activity", could be the belief that the purchase of weed, was to profit, in some way, including using it bargain for sex. Outside of actually having weed in his possession, the other accusations could come from a single source. And finally, it's very possible, that the source could be untrue.

Guess what guys- some college students smoke marijuana, and some students sell it to the students that smoke it. I know this is a surprise to some, but this happens.

Also, news flash, some student athletes get accused of things, sometimes its true, sometimes its false.

Let's let the Investigation complete before we mark everything accused as being true. I find it odd, that if warrants are issued for other students, that they haven't been arrested. I doubt any of them are hard to find.

TheTastyGreek · May 3, 2017

Could be.

But... Given that this has been under investigation for over a month, and it was deemed serious enough for Smatresk to get a briefing a week ago, and we already had a legal firm on the job and a lengthy half stern, half vague statement prepared for when Brice got popped... I doubt this is all just a low level misunderstanding.

It merits mentioning that Brice's only charge seems to be weed. But there's at least two other people directly connected to Benfordball still unnamed that have the heavier warrants waiting for them.

Best case scenario, this is already almost certain to ring out way uglier than the Dodge drug testing debacle, and that made national news. This has drugs, prostitution, some sort of criminal conspiracy, sexual assault, three people connected to our athletics program (as of now) and an independent legal firm running a parallel investigation.

It could go no bigger, no further, and no uglier than what's already out there, and it's still a disgrace that'll tarnish us for a good long while.

The fact that we're seemingly trying to get ahead of whatever is actually going on with this situation makes me worried that this is going to get pretty damn messy. Probably not Baylor bad, and definitely not Penn State bad... But maybe Louisville bad? Who knows! It's all Green, and it's all Gonna Come Out Eventually. So, let it fly and hope that it's wide open enough not to block out our green light to greatness, or something.

TheTastyGreek · May 3, 2017

Just to elaborate a bit... In the past decade, we've had athletes or former athletes busted for organized theft rings, stealing debit/credit cards, stealing repeatedly from retail stores, murdered in parking lots by drug dealers, working out at our facilities while under felony charges for hit-and-run, and those are just what I can remember off the top of my head.

Never before have we felt the need to get a Baylor or Penn State style independent legal review to make sure that there's no institutional corruption or criminality. This time, we did... And the reasoning for it came from an investigation that is already 5 weeks old and making a very slow and deliberate arrest path, where the university president has already been privately briefed.

I don't remember Rawlins or Bataille or whoever needing private police briefings and outside auditing to handle any of the other felonious activity that touched on our scholarship athletes and staff.

This time, we do.

I'm fascinated and horrified to find out why.

Cooley · May 3, 2017

So we allow guns on campuses and not weed? We'll never close the gap on the P5's.

Rudy · May 3, 2017

3 hours ago, UNT90 said:

Does anyone not see the conflict of interest of UNT PD investigating a criminal case in which UNT may have civil liability? Maybe the civil law firm will run the criminal investigation after all.

What a GD mess. UNT Police need to recuse themselves and hand the investigation off to Denton PD or some other agency. Ask the Rangers to take it over if Denton PD feels too close to take it.

I don't think there is a conflict of interest. This is UNTPD's jurisdiction. They've always been a good PD. I doubt the Rangers would touch this, as they focus on other criminal activities..

1 hour ago, Bullyballer said:

All I have heard about is an "Investigation" and Brice being arrested with what amounts to a ticket in most states now days. But some how, he has become the face of what's alleged, as if its all true. From everything I know about Brice is he's a very nice young man, that's never been in any trouble EVER. Not even been in a fight before. Now, based on accusations alone, he's being looked at like he's Frank Lucas, running a prostitution ring. Obviously, he's made a bad decision, that will affect his life.

It's totally possible, that the alleged "promoting prostitution" could be offering weed for sex, from a single person. It's also possible, that the alleged "organized criminal activity", could be the belief that the purchase of weed, was to profit, in some way, including using it bargain for sex. Outside of actually having weed in his possession, the other accusations could come from a single source. And finally, it's very possible, that the source could be untrue.

Guess what guys- some college students smoke marijuana, and some students sell it to the students that smoke it. I know this is a surprise to some, but this happens.

Also, news flash, some student athletes get accused of things, sometimes its true, sometimes its false.

Let's let the Investigation complete before we mark everything accused as being true. I find it odd, that if warrants are issued for other students, that they haven't been arrested. I doubt any of them are hard to find.

Possessing marihuana and selling it are two COMPLETELY different things. And you clearly don't understand "organized criminal activity. This goes beyond trading a joint for a blow job.

ChristopherRyanWilkes · May 3, 2017

36 minutes ago, TheTastyGreek said:

Just to elaborate a bit... In the past decade, we've had athletes or former athletes busted for organized theft rings, stealing debit/credit cards, stealing repeatedly from retail stores, murdered in parking lots by drug dealers, working out at our facilities while under felony charges for hit-and-run, and those are just what I can remember off the top of my head.

Never before have we felt the need to get a Baylor or Penn State style independent legal review to make sure that there's no institutional corruption or criminality. This time, we did... And the reasoning for it came from an investigation that is already 5 weeks old and making a very slow and deliberate arrest path, where the university president has already been privately briefed.

I don't remember Rawlins or Bataille or whoever needing private police briefings and outside auditing to handle any of the other felonious activity that touched on our scholarship athletes and staff.

This time, we do.

I'm fascinated and horrified to find out why.

I'm honestly amazed this hasn't made it past local news yet. Afraid that it will soon enough, though.