Valhalla Legends Archive

Is FSU getting a bad rap from Tom Lemming?
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Gene Williams (Dot Com)
Warchant.com Publisher    


Like a lot of things in modern day sports, college football recruiting has seen its fair share of abuses over the years. Until recently, most the problems have come from two areas. First, there are college football coaches that attempt to circumvent the rules laid down by the NCAA to gain an unfair advantage. The other area where there have been problems in recruiting is overzealous boosters and school supporters who become part of the recruiting process by providing improper benefits to prospects.

Within the past few years another unique predicament has arisen, which is due in some part to the growth of the Internet. Just 10 to 15 years ago there were only a handful of media members that regularly interviewed prep athletes to find out information on their college destination. With advent world wide web there has been an influx of "reporters" who's job it is get the latest scoop in recruiting.

As with everybody that follows college sports, most of the new age recruiting journalists favor a particular college or university. Since they are in regular contact with prospects, it is tempting for them to attempt to sway these prep athletes to their preferred school. Unless someone is considered an "athletic interest" of a school, there is very little the NCAA, which is a non-governmental association, can do if a reporter tries to become part of the recruiting process.

Recently, a fan who fancied himself as a reporter took his love for his favorite school too far. According to reports, he was not only interviewing prospects for updates on his website, but also working with the Kentucky coaching staff and actively organizing KU booster groups to go out and recruit top players. Since there was enough of a connection between the reporter and the school in question, the NCAA stepped in and sanctioned Kentucky for his actions. Also, Kentucky banned the fan from attending athletic events at the university for 27 years. Unfortunately, more often than not, there isn't anything the NCAA can do.

Tom Lemming and Florida State

Perhaps the world's most well known recruiting analyst is Tom Lemming of Prep Football Report. You would think someone with Lemming's reputation, wouldn't use his position with ESPN to influence recruits one way or another. However, after he publicly showed his displeasure with Lorenzo Booker's decision to sign with Florida State red flags were raised. Unbeknownst to Seminole fans there was a lot more going on behind the scenes with Lemming and Booker than met the eye.
 
Booker says he will gladly share his experiences with Lemming with the media.
When Booker first agreed to make his commitment on ESPN the plan was for him to tell Lemming his decision a few days prior to the live announcement. However, as the date drew closer Booker said he learned that Lemming planned on leaking out his commitment on a 900 number. As a result he and his cousin Curtis Richardson, who was acting as his advisor, decided to cut Lemming out of the process.

"We went over Tom Lemming's head and we started talking directly to the producer of the show to cut Tom Lemming out," Richardson said. "When that happened, which was about four days before signing day, that's when he started bad-mouthing Lorenzo saying 'Lorenzo was too small to play running back, he ain't that good,' and this and that.

"Before that he was constantly saying negative things about Florida State, Washington and USC, saying they' lied to their players, that Notre Dame can offer you so much more.' We knew about the academic side of it and we knew coach (Tyrone) Willingham was a standup guy but he just said that 'all the other coaches, especially Florida State coaches, lie to the players all the time, they are never truthful and they are going to move Lorenzo to wide receiver.'"

After Booker told the country he was headed to Tallahassee, Lemming said that the speedy running back had previously committed to the Irish, but changed his mind at the last minute. That's not at all how Booker remembers it.

"After I said I was going there and signed with Florida State he was telling everybody that I had actually told the Notre Dame coaching staff and said I was coming for sure," Booker said. "I felt like he put words in my mouth. I never even talked to the coaches, not once."

Booker also says he dropped in Lemming's player rankings after he signed with Florida State. Although he very much enjoyed the experience of being able to make his commitment on national television, he was very upset with the way Lemming conducted himself, and has a word of advice for recruits that talk to ESPN's recruiting guru.

"To recruits everywhere, if you ask me and I know as much as any current high school football player, Tom Lemming is not the kind of guy you want to go to for advice," Booker said. "When you ask somebody for advice you want them to tell you what is best for you but this guy has his own intentions at heart. He doesn't care about the athlete, all he cares about is what is going to make him look better, that's it."

Is Tom Lemming recruiting against FSU?

Because of the high profile nature of Booker's recruitment, and being the first high profile high school athlete to make a live commitment on ESPN, it would be easy to attribute his experience with Lemming as an isolated incident but that may not be the case.

The following year, after two relatively down seasons, Florida State was trying to reestablish itself as a college football power so recruiting became a major priority. It certainly didn't help the 'Noles' efforts that they had to deal with several off the field problems, including the pending gambling trial of former quarterback Adrian McPherson. As such, it was critical for the Seminole coaches to pull in as many quality recruits as possible for the class of 2003.

Coming out of high school Boston was rated by Rivlas.com as the No. 9 weak-side DE in the nation.
One of the top defensive targets for FSU that year was Bartow standout Alex Boston. The all-state defensive end had several top programs hoping to lure him to their program including Notre Dame, Florida and Ohio State. When the dust settled he went with his gut and signed with the Seminoles. He says that wouldn't have been the case had he listened to Tom Lemming.

"When I talked to Tom Lemming I went over to Bradenton High School and he was basically downgrading Florida State," Boston said. "He was saying there is a lot of corrupt stuff that goes on over there, all the players are thugs and stuff like that. Basically, I didn't take his opinion and have to do my own thing.

"I think what he is trying to do is basically is have another program which is his favorite, it is Notre Dame, because he was just bragging on them the whole time. He just really wants Notre Dame to have all the best Florida players. I guess that's the way he is trying to get us - saying bad things about Florida State, or Miami or other Florida schools. He really talked bad to me because he knew I was favoring them more than any other schools."

Although Boston had a different impression of Florida State, he admits a little uncertainty did enter his mind after the discussion. However, that quickly changed when he made his official visit.

"At the time I didn't really know what to do," Boston said. "When I came on my visit and everything, hung out with some of the fellows, and got to really know the team I didn't see all the bad stuff he was talking about. After I saw it for myself and got to know some of the guys, and was cool with them, it was like maybe he was lying or really wanted Notre Dame to get all the Florida players. I guess they have no athletes up there or something."

Now that Boston is a full-fledged member of the Seminoles, and has been on campus for a year, he is happy he went with his instincts rather than relying on the advice of others.

"When I came here it was nothing like that," he said. "The interpretation of how some of us come off might be a little bit different but with him it was just all negative stuff. That's cool if that's your opinion of the school but don't discourage other players thinking of coming here and trying to make our program better.... It's just sad that for him to do something like that and give a bad reputation to Florida State and any other Florida school."

When it comes to the most recent signing class, at least one recruit says his decision to sign with FSU hurt himself in Lemming's rankings. Running back Jamaal Edwards, a member of last year's Rivals100 team, was under the impression that he would be joining teammate DeMario Pressley at the U.S. Army National All-Star Game in San Antonio but believes his early commitment to the Seminoles prevented that from happening.

"Yes that's what it is," Edwards said. "My coach told me that Tom Lemming said that me and the defensive lineman at my school (DeMario Pressley) were going to play in that game. He went on and played but since I had committed I didn't play. I think if I wouldn't have committed to Florida State I would have played."

Lemming's recent interview with FSU commitment Matt Dunham

During the spring and summer months Lemming goes on what he calls his "tour" to check out some of the nation's prep football prospects. Just a couple weeks ago while on his tour he stopped by Pacelli High School in Columbus, Georgia. Running back Matt Dunham happens to be one of Pacelli's top players, and has given FSU an early commitment for the class of 2005. When Dunham and his coach sat down with Lemming the all-state athlete instantly felt uncomfortable with the conversation.

Dunham is one of three recruits already committed to FSU for the class of 2005.
"He was really trying to encourage them not to commit early," Pacelli coach Kevin Pettis said. "He was really talking to Matt Dunham and Matt said he's solid to Florida State. He said 'you know if you commit early you are probably going to be left off some of these All-American lists and all-star games. You won't get the same exposure as everybody else by committing to Florida State."

When Dunham reiterated that he was firm in his commitment, Pettis said Lemming took his argument a step further.

"He asked Matt, he said 'what is Florida State recruiting you as?' Matt said 'running back, but they told me they would let me play wherever I want to play. They aren't going to keep me on the shelf if I'm the number three running back and they can use me at defensive end, or if I'm the number three safety and they could use me at running back they are going to put me on the field as soon as possible.' Tom said, 'well, that's their diplomatic way of telling you that you are going to be a defensive end. He said 'they will lie to you, Florida State is notorious about doing that.'"

Being that he is familiar with the FSU coaching staff, coach Pettis was uncomfortable with what was being said and stopped the interview.

"I said, 'hold on I'm a Seminole fan and I know those guys," he said. "He kept saying there is nothing to do in Tallahassee. You can't even fly into Tallahassee, and you are going to be bored out of your mind. It wasn't like he was recruiting for somebody, it was like he was recruiting against Florida State."

As with Alex Boston, coach Pettis very much disagrees with Lemming's assessment of FSU and the coaching staff.

"I love the FSU coaches," he said. "They are the greatest bunch of guys I know. They are good people, they always have time for us as high school coaches."

What can be done?

If Lemming did what is being alleged, there probably isn't much can be done about it. NCAA recruiting rules do not cover most journalists and reporters, so there is little outside of professional ethics to prevent the active recruitment of prep athletes by those in the media. There also isn't much that can be done to stop negative comments made towards certain programs, outside of a lawsuit for defamation, but that would be extremely difficult to prove.

The Rivals.com network, which promotes itself as the "recruiting authority", employs over a dozen reporters to keep their subscribers up to date on the latest in recruiting. On top of that there are even more team site publishers, including Warchant.com, that contact prospects on a regular basis for the purpose of providing recruiting updates. In an attempt to curb potential abuses in this area, Rivals.com requires all writers associated with the network to sign a document promising not to get involved in the recruiting process.

"Journalism today is so lowly regarded by many people that if we don't install ethics and integrity into everything we do we aren't going to be able to rely on the word of our reporters and journalists," Rivals.com vice president Bobby Burton said. "We instituted a Rivals.com code of ethics that every person who ever contacts a recruit on behalf of our network must sign. It includes big things like not being a booster, making sure there is no coercion of kids, to even little things like make sure they are being even-handed in every aspect of their reporting."

If Lemming is doing what is being alleged will ESPN disassociate itself from this national recruiting guru? Stay tuned.

* Warchant.com sent an e-mail to Prep Football Report last week to give Tom Lemming an opportunity to respond to the allegations made by the players and coaches in this story, but as of this date we have not heard back from him.

m Lemming Statement
Courtesy: USAPrep
Release: 07/06/2004








Note: Yesterday an article was released by a member of the Rivals.com network that was filled with harmful accusations towards Tom Lemming. Tom would like to take the opportunity to respond to what was written. The article can be read at the link below:



http://floridastate.rivals.com/noaccess.asp?SID=1061&script=/content.asp&CID=309445





"Today I have been the subject of a smear campaign by Gene Williams and Rivals.com. This comes with us now a little under two months away from the launch of the USAPrep.com site. I feel that it is best that I respond to the allegations that have been addressed in the above article. Williams has used as his resources three auspicious selections. He chose Lorenzo Booker, who has been furious with me since the day I selected Maurice Clarett over him as player of the year and then went on to say he is an immature 18 year old on ESPN (Which I felt he was). He chose Jamaal Edwards, who obviously has a chip on his shoulder from when I did not select him to play in the Army All-American game. Lastly he chose to quote Kevin Pettis, the coach at Pacelli High School. A man who has ties so strong with Florida State and the Florida State media, that it is a surprise to no one that he would take this stance.

All you need is common sense to realize how ridiculous these allegations are. Ask yourself the following questions. If I was as corrupt and negligent like Gene Williams claims, would I be successful in this business for the last 25 years? Would I be part of ESPN, the most watched and trusted sports network in the world? Would I be picked by the United States Army to hand select the players that are chosen each year to play in the Army-All American game? Most importantly, would I be able to go on these road trips, where every year hundreds of high school coaches across the country arrange for their players to meet with me? I'm telling you, you don't end up in the position I am in by being corrupt and negligent.

Over the years I have found Rivals.com to always be there to take cheap shots at me in an attempt for personal gain. This article exemplified this whole-heartedly. I particularly got a kick out of the end when Rivals takes the last few paragraphs to talk about the moral high ground they are on in the recruiting world. This comes after bashing me for four pages. In the end, they just look biased and immature. So to the people who support me and read my materials, I thank you. And to Gene Williams and the rest of the Rivals family, if you are going to try to bring me down, you better come at me with a lot more than three stories from the past that supposedly happened and a couple paragraphs on how great you think you are."



Tom Lemming

USAPrep.com





Note: Gene Williams did not make a sincere attempt to contact Tom Lemming for comment on this article. He claims that he sent Tom an email through the Prep Football Report. Tom Lemming is not associated with the Prep Football Report and has not been associated with them for years. Anyone in the business will tell you that Tom is very easy to get a hold of if an effort is made. Upon reading the article, Tom sent his phone numbers to Gene Williams to speak with him for comment. As of now, Williams has yet to call Tom. For future reference, anyone who would like to contact Tom can do so through USAPrep.com

Real fun stuff.  Lemming goes on radio to defend himself.  Ends up making himself look like total ass instead.

Gene Williams (a.k.a. "DOT COM"), Part 1.
Gene Williams (a.k.a. "DOT COM"), Part 2.
Tom Lemming, Part 1.
Tom Lemming, Part 2.
Tom Lemming, Part 3.

DarkMinion and Hazard, if you want to hear some great entertainment, Gene Williams is going head-to-head against Tom Lemming in a pretty good sparring in on 930thefox.com.  Hurry and listen!  It's coming on in a few minutes!!