Billy Momma Drama
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I said from the very early stages that this situation is lousy for the family because the NCAA can ask the family to open up a lot of very private information - credit card statements, tax records, mortgage/ rent information, pay stubs, etc. Often, they request this not just for the last several months, but years.
Also, often these investigations have a bit of a racial element - i.e., there is disbelief that this person can afford it, even after producing the necessary information. Iâve seen this happen firsthand, but because the NCAA controls the ability of the kid to be eligible, they hold all the cards unless a kid is willing and able to walk away and go pro immediately. Billy is the rare kid that probably could have, but most donât have that option.
Letâs face it. The NCAA is power crazed and corrupt. Maybe Billy did something inappropriate. Maybe he didnât. Maybe all the records are there. Maybe they arenât. But hereâs the thing - the NCAA has been able to drag this out, casting serious doubt on this young man and his family, and their character. If he is cleared in the end, I bet we wait longer than what this investigation took to hear an apology for that.
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@justanotherfan In sports, in crime stories, and in my own military criminal appellate work, I remember lots of family members making statements about their kids, who are all innocent little victims of some persecution, and how they would explain everything, and the real facts would come out, as soon as they were free to talk about it.
I do not remember a single family member ever coming forward with all that âtruthâ when cases were over, with suspensions or disqualifications in sports, and with convictions in criminal cases.
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I believe KU slow played this before sending this off to the NCAA for review/ruling. The NCAA may have asked for more material that KU compliance didnât get initially from them.
It still seems as if KU tried to get ahead of the curve by doing a lot of the leg work themselves in hopes that if they were diligent enough the NCAA would agree with their self-reported findings. . It feels as if Momma P is trying to put pressure on the NCAA to make a ruling in her sonâs favor. She knows whatâs at stake for her son.
Her twitter rant has now made ESPN. Could have been her ultimate goal, maybe not.
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@mayjay Right on point. OJ Simpson is searching for the real killer. All these folks complain about injustices, and they are actually guilty. Maybe Prestonâs mom, whose twitter handle is @bartenderchic78, should just shut the he** up.
She sounds like the idiot she obviously is.
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I strongly disagree with you. The NCAA does exactly what it was tasked and expected to do, make sure a level field is in place so a player or program does no get an unfair advantage.
When a student athlete decides to attend a programs under NCAA rules, he agrees to abide by said rules and the NCAA is required to follow up when there is evidence the rules were/are not followed. There seems to be evidence that the rules were not followed by Preston and family and it is the job of the NCAA to investigate; it would be remiss if it did not do so. The overwhelming majority of student athletes go through college with no issues; it is a tinny minority of athletes that think they are above the law that eventually run into problems.
NCAA rules and regulations are well known to student athlete and more so to top prospects who are advised by their current and prospective school every step of the way. Any athlete that breaks a rule anymore does it knowing and willingly; claiming ignorance is the equivalent of a smoker claiming he did not know smoking causes cancer. If there was no violation of rules, this issue would have been resolved a long time ago, the fact it is taking this long appears to indicate willful intent to obfuscate the facts.
The NCAA has no legal compelling authority and cannot force anyone to produce any type of information. It does however have the power to withhold clearance until such time as the student can prove it has followed the rules and regulation when evidence to the contrary is present.
Donât blame the NCAA for doing its job, blame the prospect and family that knowingly decided to ignore the rules and regulations and avail themselves of improper benefits. One way or another, Preston will be making serious money in the not so distant future and the real losers will be the KU basketball program that will have spent probably over $100K and migh not derive any benefit whatsoever; in fact, it might have prevented another top prospect from joining the program and actually contributing and of course us, the fans, that have had to endure this senseless drama.
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Here is a story on USA Today
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Since Billy Boy is seemingly never going to play - him and his momma can both pack up and wait for the NBA draft for all I care. And if he DOES actually set foot on the hardwoods - since he ainât Jesus, maybe he can play Moses and lead us to the promised land. Or at least help us not lose in AFH.
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Iâll get blasted for pointing this outâŠThe percentage of college basketball players with a different last name than their mothers has to be something like 75%.
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The US Divorce Rate is 50%. SoâŠ
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@Blown Thatâs actually a myth. Research it if you get bored.
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@BigBad Unfortunately, I donât have the time to research it any further than what the APA reports it to be. Like most studies, there are conflicting reports, Iâm sure.
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@BigBad I would get blasted even more for pointing out why that is, so i wonât.
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Iâm shocked she (and Billy) stayed silent this long, so Iâm way more on her side than the rest of you, I guess.
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@DanR Iâm glad you spoke up! Iâm a mom of boys. I understand. Doesnât matter what her job is, either.
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BigBad said:
Iâll get blasted for pointing this outâŠThe percentage of college basketball players with a different last name than their mothers has to be something like 75%.
Sounds a lot like my stepsons, but they donât play basketball.
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@mayjay and I forgot, what was that point?
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@Crimsonorblue22 Kids with different last names than their mothers, apparently due to Billy and his Momâs names. Some here seemed to think it has great significance (all those âI could say something but I would get blastedâŠââwink, winkâcomments) that many basketball players have name âdiscrepancies.â As if there is something disreputable about it, which I dispute vehemently.
I just figured it is pretty normal when stepchildren are involved, with no great significance whatsoever other than blended families are becoming pretty prevalent. The days of laughing at the kids from broken homes should be long over.
You know meâI donât stay silent when someone tries to rally the more-fortunate or better-heeled people to the side of snide.
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DanR said:
Iâm shocked she (and Billy) stayed silent this long, so Iâm way more on her side than the rest of you, I guess.
My earlier comment was not intended to mean, I should have said, that I believe she is hiding something bad or anything. I just never see the big follow-up explanation that always gets promised. Billyâs situation, I suspect, involves complications that could well include gifts from relatives and nonrelatives.
The history of his school moves was all about his mother seeking a better place for him. I believe she has his interests at heart. As we learned with Diallo, sometimes these kids would benefit from having their own legal representation separate from the school as their interests do not always coincide. Many families cannot afford it, and that could be the cause of big delays.
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@mayjay Right. In this case, there were two solid parents who, by all accounts, worked damn hard to get him to where he is today, so the family bashing seems particularly ugly, IMO. Maybe they arenât doctors or engineers, but they make an honest living, ffs.
OK. After re-reading it, this thread is pretty disgusting. Iâm out.
eta: not directed at your most recent comment, @mayjay
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This article indicates Billyâs family dynamics, not really what you would expect and presented without any comments.
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He couldâve went to Europe and made millions? OOOOâŠkayee??? But thanks for stayinâ ⊠I guess? Iâm not sure what to say about that statement. Itâs like she is owed something.
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Sooner or later, this thing was bound to blow like a long dormant geyser. A durn shame that the eligible players, the coaching staff and fans have had to spend so many games without a recruited power forward. With 3 ineligible transfers already on the sidelines, this 4th ineligible scholarship recruit adds up to an ugly situation for this yearâs squad and Jayhawk Basketball. Difficult for our players to hang tough when forced to play so many minutes. 4-1 lineups are esp. taxing.
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@REHawk Exactly. This has been the frustration. We all had high hopes and expectations for BP and then this long drawn out drama. I donât think she realizes we are for her son. I donât know who she is pissed at, but most all KU wants him to play and have been waiting. She needs to help get him cleared and stay off social media.
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@truehawk93 she has been helping, probably pretty hard to hear some of that crap!
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@truehawk93 Social media being what it is, and internet bullies being as they are, I am sure there have been lots of nasty comments flying her way. Asking her to stay off as she tries to follow KU and her sonâs progress is not realistic or fair. If she is correct that she has done everything possible to cooperate, anyone could understand her frustration. Unfortunately, many people who are subjected to internet trolling do not have the luxury of trying to step away without cutting themselves off from everyone.
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Itâs a tough situation. Difficult to believe everything is above board when it takes this long to figure out. But I have not seen anyone bashing BP or his family. Iâm sure itâs happened. But also. You can read any type of negativity anywhere on any social media about anything. Even the most positive of situations. You can read some real trash about any player if you look for it Iâm certain. The situation has been plenty largely publicized with constant reminders of âno newsâ. Itâs unreasonable to expect not to have comments. Personally. I wish for the teams sake that the saga would just end. In any resolution. Donât care which
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She probably shouldnât have said anything but put yourself in her shoes. How would you feel right now if this was your kid?
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If he was my child, I would have made sure he was not put in that situation. Hard to believe she did not know what was going on.
Letâs just say itâŠif the car purchase was above board this issue is resolved in one day. The fact that KU chose not to play him and potentially jeopardize wins would seem to indicates KU knew there were issues and if that was the case, the chance that Billiyâs mom did not know about it is zilch⊠canât we all agree at least on this?
If anyone has a better plausible explanation I would love to hear it.
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I donât know if Billyâs mom did or did not know. I do know that it would be hard for me to stay quiet if I had a kid who was being harassed on social media.
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@JayHawkFanToo I prefer to wait it out. Not all of us are perfect parents but good for you!
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You donât need to be a perfect parent, just a responsible one.
If you read the link I provided above you will see that Billyâs mom partner who is also his godmother was a top prospect at the University of Iowa and part of a class that many consider the Fav-5 of womenâs college basketball and she also formed the AAU team for which Billy played. Plenty of knowledge of the NCAA rules at that household.
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@JayHawkFanToo read it
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@JayHawkFanToo maybe she helped pay for his car and that was illegal?
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Donât you think that being that involved in college basketball and AAU she would know what is or isnât legal?
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@JayHawkFanToo sheâs his mom too
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Then it would not be illegal, right?
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@JayHawkFanToo idk, NCAA has some crazy rules!
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The NCAA rules are fairly straight forward and readily available and the great majority of student athletes have no problem following them.
I know you are trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, I understand and I get it but your grasping at straws. Again, if the car would have been obtained on the up and up the issue would have been resolved in one day. The fact it has taken this long and KU chose to sit Billy would appear to indicate that there were irregularities, donât you agree on at least this much?
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@JayHawkFanToo You donât have any evidence they didnât do things right, so why speculate so extremely. When we do have info, have at it. Impatience is not an excuse for jumping to conclusions. âMust have done something wrongâ is a bit much.
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@DanR What parent wouldnât be pissed that their kid is costing their team a chance at a 14th consecutive Conference Championship and a realistic shot at doing anything in the NCAA Tournament?
Thatâs just good parenting.
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@DanR oops - just read further about your explanation - so never mind my smart ass remarks.
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I absolutely believe itâs completely reasonable to think things are not above board in the BP situation. Why would we think anything else at this point honestly? Whatâs the other option? The KU compliance office has it out for BP? Not likely. The KU compliance office has whiffed on this entire situation and is completely incompetent? Hmmm. I think letâs hope not lest we find out what all other irregularities have been mismanaged thru the years. Is it speculation? Of course. But itâs a very very reasonable assumption at minimum. I realize some donât wish to believe that and thatâs fine. But the other options are much like @JayHawkFanToo says in my opinion âgrasping at strawsâ. I also realize the entirety of society likes to decide what is politically correct and who can say what about what these days. But none of this is bashing BP or his family. Maybe other ppl and posts are doing that. But suggesting that thereâs been something illegally obtained in the eyes of amateurism with the current info we have is simply not and unreasonable thing at all.
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@cragarhawk There are so many variables in any investigation that any difficulty or complication can thoroughly gum up the works. Selfâs discussion of this in last nightâs KC Star article is quite enlightening, and might help dispel the urge to assume that a serious infraction is causing the delay.
We think of these things as just asking for some info and documents, then submitting it to the NCAA. But just figuring out who to contact, how they should be approached, and what to ask can involve numerous hours of background investigation, interviews, and acquisition of other documents. Strategy and legal advice sessions all have to be squeezed into normal staff routines, which for a bb team includes trips to games almost every week, and recruiting visits more often than we realize. There are also inevitable media sessions and meetings with supervisory school admins who donât want to be left out. And all that is just what is involved in the school, and doesnât even address the need for followup after followup as people donât have what you want or donât want to provide it and require persuasion. When the information gathering becomes complete, there is another lengthy round of legal involvement in the preparation of affidavits, with many possible exchanges to get every T crossed and I dotted while everyone tries to make sure there is no unexplained fact, unidentified name, or unexplored avenue.
Then there is the the hint we received from @RockChalkinTexas that they are trying to acqquire funding to pay for the car. Title tracing, loan applications, employment and pay histories, credit checks (and perhaps cleanups), proof of sources of funds for months if not yearsâall that can be a mess, especially in a nontraditional family where unmarried folks have lived together for years and shared expenses. And people and banks and car dealers do not always respond when you want them to. It took my car dealer 5 and 1/2 weeks just to send me my tags and regis to replace my 6-week temp ones, despite my calling them weekly, and I finally got them only 2 days before going on a cross-country trip. What is important to our fans may be a lower priority to third parties, assuming they cooperate at all.
And then the NCAA is going to take time to go over everything with their own magnifying glasses.
Self says the amount of detail they have had to gather in an effort to anticipate any issues is staggering. Anyone who has conducted a financial investigation knows that finding out what happened can be the easiest part. Being able to track it all down and prove it without leaving any stone unturned can be, simply put, the biggest pain in the ass you have ever experienced.
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I saw this tweet posted on another board that could actually be some solid information in this whole situation.
âThe Billy Preston situation will come down to the NCAAâs definition of what a pre-existing relationship is. How long do you have to know someone, so that they are considered a family friend and not an agent/representative.â
Further tweets by this same person spoke on this making sense into why it took so long to gather information/evidence, why his Mom says they are innocent and why KU had to turn over documents to the NCAA. From what we gather Billyâs family has been involved in Professional Basketball in some capacity in the past. The car could have been provided by a friend of the family and that relationship is in question and has required a paper trail⊠Who knows.
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If they did things right, the issue would have been resolved in a day or there would have not been an issue in the first place. If they did things right, KU would be playing Billy and not sitting him while the investigation goes on; remember that KU sat Alexander when it sensed a rules violation and it turned out to be a wise decision? If Billy and family felt everything was done above board they would have asked that Billy start playing a long time ago; even now, the family has nor asked that Billy start playing, at least not publicly or that we know, right?
There is nothing âillegalâ with someone giving Billy or you or me (I wish) a car; however, it is against NCAA rules and every HS athlete with aspiration to play college ball knows it. I have gifted money before and you have likely done so yourself and so you probably know that as long as you stay within the $10K IRS limit, is not even taxable. There is now an appeal against the FBI indictments that states there was nothing âillegalâ with Adidas or any other firm giving money to an individual; it might be against NCAA rules but it is not illegal. I indicated before that the actual crime might end up being tax evasion by the recipients and not the money itself.
There is no doubt there were âirregularitiesâ of unknown extent in the acquisition of the car and KU self reported it to the NCAA, it would have not done so if it thought it was above board. Donât you think Coach Self is on the phone every day telling the Compliance Office that it is costing him dearly on the basketball courtâŠand we know his word carries considerable weight at KU? Right?
There seems to be a lot of smoke and likely a fire; it might have been a small fire and already extinguished but the smoke has already created a lot of damage.
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@mayjay I understand your point of view. It probably is a pain in the ass that we will never fully understand. Obviously the situation isnât as clear cut as âthe car is registered to BP or his mother and she has the documents to prove that and how it was acquiredâ. That would be the day or 2 scenario⊠In which it would never have had to have multiple more facts gathered, multiple parties contacted and interviewed. Pain in the ass tâs crossed and Iâs dotted. And weeks and weeks of getting to the bottom of it before having to turn it over to the NCAA. So while yes I will admit it is possible that everything is above board and itâs just been a perfect storm/nightmare paperwork fiasco or whatever. I still contend itâs reasonable to assume the opposite. Also feel itâs okay to speculate. After all, thatâs all any of us do here about any subject honestly. Minus the posting of obvious facts, stats etc. When they are available.
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Selfâs latest comments regarding the duo of P and Sousa
Bill Self says Kansasâ basketball program will find out âvery, very soonâ if and when freshman forward Billy Preston will be able to play in games for the Jayhawks.
âItâs a situation right now where we think we could know any minute on what his situation is,â said Self, KUâs 15th-year coach, Wednesday night on his weekly Hawk Talk radio show. âWe actually feel very good about what the NCAA has in their hands what we submitted,â Self added.
Kansas recently submitted to collegeâs governing body findings over an issue that that KU has said concerns the financial picture regarding a car Preston has been driving on campus this school year.
âWe were hopeful for one (answer) last week,â Self said of final word from the NCAA on whether or not Preston can play. âThe reason we didnât get it ⊠itâs not the NCAAâs fault folks. They way it (KUâs findings) had to be submitted, it had to be turned in after it was completely done with corrections so that way the NCAA doesnât come back and say, âWe need more information.â We tried to make it a complete file.
âWhen we got it (completed), it was very close to Christmas break. People who need to review it (at NCAA) donât report until Jan. 2 (after a holiday break that started Dec. 22). Itâs been 10 to 12 days with not a lot being done with it. Thatâs not anybodyâs fault at all. I know itâs frustrating. Itâs more frustrating for Billy and obviously his mother more than anybody else. We think weâll have a final decision on this very soon. When that decision is made we are optimistic and hoping for the best.â
The fact Preston has been held out 14 games while KU compliance looked into this case is quite significant, Self said.
âIf there is a problem, which we are not saying there is, but if there is one, he has already sat how many games now? Fourteen games? Gosh dang,â Self said. âWe certainly hope and believe that would be sufficient (penalty) if there is one (problem). We are not even admitting there is one. Thatâs where we are at right now.
âIâm trying to be patient. Certainly the NCAA knows obviously there is a lot at stake, but what is at stake more than anything else is a young manâs well being. Iâm certainly hopeful that weâre going to have him real soon.â
Self addressed the matter of why this has taken so long for this situation to be resolved.
âThereâs a lot of different things that go into it when you go through all records,â Self said. âAs an institution I know we have done a nice job of being very thorough to the point we presented this after more interviews and things like that that you can imagine. If you think of it like this, if you are looking into something and someone tells you one name, youâve got to go talk to that one name. If somebody tells you two names, thatâs two more names youâve got to go talk to.
âIt takes a little bit longer to do a thorough job to present to the NCAA where they could make their final determination. I know we as an institution believe we have been very cautious and very thorough and basically a young man has been hurt a pretty fair amount by something that he is totally oblivious to,â added Self, who did not expand on what that might be.
âStill,â Self continued, âby the rules and letter of the law, the rules say this, that you have to approach it that way.
Self added that âit would be nice if we would have been able to get all the information to them a month ago. Thatâs not the the NCAAâs fault. Thatâs not our fault. That was us continuing and attorneys continually trying to put the thing together (for NCAA review). I wish it was something you just say, âOK here is the situation. Boom. Here is one piece of paper that describes everything that could possibly have transpired with this.â Itâs a little bit more complicated than that.â
As far as the final report to the NCAA, Self stressed: âI feel good about it, that itâs an honest assessment on what has transpired.â
Meanwhile, the NCAA also is reviewing freshman forward Silvio De Sousaâs amateurism status, as it does all incoming student-athletes. De Sousa recently graduated from IMG Academy and is going through the normal process to get cleared to play college basketball, in his case starting immediately.
Self said it still could be a few days before De Sousa is cleared for participation.
âThereâs obviously questions when you have an international player,â Self said. De Sousa hails from Angola.
âWhat teams did he play for? What travel teams did he play for? Were there professionals on the travel teams? If there were professionals did you get expenses? Did you get more than expenses/ How did you get from there to here? Who paid for it? You have all these amateurism questions that have to be answered,â Self said. âWe just have to get them answered. We think we can have all answers hopefully to the NCAA in the next day or two. Theyâll follow up if they have anything more they need to find out about.â
Self said De Sousa is in the process of learning the system and is a ways away from being able to contribute in games.
âHeâll need time. You need time to play without thinking,â Self said. âOK, if we run 2-3 zone what do you do? Whatâs the base thing to do if we run man or whatever. Itâs getting him comfortable with the most simple things. Weâre still probably a week or 10 days if things go perfect where heâd be able to play significant minutes and help us.â
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@JayHawkFanToo Youâve made number of posts on this topic, and the NCAA. I could not agree more. Youâve hammered this issue perfectly.
It is quite easy to demonize the enforcer of the rules, and to whine about rules, but that usually comes from folks that donât follow the rules (or even with notice of the rules, with everything on the line, still donât take even the most obvious steps to ensure compliance). Excuses flow like a river. And the whining ignores the reason that there are so many rules, and so much specificity â because if you donât have rules and specificity, the rules collapse under the pressure of the exceptions, as noted by good lawyers.
It may sound stupid that kid canât accept one lousy meal from a KU alum, but that meal turns into a weekly event, a daily event, to twice a day, to stocking his refrigerator; then if itâs food, something thatâs a necessity, why not clothes, or pizza money, or whatever. Everything is a slippery slope. Thatâs why on the edges, rules enforcement sounds petty. But itâs that âbright-lineâ that eliminates the slippery slope. Thatâs how the integrity of the game is protected. And the reality is, the integrity is in very large measure actually protected.
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âIf there is a problem, which we are not saying there is, but if there is one, he has already sat how many games now? Fourteen games? Gosh dang,â Self said. âWe certainly hope and believe that would be sufficient (penalty) if there is one (problem). We are not even admitting there is one. Thatâs where we are at right now.â
I believe this is called a non-denial denial?
