by MizzMatt - 4/12/11 on Twitter @mizzou_matt
Columbia, MO- Otto Porter is going to Georgetown. Or at least that's what Frank Haith says. But therein is the problem- he can't say that, legally, according to the NCAA. National Collegiate Athletics Association rules state:
"13.10.2 Comments Before Signing. Before the signing of a prospective student-athlete to a National Letter of Intent or an institution's written offer of admission and/or financial aid, a member institution may comment publicly only to the extent of confirming its recruitment of the prospective student-athlete. The institution may not comment generally about the prospective student-athlete's ability or the contribution that the prospective student-athlete might make to the institution's team; further, the institution is precluded from commenting in any manner as to the likelihood of the prospective student-athlete's signing with that institution. Violations of this bylaw do not affect a prospective student-athlete's eligibility and are considered institutional violations per Constitution 2.8.1. (Revised: 1/14/97)"
So what exactly did Haith say that violated this? "Did speak (to Porter) by phone and the process was all but over," Haith told the Kansas City Star by text message. "(He) just needed to see Georgetown, which they visited this weekend."Porter is a 4-star recruit from Sikeston, MO, who has listed Missouri, Georgetown and Kansas as places of interest for his talents. While it is a widely-known rule that coaches are supposed to remain silent about recruiting, it is unsure if Haith purposely disclosed this information, or if it was supposed to remain off record. Is it a serious violation? No. It is relatively minor, compared to what other schools have been hit with. Regardless, it is out in the open now, and the MU basketball team; whom have been hit with a lot over the last month from losing Anderson, having Purdue coach Matt Painter slip through their fingers and hiring an apparent no-name coach from Miami, FL, (as well as finally recovering from the last bout of sanctions from the Snyder era); now find themselves back on the NCAA radar.
