NCAA Football Toledo Football

... And the University of Toledo appears to have been just about the only one.

A fantastic, exceptionally long and detailed article on the Toledo point shaving investigations and probably scandal from Mike Fish and George Traber at ESPN.com. The article covers so much ground this post won't do it justice, but one aspect really stood out to me.

It seemed everyone except the University of Toledo and the Rockets Athletic Department knew there was something bad going down. Not only didn't the know what was happening, no one was in any hurry to tell them.

The FBI had been investigating things going back to December 2005 from information gleaned from a wiretap. Las Vegas sports books were suspicious dating back to the 2005 season.

By early in the 2005 football season, the smart guys along the glitzy Las Vegas Strip were already voicing suspicions about Toledo games. When officials with the MGM Mirage sports book formally brought concerns to the Nevada Gaming Control Board that fall, no one yet had a clue the FBI was already onto the case. But as a precaution, the 10 sports books affiliated with MGM Mirage didn't accept bets on Toledo's final eight games. The next year, in 2006, they capped bets on Toledo at $1,000 a game.

The Nevada Gaming Board was notified of suspicions before the 2006 season. Offshore gambling sites based in the Caribbean also had their suspicions raised in the 2005 season.

When the FBI's investigation of point-shaving shenanigans at Toledo stalled out a couple weeks ago, accused third-string running back Scooter McDougle, the throbbing heart of the minor scandal, looked forward to getting his eligibility back. Um, yeah. About that:

McDougle, 22, the Rockets running back who is suspended from the team because of his alleged connection to a point-shaving scandal, has been ruled academically ineligible for the 2007 season.

Oh, irony, you wicked trickster you. For his part, the McDougle dad is McDougle pissed:

"He's not academically ineligible, and that's all I can say," McDougle Sr. said. "I'm so sick of that university, I don't even know what to do with all of this."

(There's a Scooter, Sr.? Impressive dedication.) Not that it should matter, right? When you are a third string tailback at Toledo and you are a senior, it's time to pack up those CFL dreams and get to work on your degree in the hopes that Scooter McDougle III can have a nice place with air conditioning and maybe a pony.

ESPN crack investigative reporter Mike Fish (along with George J. Tanber) have revealed new details into the Toledo gambling probe. The big news is that that an NCAA representative sent an email to the athletic director in November telling him that the NCAA was done investigating the situation.

The e-mail from [the NCAA's gambling pointwoman, Rachel] Newman-Baker was sent to [Toledo Athletic Director Mike] O'Brien in response to an e-mail sent by O'Brien earlier that day in which O'Brien asked Newman-Baker what the result was of the NCAA probe into the UT-Kent game.

The university tried to retrieve the e-mail from O'Brien's hard drive without success. O'Brien later found a hard copy of the e-mail in a file, according to UT spokesman Tobin Klinger.

In his e-mail, O'Brien wrote: "At the conclusion of the [Oct. 11] meeting, I asked what the next step would be and you indicated you would respond. With the meeting occurring almost a month ago, I thought I should contact you. I would assume that nothing has come of this and that you had nothing to share."

In her response to O'Brien, the first contact she had with him since Oct. 11, Newman-Baker said "no additional investigation was warranted at this time."

Additionally, the man fingered for involvement in the scandal is claiming that investigators and the government have no evidence to prosecute him.

"They got nothing," Ghazi "Gary" Manni said in an interview with USA TODAY. Manni, a Detroit-area resident who describes himself as a gambler, was alleged to have conspired with Toledo football and basketball players to fix games, according to court documents.

But Manni said his contacts with Toledo athletes, including running back Harvey "Scooter" McDougle Jr., was about friendship and had nothing to do with fixing games.

In the meantime, McDougle's father is hoping his son can return to the field and be cleared of the situation.

What's puzzling about all of this is that Vegas is not a place to make mistakes about something like this. They were the first to raise a red flag about some irregularities involving a Toledo football game and as we reported here earlier, there's a 99% chance something unusual or illegal happened in the way of betting for that game.

Back to square one? Maybe.

Previously at FanHouse
Point Shaving Can Only Be Limited
Toledo Gambling Scandal 99% Funny Business
This Is Why Legal Gambling Helps
Point Shaving At Toledo
FanHouse: NCAA Football Gambling

Sports betting expert R.J. Bell says there is a 99% certainty that some kind of funny business was going on with Toledo football in 2005.

Movements in the betting line are responses to disproportionate amounts of money bet a certain way. During the 2005 Toledo football regular season, lines on their team's games moved two points or more on 7 occasions - and ALL 7 TIMES the way the bettors were betting won against the opening line. The odds of this happening randomly are 128 to 1. It can be stated, with greater than 99% mathematical certainty, that the outcomes of those games were affected by OUTSIDE factors!

It would have been really nice to catch the Cheaty McCheatpants sometime before the end of the season but I guess this will suffice. Not that I know a thing about sports betting (I don't) but I'm surprised Vegas didn't catch this earlier.

Ever-cautious, FanBlogs wants some links/further proof, although they say Bell is credible. Good call.

(Via: Topix)

Has it really been 7 years since the last misguided attempts by college coaches and the NCAA to try and ban legal gambling on college sports. Cynically, I expect that the Toledo point shaving scandal that is now blossoming will renew calls for the sort of ban. They will cite the gambling on college sports as being the reason for it happening. Not that it would matter in this day and age. Not with the internet, offshore betting houses, legal sportsbooks in Canada and England. That won't matter. Someone will strike a righteous tone of how legal gambling and publishing point spreads encourages scandals like this.

It's a joke. How do you think Federal officials became aware of something fishy going on at Toledo in the first place?

The oddsmaker, Kenny White, chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sports Consultants, said that beginning in the 2004 season he and his associates noticed that there was heavy betting on certain Toledo football games and those of another Mid-American Conference team he declined to name.

"But then it stopped and it was just Toledo," he said.

The unusual betting pattern continued into the 2005 season, according to White. As his suspicions grew, he watched tape of all of Toledo's football games in 2004 and part of 2005.

"We really couldn't pinpoint a single player or coach or official," he said. "But we knew something was happening there."

At that point, about October 2005, White said he filed a report with the Nevada Gaming Commission and the NCAA. His report did not mention basketball games.

It's in legal sportsbooks' best interest to make sure the games are clean. If the games are being fixed or point-shaving, it hurts them. Notice that even the NCAA was notified of the problem. The sportsbooks are happy to alert the NCAA to potential scandals.

Previously at Fanouse:
Point Shaving at Toledo

I keep going back and forth as to whether point shaving schemes at smaller schools make more or less sense. On the one hand, the programs and the players draw a lot less scrutiny as to the actions. Making it easier for things to come in under the radar.

The counter-argument is that these smaller programs hardly see the heavier gambling action. So if there is any significant betting one way or the other, it can catch everyone's attention when there is sudden swing.

The Toledo Athletic Department is finding itself rocked with a scandal that definitely involves the football team and quite possibly involves the basketball team as well.

As the 2005 GMAC Bowl drew closer, a Michigan gambler assured other bettors that University of Toledo football player Harvey "Scooter" McDougle offered bribes to teammates so the point spread would be covered, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Mr. McDougle, 22, who was charged Thursday in U.S. District Court in Detroit with conspiring with others in a points-shaving scheme, sat out the game because of injuries.

So far no other players have been named.

McDougle was charged in Federal Court with "conspiring to bribe to affect the outcome of a sporting event." This carries a maximum sentence of 5 years and a $250,000 fine.

The guy arranging everything so far has only been identified as "Gary." He would place the wagers in casinos in Canada. At least one other player was offered around $10,000 to sit out a game. McDougle received cars, cash and other gifts from "Gary."

The filings indicate that the basketball team may have been involved in point shaving as well. "Gary" apparently bet on both sports and McDougle may have helped him in contacting basketball players.

This will be a huge blow to Toledo Football Coach Tom Amstutz. He's considered one of the better coaches in the MAC and often mentioned as a potential target for the bigger name schools. Few coaches, though, survive point shaving scandals.

Former UCLA head coach Bob Toledo is headed to the Big Easy to become the head football coach at Tulane University.

A press conference has been scheduled for 8 o'clock Tuesday.

Toledo was fired by UCLA in 2002 mainly for his lack of institutional control and returned to the college football world this season as offensive coordinator for the bowl-bound New Mexico Lobos.

Despite a 20-game winning streak, Toledo's reputation was sullied by his inability to win the big games when a national title was on the line. Presumably, that won't be an issue at Tulane.

Pitt DC (and personal target of ire) Paul Rhoads discussed what he expects from Toledo and their HC Tom Amstutz.

Pitt defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads won't be surprised if Toledo coach Tom Amstutz goes for it on fourth down. The Rockets are eight for 11 on fourth-down conversions (73 percent) this season.

"I think something like that generally speaks to the personality of their head football coach, and this is a guy who took over this program and has continued to lead them to success," Rhoads said. "You can see the admiration and respect the kids have for him. It speaks to his confidence to his team, and they're returning the favor."

No word as to whether Rhoads was wiping flop sweat from his forehead as he thought about this. Of course, sweat could be forming just from thinking back to how well he made defensive adjustments to Toledo back in 2003 (oh wait, there were none).

Was it the Rockets' offense, with its majority one-back, shotgun sets, or was the main reason Gradkowski's grit and ability?

Paul Rhoads, Pitt's defensive coordinator since 2000, believes the answers to those questions are somewhere in the middle.

"If a college football quarterback can throw a perfect game, or come close to it, [Gradkowski] certainly did on that night," Rhoads said yesterday. "Also, schematically, we had some things that were not in our playbook at that time that certainly hurt us matching up with a team like that."

The Pitt staff and players realize that the Toledo team facing it at noon Saturday at Heinz Field is Gradkowski-less, but the theories, strengths and looks of the Rockets' offense are all remarkably similar to 2003.

The Rockets (thankfully) don't have Gradkowski, and it is still unclear which QB will be starting -- though, both will likely see action.

He credits Toledo's offense as being balanced with a system that works for their personnel. They use two quarterbacks, Brandon Summers and Aaron Opelt, which presents a challenge for opposing defenses.

"Most of their passing game is a lot of movement passes with good players at wide receiver and tight end and are supported by good running backs," Wannstedt said. "They rotate quarterbacks and don't miss a beat, so they're a tough team to prepare for."

He also credits Toledo's offensive line as one of the biggest the Panthers will play this season.

"These guys may not be as big at Michigan State, but they'll be as big or bigger than Cincinnati and probably compare to Virginia because they've done a great job recruiting," Wannstedt said. "There's a lot of players in Ohio and Ohio State can't take them all, so I see size, strength, and talent on their whole team."

Toledo fans know Pitt hasn't forgotten, and also know this will be a very different game.

The Rockets need to keep Palko, Kinder, and company on the sidelines. They can't tip the ketchup bottle sitting on the bench. Michigan State was successful in their first six drives, scoring on each possession against Pitt. The Spartans ran a lot of options with success against the Panthers man defense. The MSU offensive line and wide receivers did a great job blocking, opening up the running game. Michigan State's offensive front is larger than Toledo so this will be a real test in the trenches. Finishing blocks and having a mobile QB making good decisions will help Jalen Parmele and company establish the run. Penalties and turnovers must be kept to a minimum.

This is a must-win game for Pitt. Not just because of 2003, but also because this is a team Pitt should beat. Toledo and Tom Amstutz are a "better than people think" team. Not at the same level as when they had Gradkowski, but they are aggressive and won't give up. This is the kind of game Pitt has had trouble finishing. A team that isn't afraid to play on the road and thinks it can beat Pitt.

The elusive quest for a ground attack by Pitt continues this weekend with Toledo. In 4 games, Pitt has totaled 423 yards rushing (PDF, p. 38). As a team they have broken 100 yards in the opening game against Virginia and last week against The Citadel. Coach Wannstedt is admittedly disappointed in that part of the offense. Toledo is one of two MAC schools who have beaten Pitt. Pitt is 23-2 versus the MAC, and undefeated at home.

Toledo is starting to get healthy. Tailback Scooter McDougle (love that name) returned last week after missing all of last season. He tore knee ligaments in the 2004 MAC title game where he rushed for 167 yards in helping the Rockets beat Miami (OH).

An undisclosed injury kept Toledo's starting QB, Sophomore Clint Cochran, out of last week's game. He hasn't yet been cleared to play, but Toledo HC Tom Amstutz seems optimistic.Cochran has been practicing with the team this week, but Amstutz will not commit to a starter. Amstutz also joked that he would try to get Pitt HC Dave Wannstedt's autograph before the game.

If you believe a player's internal clock is important for the game, then consider that 9 of Toledo's 12 games this season start after 7 pm. This Saturday's game is at noon. The only game of the season for Toledo that starts before 4 pm.

2003 was supposed to be a big year for Pitt. The offense with Larry Fitzgerald as the best receiver in the country was highlight reel quality. The defense was supposed to be good. Pitt was a darkhorse BCS pick. The team that could beat Miami in their Big East swan song season. Then the Toledo game arrived and the defense was exposed as a fraud. Toledo's spread picked Pitt apart in a 35-31 victory. The season unraveled as the team kept providing hope -- beating Texas A&M and Virginia Tech -- then killing it -- losses to ND, Miami, WVU and UVa.

That loss to Toledo is something that MLB H.B. Blades has not forgotten.

"You're never supposed to look ahead, but I'll be honest I started thinking about Toledo about halftime [of the Citadel game Saturday]," said Blades, who is third in the nation in tackles (11.75 per game). "I was a true freshman, and after the game the fans were running on the field and pushing me. I just wanted to fight someone I was so mad. I had to walk off the field. But right now, my mind is on Toledo because of what happened that night."

Coach Wannstedt was still coaching the Dolphins at that point, but he expects the senior players will be the ones to remind the players about 2003.

On using the 2003 loss to Toledo as motivation:

I don't have to say anything but the guys that were there will, I promise you that. They'll say it better than I will.

Well, QB Tyler Palko isn't looking back.

"Why mention stuff in the past?" Palko said. "That has nothing to do with our football team. If we didn't prepare for The Citadel, they would have come out and embarrassed us. I don't feel the need to tell the football team or reiterate what happened in the past because that's in the past."

Sure Palko was redshirting that season, but it burned. Oh, did it burn. I want the players to know. To want revenge. More importantly, they better be prepared. Toledo will give them a good game. Their Coach, Tom Amstutz, is one of the better ones out there. The only reason he hasn't been plucked yet is that Toledo is his alma mater, so it will take a much bigger offer to get him to leave.