Report: Leo Lewis told NCAA COI that Mississippi State paid him $10,000 to sign
It was reported Thursday that Ole Miss expects to receive final word from the NCAA in the next 24 hours following the yearslong investigation into the program’s alleged recruiting violations. At the heart of the saga is 21 violations the football program is accused of committing. Once the school receives the news, which is expected Friday morning to afternoon, the information will be made public soon after.
Due to the fact the NCAA does not have subpoena power, the organization must resort to creative ways to gain information. In the case against Ole Miss, the NCAA reached out to former recruits of the school asking them to come forward with information against Ole Miss in exchange for total immunity from any violations they had committed. The NCAA found at least one player willing to talk in Mississippi State’s Leo Lewis.
A portion of the NCAA’s case was bolstered by the information Lewis provided. It should be noted that Lewis was an Ole Miss commit before he decommitted and signed with Mississippi State the weekend before National Signing Day in 2016.
Lewis spoke to the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions hearing in September to describe his involvement in violations committed by Ole Miss. In a recent report from Steven Godfrey of SBNation, Lewis admits to taking $10,000 from a junior college coach to go to Mississippi State — presumably outside of the payments he received from Ole Miss.
According to sources, Lewis told the Committee on Infractions he received a cash payment of $10,000 “from Mississippi State” on the eve of National Signing Day 2016 to sign with the Bulldogs. When pressed by members of the COI to elaborate, sources say that Lewis stated that he received money to attend MSU from Calvin Green, a defensive backs coach for Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Miss. Green is the father of Farrod Green, Lewis’ friend and Mississippi State teammate, according to sources and documentation.
While many Ole Miss fans may take this as a “gotcha” moment against Lewis and MSU, according to the SBNation article, the payment may not technically be considered a violation. According to NCAA Bylaw 12, recruits are permitted to receive cash payments from non-family members or guardians if they had a relationship with the person before becoming an elite recruit. So if Lewis had a preexisting relationship with Green, it could be argued that no rules were broken here.
The full SBNation report can be read here, it’s definitely worth a read.
LOL…this is old news. Everyone, including the NCAA, knows MSU paid Lewis. But the NCAA has also made it clear that they don’t care. Ole Miss just pissed someone off at the NCAA…hmmm, wonder what that could be?
Just some advice. Lose to Bama next year. If you beat them twice in a row, well, you see how that went for us.
Word of advice… Bama is not the reason the NCAA was in your backyard…
Everyone else knows that. But in Oxford, they believe that the SEC office is pro Bama, the officials are pro Bama (pro anybody that is playing Ole Miss really), and now they are getting hammered because of Bama. It’s denial at it’s finest… making excuses and blaming others for their own shortcomings and errors. I’ve had the fate of being a MS resident for the last 15 years, and I can tell you that it’s the Ole Miss way. I think they teach it at the school… Denial 101.
It’s not like some one formerly on your team announced on National TV during the draft that yes, they did receive money from coaches when asked.
What option did the NCAA have. The investigation of the first NOA was all but wrapped up. They Tunsil dropped this bomb.
But keep hanging your hat on beating Bama twice if that makes you feel better about all of this.
Doesn’t matter at this point. The media has made up its mind that Ole Miss is to blame. State fans will just say that the writers are just making stuff up about Leo. I still never could figure out why State fans assumed that we offered him boatloads of cash and yet he turned all that down to attend school, payment free, in beautiful Starkville….
I think you are right. On the other hand, given that he would take money, why wouldn’t he take money and then lie about where he was going to go to school?
That is plausible. My point is this, State fans need to get off of their moral high horse acting like they are cleaner than the TSUN Black Bears. Dude, flipped his commitment on the eve of signing day to take money from State. And y’all are screaming “karma,” like we are getting what we deserve….
Fair enough. I love the game, but the fans are rather annoying….especially the ones on the other side. ;)
Not only does Lewis claim that Miss State paid him, it happened while Miss State was already on probation for recruiting violations.
Same rehash of old talking points by Ole Miss homer Godfrey.
1. No one outside the room for COI hearing knows what Leo said in that hearing.
2. If anyone inside the room leaked information to OM supporters like Godfrey, it has served to do nothing but further piss off the NCAA as that is explicitly forbidden.
3. Nothing will come of this. Had Leo said something that could fall back on MSU, he woildnt have continued playing.
So either the “sources” are wrong, or the NCAA doesn’t care. Well, I said Mullen wouldn’t go to UF, so there is chance I’m wrong. :)
4. So they call out and accuse a prominent SW Mississippi coach? Yep. That’s going to help their recruiting efforts. What are they thinking?
5. Godfrey releases this article on the eve of Thor’s hammer drop. The rest of the country doesn’t care anymore. Just makes you all look like a bunch of crying pussies that can’t handle the consequences for the mess you clearly got yourselves into.
I didn’t know you were there at the Embassy Suites in Covington that day.
I wasn’t. Neither was Godfrey. And if anyone that was passed information to him about the meeting, they are asking for the hammer to come harder.
So, to point #4: Somehow in your mind this is evidence that Ole Miss is calling out a prominent SW Mississippi coach? Wow! So, Ole Miss either made this story up and disseminated it through Godfrey or we coached Leo to say this? I’m totally confused on how point 4 could be construed the way you did….
You don’t believe OM has largely controlled the narrative through and by the media throughout this whole case, whether by directly disseminating lies or selectively leaking information? Right.
Tell me something… who other than OM administration and legal counsel actually was in that room that was the “source” of this information to the absolutely unbiased fair and neurtal Godfrey? You think MSU administration or counsel gave Godfrey this information? The NCAA? Right.
Godfrey wouldn’t have writted this article if OM hadn’t wanted him to and provided the information to him whether accurate or fake. So yeah, this is OM calling out the coach. True or not, still stupid from the recruiting perspective.
I have a question. Do you really believe MSU runs a clean program? If your answer is anything but no, you’re delusional.
Cleaner than OM by a mile. There will always be boosters seeking to sweeten the pot.
Stategrad. Sorry but you’re delusional
You think MS State is dumb enough to give Lewis money directly? No! They give money to someone else and tell them to give it to the player. This is System Working 101. We’ll get you next time, Gadget.
Bingo, would be hard to prove it violates since Farrod Green and Lewis were friends since childhood.
In any case, I imagine it would be wise to find someone who did know the player beforehand.
Yall really need to stop referencing Godfrey. Just and idea.
Just serve ole miss the death penalty already. Tired of hearing about this crap
Frankly so is everybody Aggie, but MS is a small state and there are a lot of young kids here whose college choices will come down to what happens in this. By tomorrow things will be fairly straight forward. No death penalty for UM is my guess
Everyone cheats. The NCAA just wants to keep everyone in their place. So long as the traditional powers are the only contenders year in and year out, all is well. But if you dare upset the powers that be and decide you want to compete? Death penalty.
Your HC dared someone to look into your program… When you’re calling prostitutes you should probably stay quiet…
Posted this question on article about his mom, but figured I would post here as well. Just curious for input.
I have followed this some but don’t have allegiance to either Miss St or Ole Miss. I recall seeing something about Lewis getting immunity. Does that totally protect Miss St in this situation since the “alleged” payment was made to him? What does that immunity protect?
I think it only protects Lewis. If State is found to be in violation, they could be investigated.
Elite athletes would need to get paid to go to any school in Mississippi.
But Cecile said it would take $180k for his kid to go to any school.
This from someone who’s school outbid us for Cam.