Let’s be clear. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but it is interesting to hear a former player actually come out and talk about it. It was obviously a big controversy this week with OBJ being shown on camera handing out money to LSU players and getting an arrest warrant for slapping a cop’s ass. There were reports the money was fake, but Joe Burrow confirmed that the money was indeed real. Now was this just a stunt from OBJ? I think so. I don’t think it was a premeditated thing where he had promised guys money based on their performance. That being said, that is definitely a commonplace thing in college football. Boosters and former players 100% personally incentivize athletes throughout the season and particularly in these big games, just like an NFL contract with incentive bonuses would work.
Emmanuel Acho, who is now an analyst at ESPN, said all of this on-air on Get Up this morning, but has since tried to walk it back on Twitter.
Here’s what he said this morning on Get Up (via 24/7Sports):
“We went to the national championship game in 2009 and … it was public to the team, for every interception the defensive back got, they were going to get $1,000,” Acho said of Texas’ 37-21 loss to the Crimson Tide on Jan. 7, 2010. “For every pick y’all got against Alabama in the national championship game, you’re going to get $1,000. Now, the difference is we just didn’t do it publicly on the field.
“What my problem is, though, everybody masquerades Odell Beckham as a guy who thinks, ‘Oh, I plotted this out. I’m going to go out, hand this money and they’re going to talk about me on Get Up.’ That’s not what he’s thinking. That’s not what he’s thinking.”
Addressing my comments about Texas Football earlier from @GetUpESPN.
I have no proof that anybody on our ‘09 team ACTUALLY got paid by our NFL alumni. Those were lockeroom convos in jest pre game. Our alumni came to the game and supported us, but again no money changed hands.
— Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho) January 16, 2020
The former coaches nor University of Texas had anything to do with it. This was just a motivational conversation between players, past and present.
Thanks, and Hookem.🤘🏾🤘🏾— Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho) January 16, 2020
Ok Cool. Hook ‘Em.
Emmanuel has to be sweating hard right now. This was 100% a real incentive or else he wouldn’t have said it on air. He realized after the fact how serious what he said was and is now trying to fix everything butttt it’s too late. That being said, I don’t really think anything can come of it other than him damaging his own personal relationships. The NCAA can’t go back and punish former players or the program from something that is only alleged and happened over a decade ago. But Emmanuel may not be welcome back at the next Alumni BBQ, I’ll say that much.
Just as a side note, Mark Ingram ran all over that Texas defense in the National Championship game to win Nick Saban another ring. However, Texas DB Blake Gideon did secure the only interception of the game. I wonder what he did with his grand? Gideon funny enough is currently the special teams coordinator for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. I wouldn’t be shocked if he was carrying on the tradition at Ole Miss under the guidance of the Lane Train.
To sum this all up, nobody is going to get in any real trouble, some people are probably going to hate Emmanuel Acho now for being a snitch, and Blake Gideon has $1,000 that he never reported on his taxes. God Bless college football.
