Bruce Pearl caught cheating, blames first grade teacher for not emphasizing that “truth” thing…

How do you tell Bruce Pearl's not lying? He's not talking.

A couple of weeks ago, the NCAA revealed that it was investigating the University of Tennessee basketball program, specifically the actions of Tennessee’s head coach Bruce Pearl.  According to the NCAA, Pearl was wining and dining recruits at his house, making tons of phone calls he wasn’t supposed to be making, and then – to top it off – lying to the them about it when they asked him.  

That roar you heard was the entire state of Illinois laughing.  What’s that old phrase about chickens and roosts? 

Those of you outside of Illinois may not remember Deon Thomas.  Back in 1989 he was an excellent high school basketball player in Chicago and was the object of a recruiting fight between the University of Illinois and the University of Iowa.  Pearl, an assistant coach for Iowa at the time, was heavily involved in recruiting Thomas for the Hawkeyes.  So much so, that he thought it would be a good idea to 1) record a conversation he had with Thomas over the phone, and 2) send the NCAA a memo of that recording in which Pearl alleged that Thomas told him that Illinois offered him a new Chevy Blazer and cash in order to come to Illinois (What’s the matter Deon?  Couldn’t hold out for that brand new Miata?  Seriously, cruising with the top down while Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince play on your tape deck would be so rad). 

Based on Pearl’s allegations, the NCAA investigated Illinois. In that investigation, it never uncovered any evidence to corroborate Pearl’s story and never took any action against Thomas.  However, it did uncover other violations by Illinois and promptly penalized it by placing the basketball program on probation and taking away scholarships.   Thomas has denied ever making any statement to Pearl and has refused to reconcile with him to this day.  When he was asked a few years ago if he forgave Pearl, he reportedly said that it is “hard to forgive a snake.” 

Illinois went from the Final Four in 1989 to almost the bottom of the conference two years later.  Iowa won 20 games three years in a row, making the tournament each year. 

Pearl?  He moved on, but he didn’t move up. 

In moves seen by many as retribution for his supposed whistleblowing, Pearl was seemingly blacklisted from the major coaching ranks.  After leaving Iowa, he found work not in the middle ranks of the NCAA where a coach of his ability would normally land, but rather at a Division II school.  Following that he moved on to unfashionable Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  Winning everywhere he went, he was eventually noticed by the big time schools and finally offered a big time job at Tennessee.  There he built the program from also-ran to SEC contender, even challenging Kentucky for the conference’s top spot (Kentucky, possibly feeling itself outdone by Pearl’s cheating, hired John Calipari…well plyed Kentucky.  Your move Vols, is Jerry Tarkanian still available?).  

The press outside of Illinois and the coaching fraternity have always treated Pearl like some sort of Daniel Ellsberg of the NCAA coaching fraternity; putting his professional reputation on the line to show how others were cheating, sacrificing himself and his career to do what was right.  Others of us have always suspected that Pearl’s motivation to report Illinois (and, according to Thomas, make up a story about him and ruin his reputation) was more self-serving.  Pearl is a college basketball coach moving in a world where cheating is the order of the day.  He is no saint, he’s an opportunist who saw the chance to get a competitor and he took it. 

Now the press seems shocked (SHOCKED!) that Pearl would be investigated.  http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/15159/when-whistleblowers-go-bad-a-depressing-tale.  Ridiculous.   What’s even more ridiculous?  Pearl’s tearful apology.  The man actually has the gall to claim that “I learned that it’s not OK to tell the truth most of the time, but you’ve got to tell the truth all of the time.”  http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5575856.   What?  Did he fail first grade?  Who was his teacher, Richard Nixon?  Did he sit next to Bill Clinton?  He must be a Republican…when everything goes bad, blame the public schools! 

Tennessee has now docked Pearl’s pay, but it won’t be enough.  The NCAA expects people to cheat, and it expects them to get caught.  However, once caught, they expect you to come forward, admit it, and take your medicine.  If you lie to them – or lie and get pissy about it, like U$C – then they are going to hammer you.  Tennessee, prepare to get hammered. 

Those of us in Illinois are feeling a bit of Schadenfreude these days.  The man who – most likely – lied about Deon Thomas in order to get Illinois in trouble and was lauded for it, has now been revealed as the snake he actually is.  Smiles all around in Champaign.  Why don’t coaches turn each other in when everyone knows everyone else is cheating?  Because everyone knows everyone else is cheating.  If you want to tempt fate accusing someone ELSE of cheating when you’re doing it yourself, you’ve either got balls the size of mountains, or a brain the size of a molehill.  You’re only asking for trouble down the road.  (Speaking of molehill craniums, the school where the recruit who was photographed with Pearl now attends?  Ohio State.  Good luck down the road Thad Motta!) 

As for Pearl, he’ll be fine.  He might not last at Tennessee, but he’ll catch on somewhere.  Probably the NBA, where he can continue to pay his players and nobody will get mad about it.  Somewhere in Illinois, Deon Thomas just cracked a smile.  Somewhere in the universe, the karama gods just punched out for the day, their work here is done.

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