Sports

South Carolina’s “North Carolina” Connection Raises Questions

WILL GAMECOCK ATHLETES ALSO BE STEERED TO “NO SHOW” CLASSES? We were perusing the sports section of the Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer last month when we stumbled upon this article about former University of North Carolina football player Michael McAdoo. The News and Observer story examines in detail how…

WILL GAMECOCK ATHLETES ALSO BE STEERED TO “NO SHOW” CLASSES?

We were perusing the sports section of the Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer last month when we stumbled upon this article about former University of North Carolina football player Michael McAdoo.

The News and Observer story examines in detail how McAdoo and other football players were steered into “no-show” courses at UNC in order to maintain their athletic eligibility.

What’s a “no-show” course? Easy: It’s a college course that never meets.

These “no show” courses are being used as evidence in a class action court case that’s seeking to recoup compensation for athletes whose names, images and likenesses are used by universities. Specifically, the classes (or non-classes) are being used as evidence that college athletes are not receiving the education that universities say they are.

According to the News and Observer report, UNC “routinely used the no-show classes in the African studies department to keep athletes eligible to play sports.”

“Investigations led or backed by UNC have found more than 200 confirmed or suspected no-show classes since the mid-1990s, with athletes accounting for nearly half of the enrollments,” the story adds.

Wow …

As for McAdoo, he gave a phone interview to the paper in which he accused former UNC learning specialist Beth Bridger of steering him into the “no-show” classes. Specifically, he says Bridger provided him with a list of these classes – which according to him were “just to get your GPA up.”

Bridger’s response?

According to the paper, she “left the university several months ago and has not responded to requests for comment.”

Yikes. So … where is Bridger now?

Yeah … she’s currently serving as associate director of academic at the University of South Carolina.

Now … before we proceed to the comments section of our story we would like to note that at this point McAdoo’s allegations against Bridger are just that … allegations. And even if she did engage in such conduct at UNC, that doesn’t necessarily mean she would do the same thing at South Carolina.

Still … it’s a very troubling link, one that University officials should keep a close eye on in the coming months (especially in light of the less-than-solid footing the Gamecock athletics program is on).

Oh, and if the allegations are true it’s yet another example of the “student-athlete” farce this website has consistently called out …

“College football – particularly at the major conference Division I-A level – has become the equivalent of a farm system for the National Football League,” we wrote in 2011. “Accordingly, it makes sense to pay these athletes – just as it makes to have their names on the back of jerseys in video games.  Paying athletes would not only be fair, it would stop the charade that currently exists in college athletics – while dramatically reducing the potential for future scandals like the one that surrounded (former Auburn quarterback) Cam Newton.”

College sports is a business. It’s time to start running it like one …

UPDATE: According to USC sports information director Steve Fink, Bridger left the University of South Carolina in December 2013. She was hired by the University of North Carolina-Wilmington this month as an “academic coordinator.” Bridger’s bio remains posted to the USC website, however, and while it is empty – her UNCW bio notes that she “worked at the University of South Carolina as an Associate Director in the Dodie Academic Enrichment Center. She was an Academic Advisor for the Women’s Basketball team and directed the Learning Enhancement Program.”

Pic: Travis Bell Photography

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61 comments

GameCock Hall of Fame February 17, 2014 at 3:56 pm

Fuck the first Tiger that posts a comment! There – that felt good.

Reply
the king February 17, 2014 at 4:18 pm

Your mother is a Tiger.

Reply
321squishy February 17, 2014 at 5:21 pm

that will be an idiot named Squishy. He will claim he isn’t but we all know he is full of shit

Reply
Squishy123 February 17, 2014 at 8:12 pm

Dirtpecker

Alabama mouth, Vanderbilt trophy case.

Wait ’til next year!!!

Chicken curse

Reply
321squishy February 17, 2014 at 11:24 pm

Squishy

Pussy hiding behind computer poking fun of what he couldn’t have every chance he gets

Lebron mouth water boy talent

#4 in the nation doesn’t say wait till next year so you make no sense

You are a pathetic jealous little person that probably has no friends so you say the same bullshit on here day after day. You are by far the most laughable person on here. Thank you

Reply
Squishy123 February 18, 2014 at 9:42 am

So what’s a tough guy like you doing posting under a screen name and not your real name? You keep following me around and keep changing your screen name to match mine trying to gain your attention, do you have a crush on me?

Are you the poster boy for “Alabama mouth, Vanderbilt trophy case”?

squishy the pussy February 18, 2014 at 12:49 pm

its funny how you think that hurts. Its still a bigger trophy case than Clemson as far as national titles. As a basketball player surely you think its an important sport too, and USC has more conference titles (even in the ACC and they haven’t been in it since 1972) than Clemson. So how could that possibly hurt? Tell you what “big” man. Lets meet and talk about it. I would bet everything you are a pussy and wouldn’t show up anyway, so I will give you your pick of where and when. We can see if you only want to talk shit from behind the computer or if you actually have the stones to step out from it. You have stated you are I Columbia before so I can make a 45 minute drive to prove my point. prove you aren’t a pussy hiding

Squishy123 February 18, 2014 at 1:31 pm

I hear the Equestrian National Championship trophy is the size of a horse.

Is it embarrassing to Dirtpecker fans that the majority of their trophies are from when they were in the ACC. Maybe the SEC is just too tough for Dirtpecker U.

I’ll meet you at the Waffle House at I-20 and Broad River Road at 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, I’ll find you… just get out of your car and start screaming, “Okay who’s the pussy who wants to fight me”… I’m black so you can replace “pussy” with “nigger” if you’d like.

Or since you’re such a tough man, maybe you could just post your real name on this blog… that’ll never happen though will it? I love internet fights, everyone is a tough guy…

squishy the pussy February 18, 2014 at 1:42 pm

I notice YOU didn’t post your real name. I knew you were a pussy. You can keep the racist shit yourself, you already said you were white. so drop those N-words like a pussy

Squishy123 February 18, 2014 at 1:56 pm

I asked you first. So you gonna show up or not?

My name is Barrack Obama, I’m half-white and half-black.

You’re funny, your posts make me laugh.

squishy the pussy February 18, 2014 at 2:03 pm

you really are a dumb fucking pussy aren’t you. I asked you first. and of course you are acting like you laugh at this, that’s what pussy’s do anything to ignore it. now lets see what you do/say

Squishy123 February 18, 2014 at 2:18 pm

How’s that blood pressure doing? If your arms start going numb, call 911.

You remind me of a lost puppy, sitting here waiting for my every move so you can follow me. It’s kind of pathetic if you think about it.

squishy the pussy February 18, 2014 at 2:23 pm

Pussy

Squishy123 February 18, 2014 at 2:51 pm

Come on be honest, you’re about ready to snap aren’t you. Blood pressure is up, the veins in your head an neck are starting to bulge, you’re feeling flush, you feel the need to pace… look out I think he’s about ready to lose it!!!

DIrtpecker, dirtpecker, dirtpecker!!!

squishy the pussy February 18, 2014 at 3:03 pm

Pussy

Squishy123 February 18, 2014 at 3:59 pm

If your ears start ringing, it’s a sign that your blood pressure is elevated.

squishy the pussy February 18, 2014 at 4:20 pm

Pussy

Squishy123 February 18, 2014 at 4:24 pm

Ha, that’s funny. You’re now limited to a single word repeated response. Thank you for the laugh at the end of a busy day.

squishy the pussy February 18, 2014 at 5:20 pm

You’re a little pussy

Sporteffer February 17, 2014 at 8:20 pm

Thanks for your generous offer but it’s not necessary. We Clemson men have been “sport effing” Gamecock women since 1889.

Reply
GrandTango February 17, 2014 at 3:59 pm

Go ask Scott Wingo about it you ignorant F*#k…maybe he reported it in that book that has the proof of you and Haley…Dumb@$$….Hahahahaha…

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Will Folks aka Sic February 17, 2014 at 4:13 pm

Oh Lord, Large Tea. Oh Lord.

Reply
FITSfan February 17, 2014 at 4:30 pm Reply
FactsPlease February 17, 2014 at 4:15 pm

get the facts straight… She is currently the Academic Coordinator at the UNC- Wilmington. She is NOT at the University of South Carolina and there is absolutely nothing to suggest she did anything improper while briefly at Carolina working with the women’s basketball team. As for what happened at UNC at Chapel Hill, that may be a different story. When struggling to compete in the mighty acc, folks might do anything.

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FactsPlease February 17, 2014 at 4:27 pm

no whoops…check the below..

http://www.uncwsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=19800&ATCLID=209385386

Carolina has not updated its website since she left.

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Guest February 17, 2014 at 4:28 pm Reply
Squishy123 February 17, 2014 at 7:42 pm

Go all the way back to December 2013 and she was.

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Jackie Chiles February 17, 2014 at 4:18 pm

If we only could privatize college education this would never happen.

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mannblack February 17, 2014 at 4:20 pm

The fact that we have someone on USC payroll involved in UNC mess is disturbing and newsworthy. “Less than solid footing” is nothing but trying to generate web traffic. Scholarship reductions are gone and we’ve won 33 games in past 3 years.

Report the news – don’t manufacture it

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FactsPlease February 17, 2014 at 4:22 pm

as noted below, she is not at the University of South Carolina. She is currently the Academic Coordinator at UNC at Wilmington.

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Squishy123 February 17, 2014 at 7:41 pm

As of about six weeks ago.

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Factplease February 18, 2014 at 8:08 am

Wouldn’t that still be listed as started above “currently”? or are you just to fucking dumb to understand that?

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Squishy123 February 18, 2014 at 9:44 am

Aren’t we a cranky little Dirtpecker today…

Factplease February 18, 2014 at 12:50 pm

no, just pointing out how fucking stupid you are.

Squishy123 February 18, 2014 at 1:33 pm

Interesting how Factplease and 123squishy keep responding to me within minutes of each other. Everything okay there Sybil?

Vanguard16 February 17, 2014 at 4:35 pm

Well, hell, USC hired the chick that was doing the nasty with Petrino!!

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speaking of fact checking February 17, 2014 at 5:30 pm

No, they hired the fiancé of the Dorrell (now husband). He is the strength coach at USC. She doesn’t work for USC at all, she works for the South Carolina Association of School Administrators in fundraising. This is how stupid rumors like the actual story written above get started

Reply
Ed February 17, 2014 at 5:48 pm

She fundraises for SCASA? That is even worse.

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Squishy123 February 17, 2014 at 7:40 pm

Anyone else see the preview clip for WACH news showing Miss American contestant Bree Boyce? I hope she saved her fat pants, she’s starting to bulk up to pre-pagent hugeness.

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edr February 17, 2014 at 4:41 pm

most of jocks at usc take swahily or arabic for their foreign language courses

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CL February 17, 2014 at 5:17 pm

“Bridger’s bio remains posted to the USC website, however, and while it is empty… ”

Some bio. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think It means.

The fact that there is still a web page for her just speaks to USC’s laziness. Brian Van Gorder was defensive coordinator for about 5 minutes and he still has a page on there, for goodness sake.

http://www.gamecocksonline.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/vangorder_brian00.html

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3,2,1squishy February 17, 2014 at 5:18 pm

Ask “Squishy wishy the dumbass”. He has no hate or animosity towards USC as he claims, yet he has negative “insider” input every time someone says anything about USC. He replies every hour on the hour on this site, so I am surprise that jealous fucker hasn’t said something yet seeing as this story has now been out for 2 hours it says. I suspect he will post some bullshit babble against USC with zero actual proof in 3,2,1…

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BillC123 February 17, 2014 at 7:30 pm

Some bullshit

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Squishy123 February 17, 2014 at 7:34 pm

some bullshit

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Squishy123 February 17, 2014 at 7:38 pm

Did anyone see the post last week showing those who were on the SEC “honor roll”? Of the football players there was one Accounting major and one Biology major. The others were Sociology, Retailing, Sports Management, African American Studies, or some other bullshit major. Since they were only enrolled in one course for the Fall semester, I guess hats off to those scholars who passed their Sociology 101 course with the help of note takers, test readers, tutors and mandatory study hall.

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321 squishy February 17, 2014 at 11:19 pm

There it is. Thanks for proving the point little man

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Squishy123 February 18, 2014 at 9:39 am

You’re welcome, anytime.

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FactsPlease February 17, 2014 at 6:21 pm

Will – Thanks for updating the story with more current information. Understandable confusion since the Carolina website hadn’t been updated. I guess the question remains, who will be watching her at UNC-W… and will anyone care.

UNC at Chapel Hill should get the death penalty for the rules violations, fraud, lies, and cover-up…. but the NCAA seems to be looking the other way. For once the MSM is doing its job and the Raleigh News and Observer deserves a lot of credit for exposing the fraud at sacred chapel hill – comes as quiet a surprise to tarheel alumni that the school is no better than anyone else… especially after all these years of them beating their chests and telling us how special everything is at unc in chapel hill. its an average school at best that will let in any in-state legacy that can sign his/her name and obviously every athlete.

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Anonymous February 17, 2014 at 6:42 pm

I know a “academic coach” at USC. He is mad as hell that he has to meet face to face with the athletes for whom he writes papers. He said they are surly, arrogant and bored and just want him to sign their slip of paper to get the approval from somebody at the learning center. He liked it back in the day, when he received an email giving him the class number, prof name and the length the paper had to be. This thing of discussing the paper with the student-athlete is tedious and waste his time.

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the 99% February 18, 2014 at 8:06 am

sure you “know an ‘academic coach’ at USC” Are you the girl from Ferris Bueller that knew some guy that knew a girl that had a dog, that played with a cat that was owned by this boy that knew a woman who saw a professor one time at 31 flavors? I know a guy that knew you that said you were mentally challenged . Anonymous my ass. More like full of shit

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Semi-Pros? February 17, 2014 at 11:35 pm

I attended a division 1-A school and it was commonly known that there was a special handbook for the scholarship athletes. I saw it first hand one day when late registering(just before computers really got going) as they would have the athletes come in AFTER most of the normal registering was done.

I asked one of them if I could look through the pamphlet, first class I saw? “Geography of Ohio”

lol…it’s mostly a farce…the question is how well these big university’s hide it. Most of the kids(not all) playing at a high level would never make it academically otherwise. I’m at least glad they have chance to do something in life and get exposed to some civilizing representation of a “normal” life…because the reality is that most of them end up back in the ghetto’s they came from when it’s all over.

So I just kind of laugh it all off. It is what it is.

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Squishy123 February 18, 2014 at 2:55 pm

2013 Fall Semester SEC Honor Roll, and mind you most if not all of the players listed are taking 1 or 2 courses during this semester rather the normal academic load of 4 or 5 classes.

South Carolina’s honorees follow:
Football (25)

Jerell Adams – Undecided

Landon Ard – Sport Management

K.J. Brent – HRTM

Damiere Byrd – Sport Management

A.J. Cann – Sociology

Shon Carson – Sport Management

Ryland Culbertson – Interdisciplinary Studies

Jordan Diaz – Exercise Science

Jordan Diggs – Broadcast Journalism

Bruce Ellington – Sociology

Kyle Fleetwood – Broadcast Journalism

Deon Green – Business Administration

T.J. Gurley – Integrated Technology

Austin Hails – Biology

T.J. Holloman – Accounting

Kaiwan Lewis – Criminal Justice

Rico McWilliams – Sociology

Brendan Nosovitch – Business Administration

Ronald Patrick – Criminal Justice

Corey Robinson – HRTM

Garrett Shank – Business Administration

Will Sport – Business Administration

Dylan Thompson – Sport Management

Cody Waldrop – Criminal Justice

David Wilkins – Sport Management

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Samantha speaks February 18, 2014 at 3:36 pm

Please provide the schedules for each person mentioned to prove your accusation that they are only taking 1 or 2 classes. If not it is nothing more than a rumor you created.

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Squishy123 February 18, 2014 at 6:17 pm

What rumor, it’s the norm for every D-1 football program, that’s one of the big reasons they go to summer school so the credits roll over.

Besides, if I had access to student records, I doubt I could legally post them here.

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Samantha speaks February 18, 2014 at 8:28 pm

So then what exactly is your point other than to make fun of USC? If ” it’s the norm for every D-1 football program” and USC isn’t doing anything the others aren’t what could you be trying to say other than bash USC? If everyone else is doing it, then its still USC that had the highest GPA or most on the honor roll or whatever it is you are trying to take away from them.

Squishy123 February 18, 2014 at 10:39 pm

What?

Just Sayin February 18, 2014 at 8:56 am

“… associate director of academic…”?!?

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The Colonel February 18, 2014 at 11:59 am

I’m not sure, what’s the real story here:
USC was stupid enough to hire her?
USC was smart enough to get rid of ?her when they realized what they got
USC’s website manager is inefficient? (this one is true regardless of the other factors, I’ve been trying to get a page updated for over a year)
UNCW was stupid enough to hire her?

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ToddSmith February 18, 2014 at 11:29 pm

Don’t worry, SEC schools are much better at covering up the jock farce. It is much harder to rat them out if it would cause your family to become unemployed and threatened with violence.

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Mike February 21, 2014 at 11:14 am

I graduated from USC in 1991 and had classes with several basketball players and a couple football players. They were never in class. My favorite was Jo Jo English. He would at least show up but all he did was sign the role and then leave. This is nothing unique to UNC.

Reply

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