Purdue Prez Daniels inks an OpEd in the Washington Post to the Rice Commission's namesake chair on the MBB-FBI challenges faced by her group. Daniels: "Those in a position to stop the scandals spawned by the 'one-and-done' era — in which many top-tier players were required to enroll in college for one year before bolting for the NBA — have been either powerless to do so or actively interested in perpetuating the status quo. […] I’m convinced the college game would be more, not less popular, if a handful of would-be pretend students, whose names fans barely get a chance to know, instead went straight from high school to some sort of professional league. Doing so would certainly bring more parity and fairness to the college game. The play would still be amazingly athletic — most of us fans would not be able to tell the difference — and schools with genuine academic and conduct standards would no longer be at such a competitive disadvantage. […] It troubles me to give up on my friends and neighbors at the NCAA, but when the FBI beats you to a monstrously obvious problem in your own backyard, you’re clearly never going to fix it on your own. So thanks for serving, Condi, and best of luck. If you thought Iranian sanctions or North Korean nukes were hard problems, wait until you try this one. And take your time about that invitation [to speak on Purdue's campus]. Go save us from ourselves." More. (link)

Florida Atlantic Prez Kelly hopes to have a new AD "sooner rather than later." Interim AD Battle is not believed to be the likely long-term solution, according to the Palm Beach Post. "Sooner," per Kelly, could be a matter of weeks, though a search firm has yet to assigned to aid the university's committee. (link)

SEC Commish Sankey on the Missouri-South Carolina situation, "I have had discussions with athletics directors at both institutions. Competition among SEC teams is highly intense but can never compromise the expectation of respect between our institutions. Coach [Robin] Pingeton and coach Staley have both worked tirelessly to build nationally-ranked teams comprised of outstanding student-athletes and both teams should be celebrated for their success. I look forward to meeting in person with both athletic directors very soon to reaffirm these shared priorities and expectations." Sankey & Gamecocks AD Tanner will meet next week to discuss the situation as Tigers boss Sterk indicates he's moved on. (link); The Kansas City Star's Gregorian believes Sterk could have chosen his words more wisely, but "he had to stand up for and protect his program." (link)

LaVar Ball & his new Junior Basketball Association are using the strategy of Twitter DMs to contact stand-out prospective student-athletes to gauge their interest in skipping the collegiate ranks for a chance to participate in the new league & make some money. Looks like a list of 80+ prep stars received a DM yesterday & a few communicated an interest to learn more. Ball's message, "You are one of the few talented athletes that we are inviting to change history with us & be a part of the @jba. Let us know who we should get in contact with to further discuss details and specifics of the league. Thank you and we are excited to hear back from you and your family." (link)

Nassar:
+ The current Michigan State Women's Gymnastics squad comments on how they're dealing with the situation. Freshman student-athlete Mitchell: "We can’t run. We have to stay together and change the culture. It has to start somewhere." HC Rowe: "We’ve been working really hard on focus, keeping our eyes on not being distracted and letting any kind outside influences affect the performance. In the gym every day, it’s kind of our solitude. It’s kind of our place of peace." (link)
+ A pair of Senators are calling for the resignation of USOC CEO Blackmun. USOC response: "We understand the Senators’ concerns and respect their views, but given the ongoing investigation the board believes that it is inappropriate and unfair to judge Scott before board members understand all of the facts." (link)
+ You've likely seen this footage as the father of three daughters who were abused by Nassar went after the disgraced doctor yesterday inside the courtroom. Despite the outburst, no charges will be filed. (link)

Georgia Tech realizes around $5M from contributions tied to seat licenses & Assoc. AD for Administration & Finance Lewis comments on changes to the federal tax code, "We’re all strategizing on what’s the way in which we present this because, yes, the tax deduction won’t be available moving forward, but people give to support our programs, so how do we package our messaging moving forward, knowing that the IRS won’t allow you to deduct that same contribution." (link); Same topic, different departments. Toledo Deputy AD Nottke: "I don’t think we know [the impact] yet. Until we get through a year and see what happens, we won’t really know. And every taxpayer is different. Some people itemize, some people do not. Obviously there are businesses involved, so every situation is different. My hope is it does not impact us a lot." Bowling Green AD Moosbrugger says Baseball, Men's Soccer, Golf & Cross Country are programs in the gray if he has to make massive cuts due to giving changes. LEAD1's McMillen: "This has been a long time coming. These provisions were in previous tax bills, so it wasn’t really a surprise. I do think it will have an impact. The bigger schools are going to get hit by both the excise tax and the seat license." More. (link)

Texas continues moving forward on the idea of a new hoops arena that looks to be smaller & more intimate than the current Erwin Center. UT has released an RFP with the aim of having construction plans done by September. Longhorns AD Del Conte: "It’s going to be a tremendous facility that our student-athletes, coaches and fans can be extremely proud of, and one I know everyone is committed to making a great addition to all of the venues on our campus." (link); More from Del Conte as he commits to a fan experience committee in his latest 'Forty Acres' series. (link)

The News & Observer's Alexander asks "Is it OK that UNC coaches won't say how much they make from sneaker deals?" In 2007, MBB HC Williams reportedly made $500K from his personal deal with Nike, but his lone speaking engagement for the Swoosh during the 2017-18 season was for an undisclosed sum. Likewise, FB HC Fedora had several speaking engagements, but no public word on those fees. Both coaches and UNC denied FOIA requests on the details. Retired N.C. Supreme Court Justice Orr: "You can argue it’s a private contract but it’s inextricably linked to the university. It may not be a conflict of interest to have one, but the question is does it have to be declared and in what capacity?" Down the road at NC State, FB HC Doeren and MBB HC Keatts do not have separate contracts with adidas. Orr: "I would argue that N.C. State is doing it the right way. That’s probably the proper way to do it." Long read, including a chart at the bottom with all ACC schools, their sportswear company affiliation, contract length and per-year value. (link)

Another day, more news from Louisville as Senior Assoc. AD for Development Jurich, Assoc. AD for Marketing Waldron & Assoc. AD for Human Resource Maffet have been dismissed in budget-tightening measures. Former AD Jurich says the moves are in retaliation to his leadership tenure. Interim AD Tyra points to "an opportunity for me to look at the needs of the department and how we can be more efficient with the senior staff. [...] We are splicing positions and creating some new ones." Pretty eye-opening list of key roles currently open in the Cards department now include top spots in Finance, Development, Marketing, HR, Student Life & significant sport oversight responsibilities. Jurich, a former Cards Baseball letter winner, via Twitter, "It is with great sadness that I let you know I was asked to leave UofL today. I want to thank the thousands of friends I have made as a student-athlete, administrator and fan. While the past 3 months have been difficult, nothing will change my love for this amazing University." (link, link)

Former Montana Women's Soccer HC Plakorus, who, as we included yesterday, was said to have resigned from his post after reports surfaced of text messages to a Las Vegas escort service on his school-issued phone: "I’m a bit devastated that the athletic director would trash me and involve confidential information and false information throughout that whole story, and violate my rights to confidentiality. It's wrong. I was not fired, I did not resign. I was told I was having my contract not renewed." He denied using the escort service, instead said he was responding to "personal ads" from the women as he liked to have "companionship" when he ate dinner. "I fully admit that I used my university phone, sometimes for personal use. Should I have? No, I shouldn't have and I'll admit that. But to me, that's the only crime that I committed, or not even a crime. I violated a university policy of usage of your cellphone." (link)

More Personnel Notes: Colorado State Prez Frank says it's not true that he told MBB HC Eustachy that his job was safe after the Denver Post reported as much. Statement: "President Frank would not — and did not — make statements to anyone regarding the climate assessment of the men’s basketball program led by Athletics Director Joe Parker. To do so would compromise the integrity of Parker’s assessment, in which President Frank has complete confidence." (link); New Mexico State FB is adding a 9th AC per Aggies AD Moccia. (link); James Madison AD Bourne tabs UCLA AHC Walters Sr. as his new Women's Soccer HC. (link); Ohio State brass approve the contract of MBB HC Holtmann, which looks to have included around $4M (buyout + taxes) for his exit from Butler. (link)

As his former employer looks to hire a successor, new Washington State AD Chun says he doesn't plan to make any immediate changes when he officially takes office in Pullman on Monday. Chun: "The athletics department, most especially me, will be out and visible on campus, in the community, and throughout the state. I’m just trying to learn, listen and get the student athletes, the coaching staff and the staff to like me. We’re going to build some trust and spend some time together." Fundraising is top-of-mind for Chun and Prez Schulz, as Chun's contract includes $25K/year incentives for hitting fundraising goals in an effort to dig out of a $50M athletic department hole. (link)

UT Chattanooga AD Wharton spoke to the local Chamber of Commerce this week about his vision for the Mocs, "I see great things for Chattanooga. With this staff, the university and the leadership of our chancellor, there is no excuse we can’t win a Southern Conference championship in every one of our sports. ... You’re going to see some incredible things with our athletic department. There’s an opportunity to get to higher levels. I think we’re going to get into the conversation, and I will make sure we are in the conversation. This is a special, special place." (link)

Facility Updates: UNC-Wilmington AD Bass has some projects in progress, like a new indoor hitting space for Baseball, but still has a list of major upgrades he'd like to see. Bass: "One of our priorities is trying to find how we can build an outdoor fieldhouse that will serve the everyday needs of our student-athletes." (link); Cal Poly's new $4.8M soccer & FB practice facility is ready to roll. Article includes a photo gallery at the bottom. (link); Air Force is diligently working through Phase II of its Falcon Stadium enhancements. Full scope of work for each phase noted here. (link); Check out this rendering of the new Las Vegas Raiders stadium that UNLV will also call home. (link); Another set of renderings, these of what Arizona's new indoor FB/sports center digs could look like. (link); A bit more on facilities as New Mexico is pushing for a handful of upgrades, ranging from $250K for improved wifi at Dreamstyle Stadium to $600K for a new Olympic sport training facility. Lobos AD Nunez says enhancing the fan experience is paramount. (link)