Wow. Just. Wow.

There were so many topics I wanted to post on in the less than copious spare time, I have, but the bomb Yahoo! dropped in the college football world moves that to the front of the line.

I won’t lie, given Miami’s history. Given what happened with their departure from the Big East. I had a fair amount of bitter cackling laughter over this. I deeply mean this. I have been giggling like a school girl every time I look at that picture of Nevin Shapiro bowling with Frank Haith, while Miami Pres. Donna Shalala is greedily examining the check Shapiro gave her.

When you think of the possible consequences Miami faces for this. When you also think about the still ongoing mess with UNC football. Plus the penalties that were put on Georgia Tech over the summer. Well, it is clear that while the ACC may not be matching up with the big boys of college football on the field, they are overcompensating more than a little off of the field.

The only thing that touches on Pitt is that named in the report is Aubrey Hill. Back in 2005 he was hired to be Pitt’s WR Coach by Dave Wannstedt. Hill left Pitt after the 2007 season for Miami to be the WR coach and recruiting coordinator. After Shannon was canned, Hill was hired at his alma mater of Florida and is still employed there. Not really concerned with any of this coming back on to Pitt, but it’s worth keeping in mind.

New Miami Coach Al Golden appears to have been blindsided by this.

Miami admitted this week it knew of the charges by Shapiro last fall and forwarded the information to the NCAA.

Golden said he and athletic director Shawn Eichorst, who was hired in April, should have been informed of the existence of the investigation before taking their jobs.

“If they knew this was percolating, I believe they did have a responsibility to tell me,” Golden said. “I believe they have a responsibility to tell Shawn. But look, I’m happy here. My wife is happy here.

If you think there is nothing more to this and Golden will just move on, then you are lying to yourself. Golden is laying a bit of groundwork for getting out of Coral Gables as fast as he can. If Miami knew even some of what Shapiro has done — that Yahoo! verified — then that is a material fact that Golden and his agent needed to know. Significantly impacting whether he would take the Miami job and for how much and how many years.

Golden isn’t going to do anything until after the season, but you he is going to look at many options including a lawsuit if he has to. If past cases as messy as this are any indication — thinking very specifically about the USC one — then it could well be a couple years before any decision and punishment is issued. The looming issue could kill Golden’s promising career.

The person coming in for the most abuse is no longer active. Miami’s former AD Paul Dee. Why Dee? Because Dee, after finishing his time in Miamia as the AD from 1993-2008, served as chairman on the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions. The same group that leveled the penalties on USC with Reggie Bush and Memphis with Derrick Rose.

The man who after the Memphis decision spoke of “strict liability.”

Essentially, Memphis had the greatest season in its history wiped from the record because the Tigers used a player, Derrick Rose, the NCAA clearinghouse had ruled academically eligible. This seemed odd on the face of it. Memphis president Shirley Raines argued the university had followed guidance provided by the NCAA, but Dee and his committee determined that approval had been in error because the Educational Testing Service invalidated Rose’s SAT score — following the conclusion of his freshman season. “Strict liability,” he said.

And following the penalties issued in the USC case uttered words that many others probably nodded their heads as simple common sense:

“High profile players demand high-profile compliance,” Dee said 14 months ago in reference to Reggie Bush.

Instead, what does Dee say now?

See if this sounds familiar: “We didn’t have any suspicion that he was doing anything like this. He didn’t do anything to cause concern.”

…

But no, those were the words of Dee himself, Tuesday, to the Palm Beach Post, in regards to Shapiro’s allegations. Seriously. The same guy whose committee lamented the access outsiders had to the Trojans’ locker room and sidelines also told the Post that, ” [Shapiro] would come by, ask to go out to practice and we would send one of our staffers to accompany him.”

[Editor note: the link to the Palm Beach Post story, no longer contains those quotes. The story appears to have been updated several times and now reads: “Former UM athletic director Paul Dee said Tuesday that Shapiro was known around the school’s athletic department as a “very interested fan,” but said the former booster gave no indication that he was showering players with gifts and services.” The Dee quotes, however, have been cited in multiple articles suggesting that they were in the story originally. Why they disappeared for the the much vaguer statement is unknown.]

The “death penalty” will not be invoked against Miami, but in the end it seems likely that they will get slammed harder than USC. Since USC fought and appealed so long against the penalties, they have yet to truly kick in. Now that the scholarship reductions are starting, the pain for USC should as well in the next couple of years. Unlike USC, though, Miami is a nouveau riche program. They have shown in past scandals that coming back from them is much harder.

Considering that Miami pres Donna Shalala will most likely be fighting to keep her own job after this, Miami football may well take an additional hit as she tries to scapegoat and punish the program. There is going to be a lot of hurt put on Miami football from all sides — internally, the ACC and NCAA.

If it wasn’t for the fact that this is Miami, I might almost feel sorry for them.

Almost.