Audio Leaked Of Infamous High School Coach Rush Propst Alleging Massive Cheating Done By Alabama And Georgia Through Paying Players
Remember MTV Two-A-Days? The infamous show about Hoover High School in 2006?
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It was one of the first reality TV shows I ever watched. I was so enthralled by this Alabama high school, that I secretly recorded it on my parent's DirecTV box and watched it after they went to sleep.
The coach of Hoover in 2006 was Rush Propst. At the time, I didn't realize he was a well-known coach throughout the south. Since that show, he has had a hell of a run thanks to pretty much being investigated at every school he's gone to. During his time at Hoover, the man had TWO families, which ultimately led to his dismissal from the school. His latest job at Colquitt High School ended like this:
SOURCE-On March 14, 2019, Propst was relieved of his duties as the high school's head football coach in a unanimous vote by the Colquitt County Board of Education. His dismissal followed an investigation that determined he had violated the Code of Ethics for Educators for (1) legal compliance, (2) conduct with students, (3) honesty, and (4) public funds and property, including giving pills to students “on more than one occasion” and owing nearly $450,000 in delinquent federal and state taxes. The PSC investigation into Propst (case 19-2-1025) was settled with a 131 day suspension.
He is currently under investigation at another high school, Valdosta High (one of the best high school programs in the country), for:
SOURCE-In the deposition, Valdosta Touchdown Club director Michael Nelson accuses Propst of, among other things, taking funds meant to pay for stadium advertising for personal use, instructing Nelson to raise money to pay rent for a pair of high-profile quarterback transfers and interfering in the school’s coaching search. The deposition is part of a lawsuit brought by former Valdosta coach Alan Rodemaker, who is suing the school board for wrongful termination.
Why do I bring this all up before getting to the main contents of this blog? Rush Propst isn't the most trustworthy guy in the world, but he has been around the game of football for a very long time. He's well connected in the football world and has a good understanding of what is going on. He has coached players that have gone onto play at every top school in the country. He knows the coaches, the coaches know him.
The audio that leaked came to us via a conversation between Rush Propst and Valdosta Touchdown Club director Michael Nelson, who is investigating Propst. We aren't sure where the conversation happened and if Propst knew he was being recorded for public consumption. I assume he did not think this was going to get out considering the guy who posted it on YouTube has the username "Smoking Gun."
Here is the Georgia part:
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To start we have Rush alleging that Georgia pays recruits 90-150k to sign with them. On top of that, Nick Chubb was given three $60k payments to stay in 2017. This doesn't really come as a shock. Everyone cheats in college football and Georgia is the school that is changing the price of doing business in the SEC. The most interesting part of this is hearing the numbers, not the fact that they are cheating.
What I found more intriguing were the accusations against Alabama.
Propst makes it clear here that Nick Saban communicates with one guy when he needs "recruiting funds:" Paul Bear Bryant Jr. That, of course, is the son of historic Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. He has a statue outside the stadium named after him in Tuscaloosa.
In the 60s, Paul Bryant Jr. created his own bank. He later sold that bank and started Bryant Brank in 2005, which now has various locations throughout Alabama. In between the 60s and 2005, he made various investments that netted him hundreds of millions of dollars. According to Propst, the bank that Paul Bryant Jr. currently owns is how they secretly transfer funds to recruits & players. Michael Corleone could've only dreamed of having such a legitimate business that works like an organized crime family.
(Side note: Paul Bear Bryant Jr. was blamed for UAB football going away a few years ago. There were rumors that his father's dying death wish was to get rid of UAB football. There are 15 UA trustees, 14 of them have a picture on the website. The only guy who doesn't? Paul Bryant Jr.)
Do I think any of this is true? There's 100% a possibility. I'd love to hear it corroborated by somebody else. Nick Chubb denied all of this happening, which also isn't surprising:
College football fans are funny. They get SO offended when an accusation like this comes out. Everyone cheats. It may not be direct transactions, but the world of college football recruiting is fueled by cheating. If you don't cheat, you don't win.