Good morning.
In Greensboro, N.C., for the 2012 ACC Football Kickoff.
Cornerback Brandon McGee and running back Mike James are UM's representatives, who will speak to us later.
I feel bad for Miami coach Al Golden, who will walk into a firestorm when he speaks to the media Monday afternoon. Golden has been refreshing for us: respectful, direct and candid since the day he arrived. I have enjoyed covering him. But this is the first time he has been part of the NCAA saga, after Yahoo! Sports' newest report from Thursday.
In this day and age, it's hard to say "no way" before all the facts are revealed, but I still am wondering what specific proof the "former Hurricanes athletic department staffer" has, according to Yahoo!, that Golden "had direct knowledge of [former UM equipment manager Sean] Allen's improper involvement with Miami recruits.'' The Yahoo! story gives few specifics about Golden, other than what an unnamed staffer said about Golden being aware that Allen picked up Teddy Bridgewater from a restaurant during an unofficial visit. The key here is whether the NCAA believes it has the proof to back up what Allen said.
What would you ask Al Golden, if you had a chance to interview him tomorrow?
How about Mike James and McGee?
SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN
THE FOLLOWING IS FROM HERALD'S BARRY JACKSON SUNDAY BUZZ INVOLVING RAY-RAY ARMSTRONG:
One high-ranking UM official told us Friday that school administrators were fed up with Ray-Ray Armstrong not being honest with them. Late Saturday night, his father Albert confirmed that Armstrong was bounced from the team largely because "he wasn't truthful" about a recent incident.
Albert Armstrong told us that Ray Ray's girlfriend owns a public relations firm that works with professional athletes but is not affiliated with any sports agent. Albert said his son's girlfriend was staying at the Loews Hotel on Memorial Day weekend when Ray-Ray visited her and took a picture of some of the hotel rooms. Ray-Ray then distributed the pictures via Instagram, and UM became aware of it.
When UM confronted him about it, he worried about his future and told the school he wasn't there with his girlfriend that night, his father said. "He told them the truth eventually, but it was a day late and dollar short," Albert Armstrong said.
Last year, UM suspended him for a game for tweeting about a dinner at Prime 112 with that same girlfriend. Booting him from the team was "unfair to extreme measures," Albert Armstrong said. "They need a sacrificial lamb to show, 'We're putting our foot down.'"
Armstrong’s father said InsideTheU's report that his son had interaction with a booster, then tweeted about it, is "completely untrue." He said his son will transfer to another school and play this fall.
The Hurricanes aren’t especially worried about his loss. They feel good about Vaughn Telemaque, AJ Highsmith, Kacy Rodgers, and newcomers Deon Bush and Rayshawn Jenkins.
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