Jones and Ingram cleared by NCAA in fishing probe

Standout Alabama players Julio Jones (wide receiver) and Mark Ingram (running back) went on a fishing trip with a 56-year-old guy several months ago. Jones knew the gentleman before he showed up in Tuscaloosa. The “Athens businessman” is in no way affiliated with the university. So, you know what this means.

It’s the NCAA and Alabama — a fucking four-month investigation.

Finally, at the end of business on Wednesday, the NCAA said that Jones and Ingram are OK to play in the Crimson Tide’s opening game against Virginia Tech. The “student-athlete reinstatement staff” said as long as the players pay to charity their parts of the trip, everything’s fine in what’s considered a secondary violation. Secondary violations are routine matters and don’t usually draw this much scrutiny.

We’re pretty much sure that Michigan committed a few dozen secondary violations just by putting such an awful team on the field for 12 games last season, but it isn’t fishing.

The NCAA says:

According to the facts of the case submitted by Alabama, the student-athletes received impermissible food, lodging, transportation and entertainment from an individual with whom one of the student-athletes had become acquainted prior to enrolling in college.

Consistent with NCAA membership requirements, the institution reported the violation and declared the student-athletes ineligible. As part of the reinstatement request, the institution required the student-athletes to make repayment of the value of the impermissible benefits to charity.

As of late in the evening, the players had made the requisite payments.

Head coach Nick Saban says, “I don’t have time for this shit.” No, really, he wasn’t contacted after the ruling, but seemed to be irritated with the questions earlier in the day before the report was released.

But, let’s break this down — does this kind of insanity happen at any other school if a couple athletes go fishing with a dude from back home? Southern Cal has basically been given carte blanche by the bureaucratic knuckleheads running collegiate athletics. Alabama goes under the gun if you buy a player a drink at The Houndstooth.

And, from Bryant Drive, they can’t even hang out with T-Pain, ON A BOAT: