SEC football baby!With all the Belichick goings-on this week, it appears the cheating scandals are about to cross over into college football. In an article at The Bleacher Report, former Auburn "ball boy" Wes Howard admits to having a second, more nefarious on field task: to steal signals [emphasis mine].
Now, if you think my sole job over there was to just run footballs you are sadly mistaken. No. My main job over there was to steal signals. Get our coaches anything I could to aide us in the game. We even have a coach who sits in the pressbox whose sole job is to look through binoculars at the opposing coaches.Credit to Auburn for trying, I guess? USC obviously didn't publicize the matter after the game, but that probably went into the old "I'll remember that next time" file in Pete Carroll's head. The funny part is Auburn's brazen attitude about it.Our first game of the season was against USC [2002 - Ed.] in Los Angeles. A few minutes before the game I hustled over to the opposite sideline. We were immediately met by 3 assistant coaches from USC and they were not happy. I was called every named under the sun and told to get off their sideline...or else. I remained. I told them that this was my job and that I am doing my job. They went to the ref and the ref told me to leave. I hustled back over to Auburn's sideline and told my boss who then told coach Tubs. Coach Tuberville immediately went to the refs screaming that he wanted his guys over there. I was given permission to go back. I ran across the field just before a play and resumed my position.
This time it was 4 assistants and this time their threat was greater. They were going to have me arrested if I did not leave. I told them that I was not leaving. Next thing I knew I hear this, "Sir, LAPD. Come with me".
So there I was, in the stands with no field pass. I ran around the stadium and went into the Auburn section screaming at our sideline for someone to see me. Thankfully someone did and went and got our assistant A.D. to get me out of there.If you're not first, you're last, right?I ran back up to Tuberville and he screamed, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK OVER HERE!?" I explained what happened quickly and he immediately layed into the ref again about it. Once again I was told that it would be ok to go back over there. I ran over and the police officer approached me again. I swore to him that they said I could come back over. He asked me, "Do you know who that is?" I responded, "of course, it's Pete Carroll". "Do NOT go near him. They think you are stealing their signals." I played dumb and denied it.
They were right though. I was over there to steal signals. (We lost the game by the way) Later in the week Coach Tubs joked with me that the secret is out and we have been found out.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-17-2007 @ 9:42AM
jimmy said...
I noticed you did not say who you were. Nice try bammer!
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9-17-2007 @ 11:12AM
AU03 said...
I was at that game, in the Auburn section, on about the 10th row (the end zone is where all of the Auburn fans were), and I don't recall this happening at all. The only times I left my seat were to get a beer or use the restroom, but I attended the game with a friend, and one of us was always in the stands, so if this did happen while I was away, I likely would have heard something about it.
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9-17-2007 @ 12:12PM
EBARNES said...
How can anyone "steal" a signal that is publically given over and over? And as I argued last night with my husband who is a High School Football coach and has had many of his former and current players in the NFL including a well known quarterback, I feel that this is much to do about nothing.
It's like baking a cake. I can give you all of the ingredients but this doesn't mean that your cake will taste the same as mine.
I personally feel that stealing signals makes the games more fun and interesting, especially if the coach whose signals are being stolen keeps running the same dumb plays.
I also feel that the only sin that the New England Coach committed was "getting caught", because they all have stolen or tried to evaluate signals.
So stop whining like some little punksters and play some football. If someone knows your signals then you are the problem for not being smart enough to make them ait tight.
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9-17-2007 @ 1:01PM
Charlie said...
I remember that game and i don't recall it happening either. Something as big as this would have definitely been much publicized!
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9-17-2007 @ 1:12PM
Acid Reign said...
Clearly, no signals were stolen. If I recall correctly, our defense looked very confused out there. We'd never seen a bunch set before, and every time a play was run out of it, a USC receiver would break out wide open in the flat, where Carson Palmer would deliver a strike. The only reason Auburn wasn't blown out, was that we had some sick speed on defense, starting with Carlos Dansby.
And to trot out the old saw about payback being a "MF," Carrol appeared to have Auburn's signals down, the next year. Remember the first play? Right before Auburn's first snap, the entire USC defense shifted left, and Auburn ran a handoff to Carnell Williams, right into the shift, with a five-yard loss. Every run we called, USC knew which way it was going before the snap! And on pass plays, a perfect drop into tight zone cover-two. The AU offense never had a chance, in a 23-0 blowout.
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9-17-2007 @ 3:00PM
THE FLASH said...
BOTTOM LINE----IF YOU ARE GAMBLING ON THE GAMES AND YOU KNOW NOW FOR SURE YOU ARE NOT GETTING A FARE DEAL, " WHY IN THE HELL DO YOU STILL BET THEM " .....======================================>>> SMARTEN UP PEOPLE , YOU AINT GOING TO BET THE BOOK EVER IF YOU BET ALL THE TIME. YOU BET ONE -TWO-THREE- TIMES A YEAR ON YOUR TEAM FOR A FEW DOLLARS ,O.K. THEN , BUT EVEN THEN IN THREE GAMES IM SURE ONE THE GAMBLERS HV IT IN THERE BACK POCKET....ITS YOUR $$$-M.O.N.E.Y.-$$$$
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