I remember a scene from “All the President’s Men” when Jason Robards, who playing Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, says “Fuck it, we’ll stand by the boys.”
Now, I’m not sure that’s what anyone at Yahoo! Sports is saying about Charles Robinson, the investigative reporter who dropped a bombshell on the Miami Hurricanes. But one thing is clear, Robinson stands by his 11-months or reporting and the stories that might bring The U to the brink of the Death Penalty from the NCAA.
Robinson, who is Public Enemy No. 1 with Hurricanes’ fans, recently did an interview with CaneSport, which is basically a mouthpiece for anything Miami Hurricanes.
Robinson’s investigation into former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro, who is serving a 20-year sentence in a federal prison for running a $930 million Ponzi scheme is how we got to today. Robinson’s story, which broke Aug. 16, had sources and thousands of pages of documents that corroborated Shapiro’s story of his involvement with the Miami program. The investigation revealed at least 72 athletes had received illicit benefits and seven coaches who either received the benefits themselves, witnessed Shapiro providing them or played a role in his activity.
Most recently the Canes have started suspending players, but for how long remains to be seen.
But back to Robinson and his strong belief in what he has reported.
When he talked with the CaneSport reps, they spent what looks like 30-45 minutes trying to shred Robinson’s credibility and all of his reporting. But when you read his answers, you realize you have a guy who has his facts and he is confident in his reporting.
Here’s a sampling from the interview (which originates from a pay site):
Q. If Yahoo checked all their facts, why have five players already been cleared on allegations they felt were strong enough to print? Why would they print any allegation that was only supported by the word of convicted criminals including his girlfriend/co-conspirator in the Ponzi scheme?
A. First, some players, such as Jeffrey Godfrey, are cleared because the incidents involving them were not violations by the players. They were booster violations by Shapiro (such as improper contact with a recruit). Secondly, if you’ll reference the investigation into the North Carolina football program last season, you will see that other players retained all or portions of their eligibility based on their cooperation with NCAA investigators. For example, Marcell Dareus was suspended for only two games due to “mitigating circumstances.” Cooperating with an investigation is a mitigating circumstance. Indeed, there is an NCAA bylaw, which states that investigators can grant immunity to players if the player is able to provide information, which could not be obtained elsewhere.
Q. Did Shapiro and/or his attorney “sell” the story to Yahoo in any way? Did Yahoo provide any type of remuneration or benefit to Shapiro for his exclusivity?
A. Absolutely not. Shapiro chose to speak with Yahoo! because he was approached and told that we were in the midst of writing a story about his dealings with players and Axcess Sports. He was given the opportunity to cooperate and give his side of the story, or decline. He was informed that no matter what he did, the story was going to be written. He chose to cooperate.
He’s not running from his story. Instead, he’s saying, “Fuck it, I’m standing by the story.”
One thing I’ve learned about Robinson: he’s not a coward. And he’s one helluva journalist.
