The Bush affair just keeps getting more curious by the day as new information has come to light via a website called ProFootballTalk.com on his possible relationship with a group called New Era Sports.

Michael Michaels and Lloyd Lake founded New Era in 2005. Earlier this year, Lake faced the revocation of his parole from federal prison. At one of the hearings, Lake’s lawyer, Marc Carlos, testified that “Mr. Bush — or through his associates — had made some type of agreement with Mr. Lake’s group.”

The first thing I am thinking when I read this is: Who comes up with the names for these guys?

Michael Michaels? Lloyd Lake? What’s with all the alliteration? Can these be real names? (not in Michaels’ case, as it turns out)

Further digging by way of Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Daily (subscription needed) reveals that Lake originally was sent to the Victorville, Calif., federal prison for drug charges (something not mentioned by ProFootballTalk.com).

And here we may get to the rub.

Lake violated his parole and was sent back to court in February. Carlos’ mentioning of Bush was an attempt to convince the court that Lake had a legitimate, thriving business and was therefore a productive citizen.

The only problem is that Bush had already signed with agent Joel Segal and marketing rep Norman Ornstein in January, making Carlos’ claim seem like grasping for straws at best, straight-out lying at worst.

Other discrepancies have also been brought to light as well:

David Carvantes, an NFLPA-certified agent, testified, “Lloyd (Lake) and I had got together in October (2005) to start a new sports management company with Sycuan (the local Indian tribe). … Since October, Lloyd was a viable part of the company, helping recruit players, and in the process of merging this New Era Sports with Sycuan. In the process of this happening, you know, it obviously hurt the company because he had some relationships with certain players who ended up not signing.”

But, Adam Day, assistant Sycuan tribal manager, said that Sycuan, which owns a casino in the San Diego area, is not now and never has been involved in New Era Sports.

It’s starting to get pretty confusing, right?

Here’s my take on what I think happened:

It sounds to me like Bush’s stepfather, Lamar Griffin, is a guy who has been trying to capitalize on Bush’s name for a while. He reportedly had proposed some kind of business deal in the past with Sycuan that ended up falling through. Most likely, that is where he met Michael Michaels, who is the Sycuan tribal treasurer.

Like Griffin, Michaels is also a low-level schemer. While he has money, he’s probably the kind of guy who wants to ‘make something more’ of himself. And so when he came across Griffin, he had the idea to try to get into the marketing of NFL players–in particular, Reggie Bush.

This is probably where the arrangement for the house came about. What’s unclear about it is whether rent was paid or not. This is still the primary issue. It is likely that Michaels was given the idea–probably by Griffin–that when the time came, Michaels would have a shot at landing Bush.

When November rolled around, it became pretty clear that Bush was going to declare for the draft. Michaels and his associates (Lake and Cervantes) went about forming their company on November 23rd.

However, not long after that, Lake was re-arrested for violating his parole, which I’m sure put the kabosh on any chance the company had of representing Bush. No way was Bush going to be represented by someone like Lake, or anyone associated with him.

With no written agreement in hand and Lake on his way to prison, their only hope to keep their fledgling company intact was to testify that Bush had agreed to be their client. But this testimony did not save Lake from prison. Clearly, they didn’t have any documentation to support the claim.

Barring any admission of violations by the Bush family (unlikely), it looks like the investigation into these affairs will have to rely on the word of a convicted felon and his associates.

Unless they have written or recorded proof that they had an agreement, they may just be seen as opportunists trying to prey on the Bush family.

As it turns out, they may have been the ones who got played.

How is this all going to end up?

Again, unless more proof is shown, it’s going to be the word of New Era–a five-month-old company that has never represented a single player and has a convicted felon in its ranks–against that of Reggie Bush and his family.

Who do you think is going to win that battle?

By the way, here are two pictures of Michael Michaels, also known as Michael Pettiford:

Yes, that is James Brown he is hanging with.

Again, do you really think the NCAA is going to believe this guy over Reggie Bush?

What’s going on…..

–The LA Times has kicked in with its report on the Reggie Bush home scandal. Other newspapers are also on it and it will be interesting to see who finds out what first. Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen echoed my sentiments below about the situation:

Hansen declined to speculate about the Bush matter but said that if a student-athlete’s family could prove it was “paying fair-market rent for places to stay,” it would not matter who owned the property.

–One other thing that occurred to me waking up this morning: The Bushes don’t have to cooperate with the NCAA (one USC blogger agrees). They are not under that organization’s jurisdiction any more and whatever they did doesn’t fall under any criminal code. Consequently, they have the right to tell NCAA investigators to shove off. So, it seems that any smoking gun from all this will likely have to come from a third party.

–Update: Turns out the Bushes will cooperate:

Cornwell said Bush’s parents will “cooperate fully” with any inquiry from the Pac-10 or NCAA. Cornwell also suggested there is a logical explanation for the arrangement.

–Second update, from ESPN:

Reggie said he’s 100 per cent sure nothing was done wrong…He said the home was leased like any other and his parents moved because Reggie bought them a house

–Whatever the case, it’s probably pretty silly to make fun of the Bushes for leaving their property so soon. I highly doubt that anyone can pack the contents of a 3,000-square foot house in a day. Most likely, the move was already underway before the report came out and so when they left, it looked like they ‘fled’ in response to the report. It makes sense, since the house was bought in late March of 2005–almost a year prior to the move-out, in which case a one-year lease would have just about finished up.

–Or, the Bushes might have heard a rumor that former Bruin Ricky Manning was in the neighborhood. No wonder they fled–who wants to get beat up by a thug hopped up on Denny’s maple syrup?

–By the way, I’ve been to that Denny’s in Westwood where the alleged incident occurred. I want to assure everyone that, despite outward appearances, the area around UCLA is still relatively safe. You just have to keep your wits about you.

–I still want to know how a 3,000-square foot home only cost $750,000. Most of you yokels out there think that’s a lot of money, but in California, that’s chump change.

–What of the Heisman? Could Bush possibly have to give it back?

The director of the Heisman Trophy Trust told ESPN’s Joe Schad on Monday that he will reach out to board members to determine the potential ramifications of an investigation involving 2005 winner Reggie Bush.

The official Heisman ballot includes this wording: “In order that there will be no misunderstanding regarding the eligibility of a candidate, the recipient of the award MUST be a bonafide student of an accredited university. The recipient must be in compliance with the bylaws defining an NCAA student.”

–More on the Bush situations from Feldman, EDSBS, MichiganZone and BON.

–Best line of the day, from EDSBS commentator Phil, making a subtle reference to the Adrian Peterson car situation:

Actually it is a little known fact that real estate agents in Southern California will let you try out a house for a few months before financing is arranged. Then if you decide that the payments are going to be too much, you can just give the house back and move out. It’s something that’s available to everybody.

–Second best line of the day from Bruce Feldman, on Jimmy Clausen:

Jimmy has been touted as “the best Clausen QB yet.” That alone wouldn’t have colleges flocking. In fact, it’s akin to being hailed as the best acting Arquette sibling.

–Cal’s spring scrimmage got off to an explosive start as the first play saw DeSean Jackson take a screen pass and go 70 yards for a touchdown. No word yet on who will be the quarterback for Jeff Tedford’s squad, though my hunch is that it will be Nate Longshore.

–We wrote a week or so ago about Jamaal Charles of Texas being the fastest football player in college. Well, he may have just been superseded as LSU’s Xavier Carter ran a 10.12. The only question now is whether Carter really is a football player. If I’m him, I hang up my cleats for good and start getting ready for Beijing.

–Good commentary at Blue Gray Sky on Jimmy Clausen picking Notre Dame. Sort of a different twist on my point about Clausen being a mercenary of sorts. One bit of common ground: Notre Dame is back as an elite recruiting school again.

–Third best line of the day, from Michigan Zone’s comments section, in response to this bit from Yost:

Yost: I for one was appalled a few years ago when I heard Carroll allowed OJ Simpson to attend a practice before SC played Iowa in the Orange Bowl…You think Woody Hayes would have allowed that?

Comment by IC: No way. Woody always insisted on being the only violent lunatic on the OSU sideline.

Too good. A Clemson fan, maybe?

We’re not exactly to the point where we should be asking “What did the President know and when did he know it?” but there is a potential scandal a-brewing at USC involving Heisman winner Reggie Bush and questions regarding his family’s use of a home owned by aspiring sports marketeer Michael Michaels.

State records show the Apple Street home was built in late 2004 and early 2005, then purchased by Michaels on March 29, 2005 for $757,500. Around that time, neighbors say Bush’s family moved in. Whether they had visited the house while it was being built is unknown, but there is an inscription in one of the cement slabs in the driveway reading “The Griffins ’05.”

The great unknown right now is if Bush’s family paid rent–and at the proper rate–to Michaels, or not.

If it is found that the Bushes received some sort of extra benefit, it could possibly result in USC being forced to forfeit some games, though that is not a likelihood at this point.

If they did indeed pay rent, then there’s no issue.

I wrote a while back that, given the almost-unprecedented talent that Pete Carroll continues to recruit to USC, only scandal, hubris, horrible injuries, key players not panning out or Carroll leaving are likely to derail the current Trojan dynasty.

Of all those problems, scandals are usually the worse. They affect recruiting, the penalties cost a program money, a school’s name gets dragged through the mud and you usually end up losing your coach, too–he either beats the posse to the next job or is forced out.

Scandals can be the beginning of the end of a coaching tenure. They explode and the dominoes usually start falling.

The Pac-10 is leading the investigation of the Bush home issue. The only bright side for USC right now is that it’s not a scandal involving direct activity by the school, its athletic department, or its boosters. There’s no Logan Young or Sam Gilbert to be found.

At least not yet.

How much is the rent in this place?

Uber-recruit Jimmy Clausen of Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village, Calif., has apparently agreed to sign a letter of intent with Notre Dame.

This is no real shock for those who have been following recruiting.

He is the younger brother of recent Tennessee quarterbacks Casey and Rick Clausen, although both brothers say Jimmy is more accurate, more unflappable and more polished a player.

“He’s better than both of us right now,” Rick Clausen has said.

Regardless of whether that says very much–after all, both of the older Clausens are more likely to become hair-replacement pitchmen than NFL quarterbacks anytime soon–this is the biggest recruiting coup of the Weis era and should ensure offensive success for the Irish for years to come. Clausen could also be a ‘pied piper’ of sorts and help draw better talent to South Bend.

However, I’ve seen Clausen play and I can’t quite swallow the ‘He’s the LeBron James of football’ talk.

LeBron is arguable the best player in the NBA in just his third season. Football is a much more demanding game and harder for one player to dominate, so the comparison doesn’t hold, in my opinion.

Clausen is a very, very good quarterback with excellent physical tools. However, he is not the biggest kid yet and has a lot of physical maturing to do. He does play in a pretty weak league and has been blessed with a ton of talent around him (Oaks Christian could have as many as nine Div. I prospects on its current roster).

As a result, he will go through some adjustments as a true freshman. There will be the inevitable weight of expectations that will be tough to live up to. I don’t think he is the kind of guy who will set the world on fire as a true freshman–he’ll have his moments–but look out for him when his sophomore season comes around. He’ll be pretty good by then.

Is he the best quarterback in this class? Yes. Is he the most acclaimed quarterback prospect to come out of California since John Elway? Hmmmm. You’d have to go back through a lot of great players to come to that conclusion. And he’s not nearly as hyped as he would be had he kept his decision quiet until winter.

Still, he’s obviously an impact player. About the only thing I find disconcerting about Clausen is the air around him that betrays a hint of ‘mercenary’ in its aroma.

To wit, he and his family have been shopping around for the school that would best prepare him for the pros–they’ve looked at schools as disparate as South Carolina, USC, Notre Dame, Cal, Tennessee, Michigan State, Michigan and Ole Miss among others. Things like academics, alumni, prestige, school winning tradition and location seemed almost secondary to getting him to the league as fast as possible.

But hey, that’s a minor quibble. He certainly couldn’t go wrong with choosing Notre Dame and that’s what he ended up doing. Congrats to the Irish on bagging their biggest recruit since Ron Powlus.

He’s no matinee idol, but he’s all Irish for the next three years

Apparently, it takes a lot for great football players to win the Sullivan Award, which goes to the nation’s top amateur athlete.

This year, there were three outstanding college football players to choose from–Vince Young, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. Each one was more than worthy of the award. The last college football player to win it was Peyton Manning in 1997, so it seemed about time.

But who won? It was J.J. Redick of Duke, the first college basketball player to win it since 1973.

Even Redick was shocked that he was picked.

“I’m thinking to myself I really don’t belong in their (the other nominees’) company,” Redick said. “They win world championships and all I do is score.”

It was a surprising choice, considering Redick has never won anything and performed so poorly for the Blue Devils in big games down the stretch.

And as an overall player and pro prospect, he’s nowhere near the level of, say, Adam Morrison.

The two most recent college basketball winners were Bill Bradley and Bill Walton. Decades later, we all know who these guys are. No one will know who J.J. Redick is in 30 years. He’ll barely be hanging on in the NBA in three years.

But the Sullivan cedes one-third of its ballot to fan votes and there is where the difference was likely made–I’m sure the Dukies were on top of that vote from the start, while USC and Texas fans probably weren’t even aware it existed.

Redick celebrates another undeserving award

Some of the commentary down below on great young running backs yielded the names Darren McFadden of Arkansas and Steve Slaton of West Virginia.

So, I figured it would be good to come up with a list of some of the best rising sophomores in the country. After all, these are guys who could be the Heisman candidates of tomorrow. If you don’t know about them now, you soon will. Note: This is not an all-inclusive list, but just a sampling of some of the best young players at certain offensive positions:

QB–Rudy Carpenter, Arizona State

If you are a Sun Devil fan, you have to be excited about Rudy Carpenter. All he did as a redshirt freshman was lead the nation in passing efficiency. Okay, so he may not win the starting job this year thanks to Sam Keller, but before long he’ll have the reins of the ASU offense and should be a big star.

RB–Steve Slaton, West Virginia; Darren McFadden, Arkansas

These are the two best sophomore running backs in the country and could very well be the best in ANY class by season’s end.

Slaton is simply a phenom with home run speed and surprising toughness given his relatively slight build (5-10, 185). In his last eight games alone as a true frosh, Slaton rushed for 1,086 yards and 17 touchdowns, including 204 against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

As for McFadden, he was the SEC Newcomer of the Year, rushing for 1,113 yards and 11 touchdowns, the vast majority of it coming in the last seven games. At 6-2, 210 pounds, he is a prototype running back who can pound it up the middle or take it to the house. His best game was a 190-yard effort against Georgia.

Wide Receivers–Sidney Rice, South Carolina; DeSean Jackson, California

Rice was simply the best freshman wideout in the country last year, as he caught 70 passes for 1,143 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Gamecocks. At 6-4, 191-pounds, he started dominating by game six, though his breakout game was against Georgia (what is it with freshman having great games against the Dawgs last year?). In the last six games alone, he had 42 catches for 845 yards and nine touchdowns, including 12 for 191 against Missouri in the bowl. He looks like he is set for a huge year in 2006.

Jackson made an immediate impact for Cal, catching a touchdown and returning a punt for a TD in his first game. He finished the year with 38 catches for 601 yards and seven touchdowns. He is a speedster with veteran guile and a knack for making big plays. He should blossom this year for the Bears.

Some defensive players to watch:

Rey Maualuga, LB, USC; Reggie Smith, CB, Oklahoma; Kenneth Phillips, S, Miami; Justin King, CB, Penn State.

I wouldn’t be surprised if most or all of these players make All-American honors at some point.

Steve Slaton had a lot to clap about last year

Imagine buying a car, driving it around for several weeks and THEN deciding you didn’t want it because, you know, the payments were too high.

Now, imagine the dealer you bought the car from actually agreeing to take the car back!

For most of us, that would be a fantasy world.

But that’s the way things go in Norman, Okla., apparently.

Oklahoma’s compliance office determined that the Adrian Peterson did not violate NCAA regulations by buying a car and then returning it several weeks later.

The dealership, Big Red Sports and Imports, regularly allowed customers who signed contracts to drive the cars for a period of time before financing had been secured, said Brad McRae, the dealership’s part-owner at the time of Peterson’s agreement.

I’ve never heard of anything like that, but then I’ve never lived in Norman.