Lester Earl Probation Question

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was the team also placed on a postseason tourney ban or just a reduction in scholarships.

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The NCAA let us play in the SEC Tournament in 1998. Had to wait until the week before to get the okay.

Just took away a number of scholarships. Compared to what Cincinnati got for, far worse things...we got fricked. Dale Brown was always shooting his mouth off regarding the NCAA.

See Sections:
Disappointment and Investigation: 1982-85
Mediocrity and the Lester Earl Incident: 1994-97-F'ing BS...NCAA witch hunt on Dale Brown...and we got hammered.

LSU gets screwed

n 1996-97 Dale Brown brought in his last star recruit: Baton Rouge high school phenom Lester Earl. Earl lasted 11 games at LSU before he was suspended. He transferred to the University of Kansas soon afterward. While at Kansas, Earl said that an LSU assistant coach gave him money when he was at LSU. The NCAA quickly began an investigation. It found no evidence that Brown or his assistants paid Earl. However, it did find that a former booster paid Earl about $5,000 while he was attending LSU. LSU was placed on probation in 1998.

The probation remains a sore subject for many people in Louisiana. Many Brown and LSU supporters were angry with the NCAA's decision. They were convinced that the NCAA unfairly came down hard on LSU only because Dale Brown had long been a thorn in its side. They were also angry that Earl received immunity, never had to repay the money, and would eventually regain the eligibility he lost when he transferred from LSU. In September 2007, Lester Earl made comments that suggest that the witch hunt theory may have been true (see "Retirement from LSU").

Brown announced his retirement halfway through the 1996-1997 season, which would be effective at the end of the year.

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this was never about Lester it was about the gestapo NCAA getting Dale Brown- they were out of control then and they are still out of control

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Absolutely.....f'ing ridiculous to see what other programs have done....with what 'we did' and other sanctions they handed down to other programs around that time, even today....sickening.

I think LSU is still paying for the "Gestapo" comment, just look at the seeds we have recieved in the tourney over the years. We have never recieved a fair seed, the final four year we were seeded behind Tennessee, that was a joke and then the seeding last year was criminal.