re: McMahon better recruit elite players

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People post nonsense like this when they're in denial or too lazy to Google the NCAA report and the dozens of news articles that came out on this situation.

But yes, continue on believing that it was all one big conspiracy to get rid of Wade. You guys are like cult members when it comes to this guy.

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LSU chose to get rid of Wade. Wade did not choose to leave LSU. That's an indisputable fact.

The sanctions LSU ultimately received from the IARP investigation were minor and certainly not program destroying.

I think most would agree that had LSU kept Wade AND the sanctions LSU received were the same regardless of if they fired Wade or not the results of the last two seasons would have been SIGNIFICANTLY better and the program as a whole would be much better.

So that leaves the only, and ultimate issue of debate...would the sanctions LSU received have been much worse had they not fired Wade? Unfortunately, no one here can answer that question. We can speculate, and have done so. But we can't unequivocally answer that question.

No matter what was reported by Yahoo, Pat Forde, and other like minded-bozos, or the misinformation that is oft-repeated in these dicussions, Wade was ultimately found to have committed three NCAA violations:

1. He made payments to the fiancée of a former VCU player who extorted him for money upon threats she would disclose to the NCAA he extended potential impermissible benefits to the former VCU player, and that Wade did not disclose to the NCAA the extortion attempt. This took place in the summer of 2017. About 4 months after Wade was hired at LSU.

2. In 2018 he texted with a friend of a potential transfer who was considering transferring to LSU. The friend indicated he had significant influence over the potential transfer's decision of which school to choose. This made the friend an "impermissible recruiter" with whom Wade could not have contact.

3. Wade failed to fully cooperate with the NCAA investigation.

What was not proven was the exchange of any money for recruits.

Wade received a 2 year "show cause" penalty which essentially prevented him from being able to recruit off campus (while employed at any institution), a few month long periods where he couldn't contact recruits, and a 10 game suspension for each of the two years he was under probation (that's why he was out the first 10 games this year and will be next year as well regardless of where he coaches).

The written decision does not discuss whether or not Wade's firing made a difference in the sanctions levied. Perhaps LSU would have been hit with worse sanctions. Perhaps not. Without knowing the ultimate conclusion of the investigation LSU chose to fire Wade. It's hard to say that decision was wholly irrational. But we also have heard nothing to indicate LSU was "forced" to fire Wade.

The AD could come out and make a quick statement to clear up the debate once and for all. If true, why not just say: "Had we not fired Wade the sanctions would have been much worse." I think even the most ardent Wade fans could accept that reality. In fact, it would probably help gain more support for McMahon because fans wouldn't be constantly longing for the former coach. Instead, we are left to live in a nebulous world of "what if" while the basketball program has returned to irrelevance and apathy.