Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

7/26/2010 at 4:40pm

Thanks to those diligent Deadspin folks for listening to sports radio during the day (all we hear is static in our little office cubbiehole) and picking up this item from Sports Radio Interviews and a chat with NFL agent Ralph Cindrich. It's chockfull of marvelous insight on this whole exploding saga with agents and college football players.

You may have caught some of Alabama coach Nick Saban's comments at last week's SEC Media Days. Cindrich put it all in perspective:

On Nick Saban's comment that agents are "no better than pimps:"

"First off, that's taken a little bit out of context because he said, 'some of them.' Certainly, I would agree with him in some respects. At the same time, any time that Nick Saban would like to put his record up against mine, I'm willing to do that in any form."

On if there is a difference between how college coaches and agents recruit:

"No. And old Nick knows that. I've seen him out on the road a time or two. He's contacted a client of mine or a family member of a client of mine. I know what goes on out there and he knows that I know. The bottom line is that to stand up on a pulpit and start preaching that way — and maybe I'm doing it, take a shot at me — that bothers me, especially when it comes from a guy like Nick Saban."

Plus, there's more great insight from the agent just on the Deadspin post, or you can listen to the interview here from Sports Radio Interviews. Cindrich was interviewed by 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Monday morning.

Hey, we're as cynical as the next guy about college football recruiting. It struck us as no coincidence that right after USC goes down in the Reggie Bush deal with the NCAA that what teams suddenly hit the news with potential agent problems with a player or two: Florida and South Carolina. What do they have to do with Southern Cal? Ummm, who new coach at Southern Cal seemed to have a running feud while he was briefly at Tennessee, with the coaches of Florida and South Carolina.

We leave you with this gem from Cindrich's interview:

On if this is a new concern or if it has been building:

“It’s been building. And hey, don’t put USC in your rear view mirror. There is a lot more going on there. Those guys out there from neighborhoods that are deprived who are driving Range Rovers and the Mercedes and all the rest, they just earn that on their own on the weekends in the off-season.”

Tagged: Deadspin.com, Nick Saban, Southeastern Conference, SEC Media Days