Something Stinks In Pahokee

New York Times sports reporter Pete Thamel "broke" the story of the NCAA's investigation into Tennessee's football recruiting practices.  After initial investigation into his story, there seems to be a stink arising from little Pahokee, Fla., which drifts over to Gainesville and all the way north to a couple of offices in midtown Manhattan.

The Players-

• Pete Thamel- College sports reporter for the New York Times
• Connor Ennis- Sports department staff editor, New York Times
• Chirs Dunkley- Pahokee football prospect being recruited by Tennessee and Florida
• Ariel Alejo- Pahokee principal, Florida Alum
• Urban Meyer- Head coach, University of Florida

Lets start with a flashback to 1998.  In the first game of Tennessee's national championship run, the Vols narrowly defeated the Donovan McNabb led Syracuse Orangemen.  A Tennessee  loss looked eminent until a fourth down pass interference call allowed the Vols to move within range for a last second field goal for the win.  The pass interference call led to a fervent outcry of SEC referee bias by the Syracuse area media.  Connor Enis and Pete Thamel were both Syracuse students and writing for the Syracuse Post Standard and the Daily Orange at the time.  Getting Interesting?

Thamel was at the forefront of reports on the recruitment of Bryce Brown, the heralded running back who eventually committed to Tennessee and was seen as a major coup for young head coach Lane Kiffin.  It was a surprise when Brown was briefly declared ineligible by the NCAA roughly two weeks before the season began so they could investigate some reports they had gotten.  Brown was eventually cleared to play.  Pete Thamel has also written so many gushing stories about the Florida Gators and Tim Tebow that it led one Gators blogger to refer to him as the "program's most talented chronicler."  After Thamel's prediction of a Gator blowout over Tennessee in this year's contest didn't come to fruition, he met with Meyer in his campus office the following morning.  Here is the resulting article which blamed the lack of a blowout on the Flu and "Tennessee's apparent lack of interest in actually winning the game."  One thing is clear..Pete Thamel and Urban Meyer have a relationship. 

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