Make the bad man go away. Honestly, this story just won’t stop and unfortunately that will remain the case for a while. This is becoming much more of a marathon than a sprint, but even with all the coverage and analysis out there, there’s one aspect no one is talking about.
Nevin Shapiro was not representative of the typical University of Miami boosters. You know me. I’ve traveled with this team for a decade and have been on the plane, on the bus, inside the locker room, on the sideline and more. I literally remember Shapiro from maybe one road trip. This guy was not a regular.
Was he on the sidelines? Sure. I don’t remember seeing him, but it also wasn’t out of the ordinary for a top-level donor to have sideline access. In other words, any notion that UM gave Shapiro more perks than other donors is absolutely bogus.
As a matter of fact, the “rogue booster” categorization fits perfectly. Shapiro must have been at some public functions, but this is a guy that did a lot on his own.
I have it on good authority that he’d wait for players outside the tennis courts as they walked back to their dorms after practice and he’d be there with handfuls of memorabilia to be signed. He’d even see players walking down the street and would pull up, get out of the car and ask for autographs.
Straight up, normal boosters don’t do that. 99.9% of these people make a pledge to help out the school and the perks that come along with being a high-level donor are a secondary benefit to those who donate.
Regarding Shapiro, the complete opposite. This was an individual who donated to the school not for the program, but to make himself feel better. So in a sense did he “buy” access? Yes, he did. He paid for the chance to look legitimate and in the end proved anything but.
Miami is not an SEC school and the Canes don’t have those old money boosters that have been giving out “hundred dollar handshakes” for decades. That’s what makes this story look even more shocking – because it’s so not characteristic of UM’s donor base.
Another big difference here is the fact that in SEC Country the booster doing things the wrong way keeps his mouth shut as he doesn’t want to be the guy that brings down his beloved program. In this case, Shapiro had nothing to lose.
It’s quite an odd situation that’s dropped in Miami’s lap, but one thing is for sure – Shapiro was far from the norm.
Just ask his investors.
IN OTHER NEWS : allCanes Radio is back on iTunes, in addition to being archived on allCanes.com … CanesFest is this Saturday and we urge all of you to find a way to get out there. Despite all the allegations and the investigation, it’s is beyond important to support these coaches and student athletes – 90% of which had nothing to do with Shapiro. Plus, there will be student-athletes from all sports.
Amy Deem is going to coach the US Olympic team and it’s be great to hear what she has to say. Shenise Johnson is one of the best college basketball players in the country and it’d be nice to have fans out there wishing her luck this season.
Lastly, Mr. allCanes Harry Rothwell will have the allCanes booth set up so fans can sign the #IStandWithTheU banner. After CanesFest wraps, there will be a photo opp with all the fans and the banner and from there, the signed banner will be donated to the UM athletic department so they can hang at Hecht, reminding players and coaches that this fan base supports them full.
It will be a great day for ‘The U’ tomorrow and again, we encourage everyone to find a way out there.