Thoughts on alleged point shaving scandal involving former Southern Miss players.
Usually, at this point of the season, we are beginning to break down seeding for the conference tournament and if the Golden Eagles have a shot at the postseason not discussing and alleged point shaving scandal. The U.S. Distric Court dropped an indictment last week naming former Golden Eagle Mo (Arlando) Arnold and two former players who names are reacted in the indictment and are listed as players #9 and #10. The indictment states that in 2024 these three players were paid to underperform in two games so others could make and win bets at different gambling establishments. It must be made clear that everyone is innocent till proven guilty. However, the federal government doesn’t ask for an indictment unless they know they can win.
If you are reading this believing that this writer may attempt to figure out or “understand” why these former Golden Eagles would do this, you might be upset by the end. In this writer’s opinion there is absolutely no reason why an athelte would shave points or underperform on purpose.
This is not just a mark against the three athletes who are accused, but it is something that their former teammates, the guys they went to battle with week in and week out with, will have to deal with. Their greed or need of money will have more far reaching affects than just themselves. There are young men who gave their all for this program who now live with the fact that their teammates who were with them almost everyday were not committed or on “the level”. Their words throughout preseason practice and workouts remain hollow. How about the young kids who came and watched them play in Reed Green Coliseum and wanted their autographs and pictures after the game? What are their parents supposed to tell them? These are thoughts that these three mentioned in the lawsuit will have the think about for tears to come.
It’s not just players who are affected, but it is coaches too. There are no current bench coaches who are at Southern Miss now that were on staff when any of this happened in 2024. Head Coach Jay Ladner was not with the team at that time because he was fighting for his life after being hospitalized with heart issues. This could be the most heartbreaking issue of all. Ladner went into the hospital in early February and was out till the conference tournament. This is alleged to have happened while Ladner was in the hospital. These players didn’t try this while the head coach was there. They waited till he was physically compromised and in the hospital. Not even thinking of what could happen to him, the man who gave them an opportunity to play at the D1 level, if this came out.
This is a dark cloud that will hover over these three former players and even this basketball program for years to come. It is sad that the carelessness and greed of a few can have detrimental affects on everyone involved with the team. No one ever comes out ahead in these situations. All anyone can do now is sit back, wait, and see where things land.
