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SportingNews- Georgia Tech self-reported violations involving it’s basketball program last week saying Josh Okogie and Tadric Jackson received improper benefits from an unnamed person totaling no more than $1,275 between the two. However, Ron Bell, a former friend of Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner, claims to be that unnamed person and told CBS Sports those figures are "not even close." Bell outlined the cost of benefits he provided the two Yellow Jackets players that included everything from plane tickets, shoes, groceries and a four-night stay at his Arizona home, which he proved with a photo of Okogie and Jackson in his pool. According to Georgia Tech, Pastner had no knowledge of the improper benefits until Oct. 2 when he immediately reported them to to the university’s compliance office. Bell, who’s phone records show he spoke to Paster over the phone 10 separate time for a total of 105 minutes Oct. 2, said that claim is “absolutely not” true. During those 10 calls, Bell said he threatened to expose Pastner, who said nobody would believe Bell (a recovering addict) because he spent four years in prison from 2009-13. "I told him 'I hold your career in my hands. You're going to show me respect.' ... I said, 'I've been protecting you for two years. And if you don't watch yourself, if I start self-reporting, you're going to be coaching high school basketball,’" Bell said. "And he said, 'Are you threatening me?' And I remember it like it was yesterday. I said, 'Josh, I don't make threats. Everything I say I'm going to do, I do it.'" Pastner responded to the CBS Sports report with the following statement: "As I have throughout my career, I remain committed to following NCAA rules. Any allegations that NCAA rules weren't followed will be investigated thoroughly by our compliance department while I focus on coaching my team." Bell mentioned several reasons why his relationship turned sour with Pastner, saying the reigning ACC Coach of the Year didn't compensate him for the “work” he did and disrespected him by not calling him on his birthday this year. -------- Welp, that'll do it. There's goes my chances at coaching in the ACC. I suppose it was already a long shot considering my 'March Madness'-centric knowledge of college basketball, but having to remember the day of birth of every person that helped me out along the way is undoubtedly a breaker for that non-existent deal. There's only so much I am capable of and scoring the nation in recruitment of the best high school hoopers is probably closer to falling under that umbrella than the patience and attentiveness required to place a call to every person in my social circle on their birthday. I wasn't aware that boosters and "friends of the program" were so needy but now that I do? Pretty sure I'm more cut out for coaching in the professional circuit, because I'd be one procrastinated dial away from getting exposed for all the financial violations I would need others to commit on my behalf in order to bring talent to the school that would never hire me anyway. I have no idea whether or not Georgia Tech's Josh Pastner had any prior knowledge that these illegally compensated sabbaticals were taken place on his (now former) good buddy's dime prior to the day he reported it. I do know that if I were him I'd hit Facebook and start shooting off happy belated's with the fire of 1,000 high school acquaintances just in case he has any other "friends" that think forgetting the date in which they got dumped into this world is potentially worthy of NCAA-instituted sanctions.
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