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by SBG San Antonio Staff Reports
Some investigations take months, even years, to uncover the truth. For the past seven months, we've been investigating allegations of fraud within the Australian player pipeline to U.S. college football scholarships. Now, breaking news reveals that a lawsuit has been filed against the NCAA by the father of a high school Junior, aiming to fight for fairness for U.S. student-athletes. (SBG San Antonio)
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SAN ANTONIO – Some investigations take months, even years, to uncover the truth. For the past seven months, we've been investigating allegations of fraud within the Australian player pipeline to U.S. college football scholarships.
Now, breaking news reveals that a lawsuit has been filed against the NCAA by the father of a high school Junior, aiming to fight for fairness for U.S. student-athletes.
For thousands of high school students in the U.S., playing college football is a lifelong dream. However, nearly half of all punting positions in Division I programs are now filled by Australian players.
As first reported last month, allegations surfaced suggesting that not all Australian kickers and punters competing in the U.S. were eligible to receive scholarships or student visas, potentially violating NCAA regulations. On Friday, a federal lawsuit was filed against the NCAA, arguing that its football eligibility policies unfairly disadvantage U.S. student-athletes.
Michael Loeffler, the father of a high school punter, filed the lawsuit on behalf of his minor son, who dreams of earning a scholarship when he graduates in a year and a half. Loeffler claims that 18-year-old punters—whether from the U.S. or Australia—are not receiving a fair opportunity to compete due to alleged unfair recruitment practices.
Loeffler says the story showed him his investigation was going down the right path. “First of all, I'd like to thank you, Yami, because this diligent investigative reporting—it doesn't exist anymore. Everything’s a news nugget here and there. Nobody's willing to put in the time, seven months of your time, to investigate something like this.”
Loeffler argues that U.S. high school players are competing against 25-year-old Australian athletes with extensive experience in the Australian Football League (AFL), where punting is a fundamental skill.
Loeffler says, “They're competing against, oftentimes, 25-year-old Australians with 6, 7, 8 years of AFL experience. I don't have a problem with that—if they're 18 years old.”
In our previous reports, a U.S. college coach claimed he had firsthand knowledge of Australian players misrepresenting their eligibility.
The coach who asked to remain anonymous said last month, “Apparently, he had started working with ProKick, and the coaches I spoke with were under the impression that he had four years to play. He had never been to college. But when I was recruiting him, I was told he only had three years to play.”
With the help of Australian private investigation firm IFW, we scrutinized the academic history of several Australian punters who have scholarships here in the U.S.
Ken Gamble, who owns IFW explained to us what they initially found, “These students that we've investigated have attended university full-time, and we don’t believe that was disclosed. If there's been a misrepresentation of their educational standards, then this is not only a violation of NCAA eligibility rules but also visa fraud.”
A well-known Australian trainer also confirmed suspicions of altered academic records.
“He had three sets of transcripts—one from the school, one from ProKick, and one altered to improve his GPA. When I asked why, the response was, ‘This one has a B, and this one has a C” explained the trainer who asked us to protect his identity.
Loeffler discovered that many parents, trainers, and coaches are aware of these eligibility loopholes, but without clear NCAA guidelines for football, a competitive gap remains between U.S. high school graduates and older Australian recruits.
For example, in junior-level ice hockey, if a player competes after their 21st birthday, they lose a year of NCAA eligibility for each additional year they continue playing. College football, however, does not have similar age restrictions.
Special teams coach Mike McCabe, owner of One On One Kicking, has spoken out about the impact of ProKick’s recruitment on the U.S. punting market.
Mike McCabe, Trainer, “The punting market in the U.S. has dropped by over 54%.”
McCabe and other coaches argue that better oversight is needed in college football recruiting.
“We’re specifically talking about ProKick and some of the players they’ve had. I think the whole country in our industry knows what’s going on,” said McCabe.
McCabe warns that certain training programs promise full scholarships in exchange for paying for their training, raising ethical concerns.
McCabe, “When you see a certain company guarantee a full scholarship just for training there, that’s a big red flag.”
Loeffler hopes more parents will join his lawsuit, seeking fairness for his son and other young athletes who follow the rules but may never see their dreams realized.
Loeffler says this lawsuit may be hard but it's the right thing to do, “Nobody seems to be taking a stand for our kids. I’m sure I’ll get backlash, just like Yami has for this investigation. But if she hadn’t opened the door, this wouldn’t be getting the media recognition it is now.”
This is an ongoing investigation.
