I knew about it a week or so before it broke (from GITF) and when I asked around I was basically the last one to have heard. Everyone already knew, which made it shocking it was still under wraps. Probably because, at first blush, it seemed ridiculous and people dismissed it.
But your first sentence, presented as a statement, is just as speculative but you feel comfortable stating it as fact. Again... I'll ask you this... how is it that UCLA insiders when this "broke" were so well informed and knew it had been happening for weeks and knew he intended to go to UCLA unless there was contact between Eddie and UCLA? How could they possibly know that was where he was trying to go unless there had been some contact? Initiated by Eddie or UCLA is irrelevant. It's really naive to think he decided to push through with all of this without any contact with UCLA to, at minimum, determine it was a plausible landing spot and would all be OK.
And I've heard from multiple people that ND coaches think/know there was impermissible contact with UCLA. Could they be wrong? Sure. Will we ever get evidence? Absolutely not. But there is nothing you can possibly provide that will convince me otherwise. It just doesn't fit with the course of events.
Again, it has been going on for two months. Only those involved knew that from the start. Everyone else learned some time between then and now. By now, seems everyone knows.
That he intends to go to UCLA is, likewise, now public knowledge. Not because of contact but because of statements by the family...and because of history. We clearly figured UCLA was a strong possibility because they initially said he wanted to be closer to home (seems to rule out Alabama clearly) and UCLA was one of his "finalists". Not a big lap of logic. Everyone knows UCLA has a scholarship or two that should be open. They just had two players take early medical retirement. It doesn't take a phone call to anyone to figure that out. Just read the LA Times. He knew he was already admitted to UCLA--because he learned of that BEFORE letter of intent day.
So, without calling anyone or without a call from anyone, he knows:
1) He likes the school and was recruited hard by them.
2) There are scholarships available.
3) He has already been admitted to the school
Yes, things could always change without him knowing. But, seriously, he's a 5-star recruit who has to figure that if he announced he was going ANYWHERE tomorrow, whatever school that would be would find a way to make room for him. If a 5-star recruit at a position of need called Brian Kelly tommorow (after recieving clearance, of course) and said "Coach, I want to come to Notre Dame", would they find a way to accommodate him?
The worst that happens is UCLA says, "Sorry son. we just gave out that last open ride" Then, he'd either have to decide to enroll anyway, pay his own way and hope another ride opens up--which would be one year at the most...or he'd have to pick from among the dozens of other schools that would likely drool at the idea.
If Notre Dame coaches REALLY have any evidence of tampering by UCLA, then nothing to lose by spiolling it right now.
EXCEPT THAT IT DOESN'T EXIST.
