#1 Biggest OffSeason Story - Kevin Hart Recruiting Hoax

("And uh...I decided that uh...I'm going to be playing football for the University of California!")

This story tops the list of the Top 5 Biggest Offseason Stories for the Cal Bears team. Some of you guys are probably disappointed, because of all the stories, this one was probably the least significant in terms of the implications for the program, but the story was just so freakishly bizarre that it easily had the most national attention of anything that happened to Cal in the past few months.

Plus as Rod Benson might say, it's too "coddamn" funny to not blog about, even if it's a bit old.

So here's the skinny for those of you who missed it:

Kevin Hart is a 6-foot-4, 305-pound offensive line high school senior from Fernley, community outside of Reno. In early February, Hart called a news conference in front of his entire school, family, and TV crews from Reno (no student from Fernley had ever been offered a scholarship by a Div 1A school, so this was a big deal). With his high school coach holding the mic for him, Hart announced that after much deliberation between Oregon and Cal, that he was going to be a Golden Bear. The crowd erupted in applause as Hart donned the Cal cap, stood and waved to the crowd before thanking his family and supporters.

("I'm so proud of you...")

There was one minor detail missing though: Cal had never offered Hart a scholarship. In fact Cal had never even heard of Hart. Neither had Oregon. Or Nebraska, or any of the other schools that had been allegedly recruited Hart. In fact, I'm sure when a reporter asked Tedford to comment about their new recruit Kevin Hart, Tedford responded: "Who the $%#& is Kevin Hart?"

This, despite Hart telling reporters that Cal coach Jeff Tedford “and I talked a lot, and the fact that the head coach did most of the recruiting of me kind of gave me the real personal experience.” (Register Guard)

So someone was definitely wrong here. Law officials immediately began investigating. Hart claimed that he had been duped by a false recruiter. And the sketchiness of the facts and details began to cloud up the matter even further. From the details of reports given, I've been able to piece together a reenactment of what the type of conversations that took place between Kevin Hart and the investigators. And I'm not making any of these facts up.

Investigator: So you're claiming then, that a man falsely represented himself as a middle man recruiter for big-time college football programs?

Kevin: Uh yeah, totally.

Investigator: And he told you that these schools were offering you scholarships?

Kevin: Yeah, I just had to pay him fifty bucks or something.

Investigator: Wait-you paid him?

Kevin: Well yeah.

Investigator: But he never once put you in contact with any of these schools? You never spoke with any recruiters or coaches?

Kevin: No, that's what he was for.

Investigator: So you never spoke to actually spoke these schools, but you assumed you had scholarship offers from them?

Kevin: That's what he said.

Investigator: But...okay, well give me his number so we can call him.

Kevin: Uh, I don't have it.

Investigator: You don't have it? Like you lost it or you never got it.

Kevin: Never really asked.

Investigator: Address, business cards...anything?

Kevin: Ummm...psshh I don't know that sheee-et! Keepin' it Real! Haha, you ever hear that Chris Rock bit?

Investigator: No, I--well do you at least have his name?

Kevin: Uhhhh....Kevin.

Investigator: His name is Kevin? Last name?

Kevin: Kevin....(thinking) Riley. Kevin Riley.

Investigator: Kevin Riley? Wasn't he the guy who f'd up on the last play in that Oregon State game?

(another investigator pops his head in)

Investigator 2: Yeh but tore it up in the Armed Forces Bowl!!! You catch that?

Investigator: Armed what? No, okay I think we're about done here.


Again, I'm not making this stuff up. Okay, I'm sure Hart never quoted Chris Rock. But once you heard Riley's name mentioned (even though they said there was no relation), you knew something was definitely up. And yes, he claimed to have paid the recruiter, and thought it was normal for him to accept a scholarship for a school that never directly recruited him.

And sure enough, the truth eventually came out. Kevin Hart made the whole thing up. He admitted he had never been recruited and apologized to everyone. I read later that he had done it all as a dare. Wow, ballsy.

There's just so many things one could have said about this whole bizarre saga. It's one of those things that spiraled out of control, and could have and should have been stopped at numerous occasions. Didn't the coach think it was strange that Hart had accepted a scholarship without ever being contacted by the school for interviews or transcripts? Where were the parents on this?

Then again, you have to think that given that Fernley had never sent one of their students to a Div 1A program, they weren't really aware of how this was supposed to go. They were just too happy for him. And ultimately, that may be one of the factors that drove the poor kid to do something so stupid. I mean, he had been a star at his school, and was realizing that his dream playing ball at the college level was probably slim. It makes you wonder what these kids might try to pull off with the pressure to make it to the next level.

Last I heard, the school district was debating whether or not to press charges. Don't do that to the kid. He's been ridiculed enough. Heck, just try and imagine what it was like even going to school the next day.



Anyway, this about wraps up the offseason biggest stories. Look for more good stuff in the next couple of weeks, especially with the draft approaching. Thanks again for reading!