So apparently, Raiders coach Antonio Pierce did something pretty out there to try and recruit a college prospect at Arizona State. Can you guess what he did? You won’t believe it – he took the kid’s parents to a strip club!
Before you start thinking this is some made-up rumor, let me tell you, that this story has been making headlines. It’s been all over the news, and people can’t stop talking about it. Who would have thought a coach would go to such lengths to convince a player to join their team?
The NCAA has pre-emptively suspended Pierce for one year should he ever decide to return to the college ranks from the NFL.
Pierce was serving as the Sun Devils’ defensive coordinator under former NFL head coach Herm Edwards at the time. However, it was Pierce who was said by Arizona State staffers to be the ‘ringleader’ of an improper recruiting scheme, which gave the Sun Devils early access to prospects at a time when in-person visits were forbidden due to the pandemic.
The alleged incident took place four years ago, when Pierce and other staff members arranged for no fewer than 10 prospects and their families to visit the school’s Tempe, Arizona campus. The trip included no-cost hotel accommodations for players and their families as well as trips to a bowling alley and video game arcade. There were free meals, a chauffeured van, and an extensive tour of the Sun Devils’ football facility.
For one night, Pierce and noncoaching staff member Anthony Garnett told staff to drive the van to a nearby gentleman’s club. And although the female staffer was against following the order, she was instructed that she needed to serve as the designated driver.
‘Just get in the van and drive,’ she was told, according to the NCAA probe.
Ultimately Pierce, Garnett and a prospect’s parents attended the club.
In its report, the NCAA claims Pierce was unafraid of any punishments due to his personal fortune. However, in June, Pierce was named in his wife’s bankruptcy filing after he allegedly invested in car dealerships that defaulted on $28 million in loans.
‘Pierce knowingly and blatantly disregarded fundamental dead period legislation to orchestrate the majority of violations in this case,’ read the NCAA report. ‘Pierce’s defiance of and indifference to NCAA rules was, in part, motivated by his observation that he needed to maintain an aggressive recruiting presence in order to compete with what he believed other institutions were doing during the dead period.
‘Similarly, according to one staff member, Pierce did not fear the potential consequences for NCAA violations due to the financial security provided by his self-proclaimed wealth. In his role, Pierce had primary control of the football program’s roster and oversight of coaching staff members’ recruiting activities. Pierce used his position of authority to pressure staff members into engaging in violations, often by instilling fear that they would lose their jobs if they did not follow his orders.’
Pierce, 45, was an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator for the Sun Devils from 2017-21. He resigned prior to the 2022 season and was hired as the linebackers coach of the Raiders.
The former Giants and Redskins linebacker replaced fired head coach Josh McDaniels in October. The team dropped the ‘interim’ tag in January.
All I can say is that this story shows that people will do some crazy things when it comes to recruitment. I mean, who knows what other stories are out there? But for now, let’s just enjoy the absurdity of this one.
