Good morning, and welcome to the Legacy Library Newsletter.
You know how some of these reboots and revivals use this trope that the characters were somewhere, and now they return to modern-day America (or their world) and deal with how much things have changed? We saw “King of the Hill” do it last year, and I remember “Rocko’s Modern Life” did it, too.
That’s been me with Legacy Library. I’m adjusting to seeing how aspects of high school and college sports communication have changed since I was on the high school and FAU sports beat. It used to be much harder to get in touch with the athletes directly, for one thing.
That said, I suggest that every high school coach worldwide sit their team down and walk them through the ongoing Bryce Harper-FanDuel controversy.
Harper and FanDuel are under fire over a Cameo message the Phillies star made for a customer in 2024. That customer, Terry Thompson, has since filed a lawsuit against FanDuel, the NFL, his “VIP manager,” and others, claiming that he lost roughly $2 million via a gambling addiction.
The VIP manager, Bryttanni Morgan, allegedly repeatedly contacted Thompson with offers and incentives to continue betting on FanDuel.
By no means am I against legalized sports gambling. Anyone who follows my social media knows I’ll do the occasional $5 to win $80 parlay. Worst case, my friends and I would lose and complain for a couple of minutes — I’d usually complain that the bar we’d go to didn’t have my IPAs — before getting distracted by something else.
But unfortunately, there are far too many frightening stories of bettors going after players, their loved ones, and so forth following a loss.
If I’m a coach, I’m telling my players the following:
- Do NOT put your cell phone number in your bio. I’ve spoken with a couple of high school prospects whose family members or coaches are the initial point of contact.
- Strongly consider altering your social media settings so that the only people who can message you privately are those you follow or are on your friends list.
- Flag any extreme messages. It’s not “snitching.” There’s a line, and when someone crosses it, they deserve to be held accountable.
- Never respond to any of those people. The powers that be will find a way to punish you for standing up for yourself.
- And just follow the general social media common sense rules. Be careful in posting where you are or who you’re with. Don’t send anything that could come back to haunt you.
Some of you might be wondering whether I’d tell the players not to do any kind of gambling or sports betting. That’s not the solution. They need to be knowledgeable of the rules — any coach who doesn’t bring up the Brendan Sorsby situation is doing their team a massive disservice — so they don’t hurt themselves.
And let me be emphatic: This should all come from the coaching side. Don’t send some compliance person or administrator to tell the kids, “Gambling is bad, mmmkay?” If you want the players to listen, have someone they know and respect give them that kind of talk.
Take it from someone who had an authority problem.
We’re keeping busy here on Legacy Library. Catch up with some of our recent stories:
- College Football: Georgia Southern Receiver Taylor Bradshaw’s Old-Fashioned Mindset Is Paying Off
- High School Football Recruiting: Colleges Keep Finding Out Just How Much Micah Gant Loves to Compete
- College Football: How a Fellow Newcomer Helped Georgia Southern Land Cornerback Gregory Delaine Jr.
Major thank you to Ken LaVicka for having me on the FAU Voice Pod, where we talked about Legacy Library and what made Devin Singletary such a special talent at FAU.
It’s always a great time with Ken. Make sure to follow his podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Not counting Motor and the other FAU guys who played in the NFL, here are some other electric players I saw up close. This isn’t the full list, just some guys who immediately came to mind.
- Willie Wright, WR, FAU: The knock against Willie was that some of his receptions came on jet sweeps and touch passes. That shouldn’t matter. He was a playmaker with the ball in his hands.
- Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin: Such a smooth rusher. Glad he finally stayed healthy for the Colts last season. Still not sure if I’ll take him in fantasy if he’s available.
- Keke Leroy, LB, FAU: Keke was phenomenal in 2019. It feels like he’s easily forgotten among the FAU fanbase. Never forget Keke!
- Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma: There’s a reason Kyler won the Heisman in his final season at Oklahoma. Enough said.
- Chris D’Or, RB, Cardinal Newman: I’m not shocked that D’Or ended his college career ranked eighth among Slippery Rock players in all-purpose yards. He was so much fun in his senior year of high school.
Today’s newsletter is unlocked, but please make sure to subscribe to Legacy Library. You are helping fund the next generation of sports coverage to ensure that these stories get told.
Talk to you all on Friday!
Leave a Reply