Raiders linebacker Quentin Groves put up an impassioned defense for his alma mater Wednesday in the wake of an HBO “Real Sports” segment alleging payment to players at Auburn.
Groves described the four players who said they received money from boosters as “medicore at best” and said their comments were simply made out of bitterness and poor decisions made while in college regarding their academic and athletic well-being.
A few of Groves comments on WJOX 94.5-AM in Birmingham, Ala.:
“The only thing I heard guys receiving was a great education, a great experience and great memories.”
“Why would they pay (those) guys when they had Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, Carlos Rogers and Jason Campbell?”
“You had Ronnie Brown who was arguably one of the best players in his senior year, driving around a (early 1990s) Honda Accord with the back window busted out.”
Groves said he and many other Auburn players were asked to participate, but the only players who responded _ Chaz Williams, Stanley McClover, Troy Reddick and Raven Gray, were marginal players.
He said he was actually close to McClover, and even called him after seeing the accusations. He said McClover told him HBO “helped with my camp.”
“Everything will be out in the open tonight and if that’s what he did, I have no words for him because the simple fact is, if you’re going to turn your back on the schull that made you over something as little as this, then there’s no telling what you’ll do to me.”
Groves scheduled a Ustream video to discuss the allegations this evening.
