BobcatAttack.com - For Fans of Ohio University Sports

Welcome Guest!
Create an Account

site search

where to watch

about us

advertise with us

help

BobcatAttack.com Message Board

Ohio Football

Topic: Concerning story from The Post

Topic: Concerning story from The Post

Author

Message

The Optimist
General User

Member Since: 3/16/2007
Location: CLE
Post Count: 5,573

Status: Offline

Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/11/2017 2:32:35 PM

http://www.thepostathens.com/article/2017/07/drake-bolon-...

Timeline according to article from The Post:
November 5th, 2015: OUPD starts investigation due to "suspicious financial activities"
June 27th, 2017: Drake Bolon resigns
July 5th, 2017: Drake Bolon pleads to "tampering with records"

The investigation went on for almost 1.5 years and the felony plea above was reached before grand jury was convened. Yikes.

I've seen crazier things happen.

Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,111

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/11/2017 3:25:59 PM

I wonder if he played with attendance figures too? I just couldn't let that one go. :)

Buckeye to Bobcat
General User

Member Since: 9/10/2013
Post Count: 1,803

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/11/2017 3:50:06 PM

I will not comment on this matter. It is unfortunate what happened, but it will be corrected for.

SBH
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 4,060

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/11/2017 4:01:47 PM

Ouch. That's too bad. I hope he can get back on his feet. He always seemed to work his ass off during games.

Bobcat Love
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 1,116

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/11/2017 9:00:20 PM

Buckeye to Bobcat wrote:

I will not comment on this matter. It is unfortunate what happened, but it will be corrected for.

Remind me again who asked you to comment on this matter?

Buckeye to Bobcat
General User

Member Since: 9/10/2013
Post Count: 1,803

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/11/2017 9:11:58 PM

Bobcat Love wrote:

Buckeye to Bobcat wrote:

I will not comment on this matter. It is unfortunate what happened, but it will be corrected for.

Remind me again who asked you to comment on this matter?

Someone who worked in that office for 3 years.....

shabamon
General User

Member Since: 11/17/2006
Location: Cincinnati
Post Count: 6,547

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/11/2017 9:38:57 PM

Didn't he oversee ticket sales? This reads like fraud to me.

Bobcat Love
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 1,116

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/11/2017 9:41:21 PM

Buckeye to Bobcat wrote:

Bobcat Love wrote:

Buckeye to Bobcat wrote:

I will not comment on this matter. It is unfortunate what happened, but it will be corrected for.

Remind me again who asked you to comment on this matter?

Someone who worked in that office for 3 years.....

Someone who worked in the ticket office for 3 years ASKED you to comment or you worked in the ticket office for 3 years and think you are judge and jury here? Either way, it's lame.

OhioCatFan
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 14,382

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/12/2017 1:01:13 AM

Lots of unanswered questions here.

The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

RPKirtland
General User

Member Since: 10/14/2012
Location: San Jose, CA
Post Count: 233

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post (NT)

Posted: 7/12/2017 9:29:34 AM

Last Edited: 7/28/2017 3:59:37 PM by RPKirtland

Went a little too far west, let's go SJ Earthquakes!

JZ
General User

Member Since: 11/29/2006
Location: Shenandoah Valley, VA
Post Count: 18

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/12/2017 9:54:18 AM

Bowling Green had something similar happen a few years ago. Sounds like lack of proper oversight an issue in both cases.

http://www.toledoblade.com/Police-Fire/2016/02/04/Former-...

Bobcat Love
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 1,116

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/12/2017 11:16:33 PM

Kind of interesting that nobody here sees anything suspicious about this story and is ready to dismiss it with a ho-hum response, even with little or no public information available

As of now, I have no private or inside information but I find several things curious.

1. If I made a list of every Associate Athletic Director to come through Athens the past 8-10 years, it would be made of some high quality people, and some absolute shysters who I wouldn't trust to hold my wallet for 5 minutes.

The one thing the entire list would have in common is people who don't share my alma mater, and who had only their own self interest in mind when they solicited me for money time and time again. While we all aim for bigger and (sometimes) better, some of these people were utterly transparent in their desire to use and abuse our University.

2. The one guy who did not fit that mold is/was Drake. Raised in Athens. Graduated from Ohio. Chose to alter his career path to come BACK to Athens. Personal facebook timeline is filled with nothing but promotion of all things Ohio. Say what you want, but the guy is a true, loyal Bobcat.

On a personal level, I sat right next to him while he did promotions at basketball games, and I always looked forward to, and enjoyed our conversations. Do I really know him? No. Am I friends with him? I wouldn't say that. But as passing acquaintances go - this person doesn't strike me as a felon in any sense of the word. Quite the opposite.

3. So what we are led to believe is that the one guy in the whole Department who actually seemed to have the University's best interest at heart - is the one guy who was mis-appropriating and/or mis-using funds, to the point of being worthy of now having a felony plea on his record?

4. I don't know how they handle money within the Athletic Department, but after the P-card scandal of '07 - you are seriously going to tell me there were no financial controls in place to prevent or proactively audit irregularities such as these, which were apparently ongoing?? This, being the strangest thing of all.

Again, I have no idea of the actual situation, and admittedly - all I have to go on is a guilty plea filed with the courts. However, pure intuition tells me there is more at play here, and if someone peels back the layers - this might not be what it seems.

Also, this board is totally stale.

LOVE

OhioCatFan
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 14,382

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/12/2017 11:50:04 PM

BL, after I read your post I realized that I hadn't placed the right face with the name Drake Bolon. I'm kind of famous for being able to never forget a face but sometimes have trouble recalling names. As I was reading your post, I began to realize that I, like you, was a passing acquaintance of this man. I then went to his FB page and when I saw his photo it confirmed it. Once realizing who we are talking about, I recall that I had had a very interesting conversation with him one time at the OU Inn. He and his lady were waiting to be seated and my wife and I had a nice talk with them. It went on for a fairly long time because there was a line and it wasn't moving too fast. My sense of the man, BL, is ver much the same as yours. He seems the most unlikely candidate to be caught up in something like this. I too have had some negative experiences with other assistant ADs over the years. Drake seemed to be unusual in the sincerity of his love for OHIO. It appeared to not just be a job, but a calling with him. Something doesn't smell right here. Could he be a fall guy? Having said that, I do remember another situation where a number of years ago a colleague that I highly respected got in trouble with the law in circumstances that were quite surprising, so sometimes one can greatly misjudge a person's character.

Speaker of Truth
General User

Member Since: 1/26/2011
Post Count: 441

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/12/2017 11:59:06 PM

A few responses to Love:

1. I disagree with your first point. The nature of college athletics forces you to move around if you want to move up or make more money. Drake was a rarity in that regard because of his local ties. Just because some works here for two years and leaves doesn't mean their loyalty should be questioned.

2. From what I know, I would say Drake got a raw deal. I am hoping details come out. This stinks of over reaction.

3. Drake was an absolute asset to OU, no questions asked. His track record speaks for itself. I have heard he wasn't the most personable, but got shit done.

RSBobcat
General User

Member Since: 8/22/2010
Location: Columbus, OH
Post Count: 4,426

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/13/2017 1:03:02 AM

So wtf "records" were "tampered" with? How many in the seats actually gave a whoop about what kid ended up in the chair when the chicken dance tune ended? Or which kid was the worse lay-up shooter? Or how many game break launched rubber chickens, arrows, or burritos ended up in a bucket? If the 110 started playing a second or two later too often than when he gave the hand spin start signal (to who I could never figure out)?

Saw the dude a lot at games hastily waddling around the court at game time breaks. Never solicited a dime from me. So maybe either I'm low value - or he was not very high value......so hard to figure out what he could have been getting from any records falsifying......

Edit-and added thought..

Maybe the falsifying records could be related to compensation - e.g. expense reimbursement records, etc. ? Travel, meals, entertainment, etc. - ?

Last Edited: 7/13/2017 1:09:16 AM by RSBobcat

RS Bobcat

Buckeye to Bobcat
General User

Member Since: 9/10/2013
Post Count: 1,803

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/13/2017 1:31:15 AM

Bobcat Love wrote:

Buckeye to Bobcat wrote:

Bobcat Love wrote:

Buckeye to Bobcat wrote:

I will not comment on this matter. It is unfortunate what happened, but it will be corrected for.

Remind me again who asked you to comment on this matter?

Someone who worked in that office for 3 years.....

Someone who worked in the ticket office for 3 years ASKED you to comment or you worked in the ticket office for 3 years and think you are judge and jury here? Either way, it's lame.

If you want to know what went down, DM me and will explain. All I know is it couldn't have happened to an individual that poured his sweat into Ohio and treated the job like he wouldn't jump to another job to make a jump. He is a guy who is committed to Ohio full-bore and built a great sales culture that had us buy into what Ohio University is all about. The relationships he taught us to go build with fans, friends, and alumni make me appreciate Athens everyday. The folks who moved onto other jobs after working for him moved up because of the creative freedoms we had to go do what we wanted to do. The fact that he gave a kid from Archbold, Ohio a shot to become something in this industry is more than any other organization. So with that, yes things happened, but for my career and the careers of our staff and interns were affected for the better. The genuine love for Athens and the area he exhibited rubbed off on all of us. Again, he will land on his feet and I hope he learns from this, as he still has tremendous potential to build another office that believed could go sell out the Rose Bowl with Ohio fans.

Last Edited: 7/13/2017 1:38:20 AM by Buckeye to Bobcat

SBH
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 4,060

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/13/2017 9:30:01 AM

Nice post, Love. I hope the truth comes out.

One hallmark of Ohio Assistant ADs is that they still have cell phone numbers from their hometowns or previous postings. I find it a bit off-putting to get a solicitation call for Ohio from someone whose area code is Boise, Idaho. But that's just me.

Last Edited: 7/13/2017 9:32:32 AM by SBH

Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,111

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/13/2017 9:39:49 AM

SBH wrote:

Interesting comment. Some of my former management colleagues insisted that our independent sales reps get local cell phone numbers. I'm curious as to why you find it off-putting. It's often way cheaper to stay on a group plan with parents or siblings than to get your own account - lots cheaper.

bobcat695
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Parkersburg, WV
Post Count: 1,345

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/13/2017 10:04:19 AM

SBH wrote:

I actually feel the exact opposite. I recognize their numbers instead of a random Athens extension from the person working that phone line this month. If I ever moved, I don't see a scenario where I would ever change my cell phone number. I'm not going to rap about my area code, but I'll be a 304 the rest of my life.

"You can't un-fist a fist pump." - Saul Phillips 1/24/15

rpbobcat
General User

Member Since: 4/28/2006
Location: Rochelle Park, NJ
Post Count: 3,570

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/13/2017 10:37:40 AM

I get solicitation calls from O.U. a few times a year.

What I really dislike is when you can tell they are "scripting".

Just talk to me.

My wife is a visiting nurse who has to call patients concerning their care.

Her agency has items they want to make sure she brings up with the patients,but no "scripting",because it so obvious.

Buckeye to Bobcat
General User

Member Since: 9/10/2013
Post Count: 1,803

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/13/2017 10:42:09 AM

rpbobcat wrote:

You gotta remember, the kids are straight out of undergrad in that office. If those guys stay longer than a year, then at some point the conversations about Parrot Heads invading Columbus begin to occur and gotta be able to free-swing it from there.

rpbobcat
General User

Member Since: 4/28/2006
Location: Rochelle Park, NJ
Post Count: 3,570

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/13/2017 10:50:21 AM

Buckeye to Bobcat wrote:

rpbobcat wrote:

What's amazing is they don't even change the "scripting" from one year to the next.

C Money
General User

Member Since: 8/28/2010
Post Count: 3,420

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/13/2017 11:12:21 AM

Buckeye to Bobcat wrote:

My favorite relevant story on this point is the time I got a call from a girl I knew from undergrad, about 6 months after I graduated. She's just going through her script, and trying to get me to give something, and finally I'm like, "Look, I'm a poor law student, all my money goes to that. When I graduate and get the six figure job [in hindsight, HA!] I'll make it up to you."

"Oh, I wanna go to law school. Where do you go?"

"Ohio State"

"Oh, I know someone at Ohio State law...wait...what did this say your name was? C MONEY! This is [FEMALE ACQUAINTANCE]! How are you?!?!?"

We just chatted for 20 minutes and then she was like, "Ok, there's this script I have to read, so let me read it, and take care!" She read her thing and that was that. Ran into her at a bar a couple months after that and we laughed about it.

LuckySparrow
General User

Member Since: 10/15/2012
Location: Illinois
Post Count: 1,750

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/13/2017 1:31:52 PM

This definitely smells fishy. Was he stealing money? Not a lot of information to go on and seems like we've got some good character references posted in this thread. Money can make good people make bad choices...there' no doubt about that. All that being said, I hope this guy is innocent and the truth comes out.

What a day at the Convo.....Wow!

Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,111

Status: Offline

RE: Concerning story from The Post

Posted: 7/13/2017 1:32:53 PM

Interesting theories floating around as to how and why this all happened. And on that topic, what ever happened to housing gate?

Last Edited: 7/13/2017 3:21:09 PM by Alan Swank

Showing Replies:	1 - 25 of 129 Posts
Jump to Page:	1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 \| 6 Next >

View Other 'Ohio Football' Topics

There are 161 Active Visitors on BobcatAttack.com

160 Guests
1 Registered User:
	Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame

There are no other users looking at this page.