**BREAKING** Mike "Big Dawg" Woods under NCAA Investigation

You read the headline right......

While I was enjoying one of the finest days the city of Knoxville, TN has ever bared witness to this past Saturday (ending with a Dawg W), I stumbled upon a story from a very well know and loved Dawg which I found very interesting, as well as a bit sad and pathetic.

Mike "Big Dawg" Woods

We all know the friendly face head of Mike "Big Dawg Woods". (If you would like to get to know him a bit better, click this link ----->  Raycom Sports Mike "Big Dawg" Woods documentary ) Some of us may also have heard a snippet or two about the puppy used in Isaiah Crowell's signing day belonging to Mr. Woods.

Well, this past Saturday, in Knoxville, Mr. Woods graced our tailgate for several minutes, and was open to talk about any and everything with the lively crowd. I took it upon myself to ask him if he would tell us how his puppy ended up at Carver-Columbus High School, in the hands of the most sought after recruit many of us can remember in some time. And so he spoke.......

Come to find out, (And Mike "Big Dawg" claimed it was the first time he had spoken on the matter to anybody) that the NCAA had just, within the last couple of weeks, closed an investigation into the dealings of the puppy. Mr. Woods, Isaiah Crowell, and UGA escaped a major violation by much less than you may know....

Mr. Woods began his story on the eve of signing day, when his phone rang from a number he was unfamiliar with. The voice on the other end claimed they were a representative of Isaiah Crowell, and they heard Mr. Woods had some puppies that that would fit what Isaiah wanted to hold during his much anticipated announcement the following day. Mr. Woods was taken a bit back by the inquiry, and told the voice on the other end that he would call them back in ten minutes. Mr. Woods went and found a puppy that was suitable, a ten day old, all white pup, and returned the call. Mr. Woods, for reasons unknown, was unable to drive to Columbus the next morning, so he told Isaiah's representative that he could pick up the puppy in Athens the following morning if they so wished. Mr. Woods made arrangements to meet outside of The Blind Pig in Athens for the pickup. The following morning, as planned, the representatives arrived on time and picked up the puppy.

These two pups almost got in serious trouble

So no harm, no foul... right? I mean it's a cute little puppy used on a day in which 18 year old boys get to pretend they are signing multi-million dollar contracts, and out-showboat their cockiness to every other Div1 signee. Not according the the "we have nothing better do do sometimes" NCAA....

What you, myself, and the rest of Dawg Nation never found out until now, is that the NCAA put a full fledged investigation into how the puppy got into the hands of Crowell, as they considered it an extra benefit and major violation.... even if only borrowed. Luckily for Dawg Nation, the representative of Isaiah, who called and came to pick up the puppy, happened to be Isaiah's cousin. And for those of you who have had your heads buried in the sand for the last year, the NCAA has yet to figure out a way to enforce and punish "benefits" given to family members of athletes, so long as the athletes "don't know anything about how the benefits got there".... Just ask a church down in College Park, Ga, run by a Pastor Newton, with a shiny new $180,000 steeple.

Had Mr. Woods driven the puppy down to Carver-Columbus himself, a major violation would have occurred, and the eligibility of Isaiah Crowell would be unknown today. There is a VERY good chance the two touchdowns he scored this past Saturday would have either been scored by somebody else, or not at all. Can you imagine the morale of Dawg Nation right now if we only had Carlton Thomas running laterally while losing his helmet, and Richard Samuel slamming into the backs of his blockers? Isaiah has shown he is the real deal and Dawg fans all over are giddy with the possibilities of what we may see from him for the remainder if this, and at least the next two seasons.

Mr. Woods informed us that newly hired UGA Compliance attorney Mike Glazier, who you may remember handled the Jarvis Jones case a few months ago, handled all the legal work with dealing with the NCAA Compliance Department. Luckily everything was worked out, and nothing will result from the matter.

Find better things to worry about, NCAA

Now I don't know about you, but I feel the NCAA has much bigger items to worry about other than a puppy being borrowed for a National Signing Day exhibition. I felt the same way when the NCAA stuck their noses into the presence of past Dawgs at Ray Drew's announcement a few months prior to Crowell's. With all the sketchy re-aligning going on throughout the NCAA, and Nevin Shapiro unofficially turner the Miami Hurricanes into a NFL team competing for the highest payroll, I feel a ten day old puppy on loan for a few hours should be the absolute least of their worries.

Mike "Big Dawg" Woods is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. I would go out and predict he has never turned a fan down for a picture, or just the opportunity to shake his hand and share a "Go Dawgs!" The NCAA needs to leave him alone, and realize that they are just making themselves look like major bullies, as opposed to the major college sports administration they should be.

On behalf of Mike "Big Dawg" Woods, and the rest of Dawg Nation, I only have one final thing to say to the NCAA.... GO DAWGS!!!!!!

**I would like to note that Mike "Big Dawg" Woods, did not ask me to write this story, and I failed to ask him permission to write it before he left the tailgate. But I consider it to be my duty as an aspiring journalist to share stories that come across my knowledge with people who share a common interest in the University of Georgia Football Program. This story is in no way created to shine any type of negative light on Mike "Big Dawg" Woods, Isaiah Crowell, or any other area of UGA. There is the possibility of misconstrued information, as the story I was told was not recorded on anything but my memory.