Albert Means facts for kids

Albert Means (born July 20, 1982) is a former American football defensive lineman. He was a big star in high school football. Albert Means became well known because of problems that happened when colleges tried to get him to join their teams.

A High School Football Star

Albert Means was an amazing defensive player at Trezevant High School in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1999, when he was a senior, he was named the best high school football player in Tennessee. He was also chosen as an All-American, meaning he was one of the top players in the whole country. Many experts thought he was the best defensive lineman in high school.

Lots of colleges wanted him to play for their teams. Albert decided to play for the University of Alabama. He played in seven games in 2000, starting four times.

Problems with College Recruitment

In January 2001, a former coach named Milton Kirk said that Albert's high school head coach, Lynn Lang, had asked colleges for money. Kirk claimed Lang asked for $200,000 to get Albert to play for Alabama. He said he helped Lang make a deal with some people who supported the Alabama team. Kirk claimed they got $30,000 first, and then $170,000 more when Albert officially joined the team.

Kirk also claimed that Lang asked for and received money from other colleges. He said Lang got $6,000 from a University of Kentucky supporter. This was for Albert's visit to that school. Lang also supposedly received $4,000 for visits he arranged to the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama.

These claims, along with information from Tennessee Volunteers coach Phillip Fulmer, led to investigations. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) looked into how high school football players were being recruited in Memphis.

Investigation Results

The FBI investigation led to a person named Logan Young being found guilty in 2005. He was found guilty of paying $150,000 to Lynn Lang. This money was meant to get Albert Means to play football at Alabama. Lynn Lang and Milton Kirk were also found guilty for their parts in these events.

Because of these problems, the University of Alabama faced serious penalties from the NCAA. They were not allowed to play in bowl games for two years. They were also put on probation for five years. The team also lost 21 scholarships for new players. The University of Kentucky was also not allowed to play in bowl games for one year.

Other schools like the University of Georgia, the University of Arkansas, and the University of Memphis also tried to recruit Albert Means. However, they were not punished for any wrongdoing.

During Logan Young's trial, Lynn Lang said that Georgia's head coach, Jim Donnan, gave him $700. He also claimed that the University of Memphis head coach, Rip Scherer, promised free law school tuition for Lang's wife. Lang also said an Arkansas coach offered him $150,000 or a job on their coaching staff. Both Donnan and Scherer denied Lang's claims.

Brad Lawing, a coach from Michigan State University, said Lang asked him for $200,000. This was to get Albert Means to play there. Lang also supposedly said he would have to pay back $50,000 to another school that had already paid for Means. The head coach for Arkansas, Houston Nutt, said one of his assistant coaches was told by Lang that $200,000 was needed for Albert to join their team.

Albert Means himself testified during Lang's trial. He said he never took a required test for college admission. Means said that Lang had another student take the test for him.

At Young's trial, prosecutors showed that Lang had tried to get money from eight schools. These schools were Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan State University, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Tennessee.

After the Controversy

After these problems came to light, the University of Alabama let Albert Means go from his commitment. He then transferred to the University of Memphis to finish his college football career.

In 2002, he was overweight and could not play due to academic rules. But in 2004, he got married, worked on his fitness, and improved his playing. He was chosen for the second team All-Conference USA as a senior. However, no NFL team drafted him. The Houston Texans signed him as a free agent, but he did not make their final team roster.

Albert Means was later chosen by Team Arkansas in the third round of the first All American Football League draft. This happened on January 26, 2008.

See Also

• NCAA sanctions