so which one of these do you see as a "just going 1 mph over the speed limit?" ...
1. - providing the use of three loaner vehicles over a six-month period without payment
2. - providing a four-month, interest-free promissory note on a $3,000 down payment for buying a used vehicle
3. - providing two nights at a local home
4. - providing an airline ticket purchased
5. - providing one-day use of a rental car.
or
6. - opening the wallet to hand over "money to pay rent and also for his mother's $305 electric and water bill.
It would seem that #3 could be argued to be a reasonable matter of ignorance & if it was the only issue, could ultimately be little more than a wrist slap .... and depending upon the circumstances, just maybe #5 could be debated -
but for most of the rest of this stuff nobody with a brain could plead "ignorance" the participants had to have had a pretty clear understanding that what they were doing was a violation - and they went ahead and did it - counting on it never coming to light .... which was risky - and in retrospect - stupid.
- here's a real good rule of thumb - if you are about to give something to an athlete .. and you feel strongly compelled to say "what ever you do - don't tell anybody about this" because you are pretty sure that it would be considered against the rules.... then don't do it ... even if you think that the rules are stupid and that your motives are morally righteous.
