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So the fact that Michael Michaels, an investor in New Era, was reportedly attempting to steer Bush to a San Diego agent by the name of David Caravantes, is straight from the Casablanca school of news. So is the fact reporters broke the story and not the NCAA. Because in the Real World, the NCAA, for all its talk of insuring a "means of accountability" and "integrity and fair play among its members," is so outgunned in these matters it's not even funny. Or maybe it is. You know how many full-time investigators the gumshoes from Indianapolis have to police issues involving renegade agents? Three. As in One, Two…That's not enough to cover the MAC let alone the Pac-10. Don't get me wrong. I've known the heads of Enforcement for years, from David Berst to David Price, and they try. But how much can a total of 25 investigators, mostly lawyers and ex-jocks, really do when it comes to more than 325 Division I programs and the personal lives of thousands of student-athletes and their families? The system is so sophisticated now, so discreet, the corruption so enveloping, as to be opaque. The only way news like L'affaire Bush ever surfaces now is when estranged business associates (Ornstein) or losers (Michaels and New Era) seek retribution or revenge, and intrepid reporters like Charles Robinson and Jason Cole are given the time and resources needed to investigate such allegations and connect the dots. So rest easy about Reggie Bush and USC. When the smoke finally clears, he may well forfeit his Heisman and the Trojans a season. But, trust me, as Draft Day nears, Real World Rules dictate that its very big business as usual. Eight-time Emmy Award winning Armen Keteyian is the Chief Investigative Correspondent for CBS News in New York and executive editor of Hall of Fame Magazine. You can contact him at
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