Will Ellis be Edited out of Gamecock broadcasts?

Former Page HS and University of South Carolina quarterback Todd Ellis has been in the news recently for what many in the Gamecock state are calling Bad Judgement. Ellis is a member of the University of South Carolina sports Hall of Fame and is currently the play-by-play announcer for Gamecock football.

The question about whether or not Ellis will continue to call the ‘Cocks games is up in air. Ellis is an attorney and he has also been doing some “other” work on the side for the past few years.

The work on the side had been as a spokesman and salesman for BurnLounge the target of a Federal Trade Commission civil lawsuit. BurnLounge is company that sells music downloads through it’s network marketing business. BurnLounge was due in court last week out in Los Angeles concerning the FTC’s claim that BurnLounge is a pyramid scheme.

Ellis is saying that he is no scam artist although he has made in excess of $200,000 during the past three years as a salesman for BurnLounge. Ellis bought a BurnLounge store, which is a company that distributes music via the Internet, and through network marketing he began to sell stores to others for $430.00 each. Ellis did not get South Carolina football coaches involved but he did recruit family and friends into the program and he used his Gamecock name and accomplishments to attract other potential investors.

Ellis has not lost his job with the South Carolina Gamecocks yet but he has hurt his reputation and admits he used bad judgement when he made the decision to get involved with BurnLounge.

Todd Ellis made more than $200,000 by being a pitchman and salesperson for the BurnLounge music distribution group but it may have cost him more than that in the end. It may have cost him his name and good reputation in the Columbia, South Carolina community and throughout the Gamecock nation and this may even hurt his name on Alma Pinnix Drive where the Page Pirates still consider him to be the greatest player to ever to wear the Red, Silver, and Black.*****Information on this story coming to us from The State newspaper out of Columbia, South Carolina; Ron Morris columnist*****

In somewhat related news, Cliff Ellis formerly at Clemson has been named the new men’s basketball coach at Coastal Carolina in Conway near Myrtle Beach. Ellis replaces Buzz Peterson who left Coastal to work with Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Bobcats.

24 thoughts on “Will Ellis be Edited out of Gamecock broadcasts?

  1. At least you’re starting to get your facts right, Andy. Contrary to what you “reported” earlier, Todd Ellis has not been indicted. You might want to inform your readers of that. Not to mention apologize to Mr. Ellis and his family, many of whom still live in Greensboro.

  2. I got my call about Todd Ellis from one of my sources down in South Carolia on Sunday June 24. On Tuesday June 26 I went with my original info that I received in the phone call. On Friday June 29 I got my hands on The State newspaper that I rerceived from another source out of South Carolina and that’s the updated info that you see here today. This has not been an attack on the person of Todd Ellis or his family. My attempts are to get the hot sports news out before anyone else and that’s the bottom line.

    I go with what I have and don’t plan to make any excuses toward the contrary. I knew Todd’s brother Mark when he was here in town and he seemed to be an OK guy and I’m sure the rest of his family are OK too. If Todd Ellis messed up then he will have to suffer the consequences. Not everyone likes Todd Ellis and South Carolina, so I have to paint this picture as clearly as possible with what I have to work with at the current time.

    Right now at greensborosports.com we are hitting the web with some breaking and cutting edge news every week and we don’t plan to stop. If someone feels like they might get hurt along the way then they better go ahead and jump ship now. Our batting average is well above .500 and if you’re gonna hit some home runs you better be set to swing and miss once and a while before you connect and send the big one over the fence.(Tolly Carr story, Southeast Guilford baseball, Todd Shuping and Grimsley football just to name a few)

    I will stack our work ethic and daily approach up against anyone out there and you know if we are covering it then there is some fire and smoke on the scene. Again welcome to greensborosports.com, stirring the pot as it begins to boil over, plus serving the local community with your best interest in mind.

  3. I never trusted Ellis. He always reminded me of a snakeoil salesman, and I’m talking about Todd and not Cliff. Didn’t he sever all ties with the Greensboro area when took off to the South Carolina Gamecocks?

  4. “My attempts are to get the hot sports news out before anyone else and that’s the bottom line. I go with what I have and don’t plan to make any excuses toward the contrary.”

    I got my call about Todd Ellis from one of my sources down in South Carolia on Sunday June 24. On Tuesday June 26 I went with my original info that I received in the phone call. SO YOU HAD TWO DAYS TO CHECK IT OUT AND STILL GOT IT WRONG? NICE SOURCE. On Friday June 29 I got my hands on The State newspaper that I rerceived from another source out of South Carolina and that’s the updated info that you see here today. This has not been an attack on the person of Todd Ellis or his family. My attempts are to get the hot sports news out before anyone else and that’s the bottom line. TO HELL WITH WHTHER IT’S ACCURATE OR NOT.

    I go with what I have and don’t plan to make any excuses toward the contrary. SEE ABOVE. I knew Todd’s brother Mark when he was here in town and he seemed to be an OK guy and I’m sure the rest of his family are OK too. If Todd Ellis messed up then he will have to suffer the consequences. IF ANDY MESSES UP LIFE GOES ON. Not everyone likes Todd Ellis and South Carolina, so I have to paint this picture as clearly as possible with what I have to work with at the current time. NO ANDY, YOU HAVE TO PAINT A PICTURE AS CLEARLY AS POSSIBLE REGARDLESS OF HOW PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT TODD ELLIS. AND IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE FACTS, YOU WAIT. NO DOUBT YOU WOUOLD EXPECT THE SAME COURTESY FROM SOMEONE ELSE.

    Right now at greensborosports.com we are hitting the web with some breaking and cutting edge news every week and we don’t plan to stop. EVEN IF IT’S WRONG? If someone feels like they might get hurt along the way then they better go ahead and jump ship now. I GUESS THIS LAST LINE WILL HAVE TO SERVE AS AN APOLOGY. Our batting average is well above .500 and if you’re gonna hit some home runs you better be set to swing and miss once and a while before you connect and send the big one over the fence.(Tolly Carr story, Southeast Guilford baseball, Todd Shuping and Grimsley football just to name a few) TAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH BLOGGERS. BY YOUR OWN ADMISSION, YOU’RE PROUD OF AN ACCURACY RATE OF “WELL OVER .500.” I CAN’T SPEAK FOR THE N&R, BUT MY GUESS IS THEY HAD THOSE SAME “SCOOPS” WHEN YOU DID. THE DIFFERENCE IS THEY WAITED UNTIL THEY COULD CONFIRM THEIR STORIES WITH SOMEONE WILLING TO GO ON THE RECORD.

    I will stack our work ethic and daily approach up against anyone out there and you know if we are covering it then there is some fire and smoke on the scene. Again welcome to greensborosports.com, stirring the pot as it begins to boil over, plus serving the local community with your best interest in mind. BOTTOM LINE: YOU ADMIT YOU MADE A MISTAKE AND REFUSE TO APOLOGIZE. WHY IS THAT SO HARD FOR YOU?

  5. That is the problem with this site Jeff, the folks at greensborosports.com never let a little thing like facts get in the way. In another thread, the village idiot Don blindly attacks Matt Brown and the Greensboro Coliseum while never bothering to address the real issues at hand. When another poster calls out Don, asking him to compare Brown’s pay with others who hold similar positions around the nation, evidently Don’s internet connection went down as he never responded. Andy is nothing but a trouble maker as he goes about dragging people’s reputations through the mud. Bottom line Jeff…..Don and Andy are jealous of people like Matt Brown and Todd Ellis…people who are well respected and have done something with their lives.

  6. I think that it is safe to say that Todd Ellis is not the greatest player to put on a Page Pirate uniform. That honor should go to Haywood Jeffries. From Andy’s report, it is clear that Ellis has a questionable character and is not the sort of person who should be looked up to or respected. Since Ellis couldn’t hack it in the NFL, I guess scamming people who trust you out of 200K is the next best thing.

  7. Glad you are secure in your work ethic, now learn to spell and punctuate. Not everybody like south Carolina? Are you kidding?

  8. Come on folks, this is just Todd’s way of joining the club. The steroids he took back in the late 80’s weren’t enough to endear him in the hearts of his Gamecock breatheren, so he did the next best thing, ran a pyramid scheme. As many already know, just wearing a Gamecock uniform ins’t enough to truly be accepted in Columbia. To be fully accepted at the University of South Carolina, you must break the law.

    Way to go Todd, maybe you didn’t key a car, break into some girl’s dorm room, choke your girlfriend, or even get into a shootout, but in my book buddy, you’re back! Like cooked crack!

    Oh, and for you guys that actually thinkn I being serious on the steriod comment….I am!

  9. While I am not sure the point that “freehawk” is trying to make, I am more interested in this steroid comment just offered by Rob. I would be interested to hear more about this as the steroid issue is white hot at the moment. If Ellis did in fact use steroids, this is just another example of his poor character. South Carolina has historically had an awful football program and it does not surprise me that they would cheat to get ahead. Does anyone remember the recruiting process when Ellis was at Page? I wonder why he would pick USC in the first place? Who else wanted Ellis and how hard was he recruited? As I remember, he was a big prize when the Cocks got his commitment.

  10. The manure has hit the fan again at greensborosports.com. We have opened up a whole new can of worms, dive in and join the summer fun.

    Steve Spurrier Jr., Bob Stoops of Oklahoma, former South Carolina player Rob DeBoer and even Shaq O’Neal were also involved in the BurnLounge scam. Todd Ellis was in with some large names and DeBoer appears to be the one that will take the biggest fall. It’s a darn shame that Ellis got mixed up with this bunch but let’s just say for now it sure looks like he got Burned.

    Todd Ellis was the biggest high school football name to ever come out of Page HS. He was in USA Today for his HS accomplishments and set numerous records at Carolina. I agree that Haywood Jeffries became a much bigger name when he hit the pros.

    Ellis was a major catch for the ‘Cocks when he signed on out of Page. What all he got caught up in after that is anyone’s guess.

  11. As Matt continues to name call, we continue to report. FYI – Rumors need space too! That’s why they are rumors. You can’t have rumors unless they are spread – you have to take everything with a grain of salt. Even the “real” publications as Jerry Bledsoe is showing in his series in the Rhino need a little light shown. No Editor can know the real intent of their writers, they must do the best they can and hope their writers are being straight with their bosses.

    As for comparing the pay for Matt Brown against the pay for some college bar that was recently sold for several million dollars and while we may not ever know how much that bar makes – it ‘s booked with a crowd several nights a week, every wee of the year. Profitable operations versus government charity???

    If Matt Brown took the coliseum private, which I support, I’d have no issues with the way it operates because it would become a Tax Paying Asset instead of a drain on the taxpayers. Sure the coliseum brings millions of dollars to the community, but it’s time to get off the tax payer’s gravy train.

    FYI, as for me being am idiot. Good call. Matt Brown $200K+ / Me $0. 🙂

  12. OK, let’s set the record straight. First, Todd Ellis HAS NOT and WILL NOT be indicted for his involvement with this business. There is NO evidence that this was a “pyramid scheme” and to make such baseless claims are not responsible. Andy, you need to issue an apology to Mr. Ellis, his family and Walter Hines Page Senior High School, through this website. I am sure you have made a lot of money over the years from broadcasting football and basketball games at Page and if you want to continue to have that privilege, you should to careful what you say. I know that your broadcast partner, Jim Modlin is part owner of Fitness Today and I am seriously considering ending my relationship with his fitness club and will encourage my friends and associates to do the same. I also plan to boycott all sponsors of this website except Subway (because I like their Turkey Club).

    As to Rob’s comments, you need to get a life pal. Todd Ellis HAS NEVER used steroids and their is no evidence of this whatsoever. You must be a Georgia or Clemson fan, as they have been known to spread this crap for years. This is what is wrong with message boards and blogs. When some jerk off like Rob makes a stupid statement, then a dumb ass like the guy above says, “I want to know more about this”. There is NOTHING to know, you idiot! Rob is making this up and there are fools on the internet who will believe anything.

    Andy, you have a responsibility to the people who read this blog to get your facts right. I plan to email a link of this “article” to Todd and his family as well as Marion Kirby and Sparky Woods. I would except to hear from quite a few folks over the next few days.

  13. Todd Ellis knows what he is doing. The guy is an attorney. Todd will stand the test of time like a true Gamecock. South Carolina is doing things the right way and the Gamecocks will not be stopped.

  14. Dude,
    Here’s a great article about the steroid use at South Carolina. While Mr. Ellis is implicated as to inquiring about roids and how he could acquire some, it does not mention him actually using them. Todd was probably doing a research paper about them. Yeah right!

    http://www.youcanbefit.com/Chaikin.pdf

    Its a pretty interesting read considering the press steroids have been receiving recently.

    Why would Andy need to apologize to Sparky Woods? Would that be like apologizing to Dean Smith for berating the Tar Heel Point shaving debacle? Apologize to Marion Kirby? For what?

  15. There is some interesting information on steroids at the website youcanbefit.com that Rob cited above. Here is my favorite, it is a rap written in 1989 about the dangers of using steroids. The lyrics are as follows:

    THE “ROID RAP”
    Copyright Steven M. Horwitz, D.C., 1989

    I’m gonna put on my glasses, put on my cap,
    I’m gonna don these duds to give you a rap,
    What I’m here to talk about today,
    Are drugs called Anabolic Steroids, Hay,
    You better listen and listen close,
    These drugs can hurt you, and hurt you the most,
    They come in shots, they come in pills,
    What I’m here to talk about is all their ills,
    Now I know they make you big and they make you strong,
    But please do listen before you tell me I’m wrong,
    Roids are naturally produced as a male hormone,
    Put together in the testes called testosterone,
    What athletes take is a synthetic kind,
    Here are some of the names of this fools gold find,
    Dianobol, Deca, Anadrol,
    Primobolan, Equipose, Stanozolol,
    Now take Ben Johnson, he sprinted for gold,
    But he wasn’t true to the Olympic mold,
    He took those steroids which are drugs that are banned,
    So the IOC said, “Ben, your gold medal is canned,”
    Here are some of the facts which someday he must face,
    As he returns to Canada and to the world in disgrace,
    Roids can screw up your heart, cause sterility,
    Fill your skin with zits and destroy your kidney,
    They can cause liver tumors, you might even die,
    Now that’s a big price to pay for a fleeting athletic high,
    Look at Lyle Alzado, he sucked them down,
    And you know what happened to him………..
    He’s underground.
    So please listen to my message,
    And think before you act,
    Because a little knowledge and thought
    May save your life, now that’s a fact!

    When Dr. Horwitz is not rapping about steroids, he is also considered one of the foremost experts on the Rotator Cuff.

  16. This site is the biggest bunch of bull crap I have ever seen. This rap about steroids has to be the single stupidest thing I have ever read and Doug should be ashamed of posting it. Steroids are not a joke, you ass clown. Todd Ellis is not guilty of any wrongdoing. If anything, this site should be closed for telling lies on people. The thing that makes me mad is the dude that runs this site seems HAPPY that he is stirring up trouble. What a jerk! Try making this site look professional. Who does the site layout for you guys? A retarded monkey?

  17. Enos is correct. We fired the Monkey. Go easy – he was “challenged”, we don’t like to say the “R” word, he throws bananas at us when he hears that word.

    We are working on a new site this month as we add a lot more features.

  18. It was reported on gamecock central that Sparky Woods and Marion Kirby were in Ellis’ Burnlounge downline. Joe Morrison was actually the headman at South Caorlina during the steroid years. Ellis was a pallbearer at his funeral.

  19. Enos, I did not imply that steroids were a joke. With many steroid-related stories in the news today (Benoit, Bonds, BALCO, etc.), they are certainly no laughing matter. I posted the Steroid Rap because I thought folks would find it interesting. I find it curious that so many of you are so sure that Ellis did “nothing wrong”. The FACT that he made 200K off this venture should raise red flags. This WAS a pyramid scheme. That is fact, not an opinion.

  20. Why’s everybody making such a big fuss about this Ellis fellow? He lives down in South Carolina and he’s not doing anything to help or effect our community. So what if he went to Page High School. People around here now don’t give a flip about Todd Ellis. Page hasn’t had a decent football team since Fred Kirby left.

  21. The Fred Kirby Era was certainly a special one for Page High School. I seems like only yesterday when Kirby, wearing his signature cowboy hat, hosted that kids show on WBT out of Charlotte. Man, those were the days!

Comments are closed.