Tavares Gooden's mom starts group to help educate parents about dealing with agents

CORAL GABLES — The more Robin Gooden heard about the Reggie Bush saga at USC and NCAA scandals sprouting at North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama this summer, the more she felt compelled to act.

"You know something?" she told her husband, Byron. "I'm going to form this organization and I'm going to help universities, I'm going to help athletes and I'm going to, most of all, educate parents. If I can educate these parents, then parents can educate their kids."

Gooden remembers asking Miami's compliance department "a million questions" when her stepson, Tavares Gooden, started dealing with agents as a top pro prospect in 2007.

And after Tavares was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2008, she heard from other NFL moms about the difficult process many of them went through in finding an agent while trying to adhere to NCAA rules.

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So after talking to her husband, Robin Gooden holed up in her house for two weeks writing down her thoughts, drawing up plans and researching how to start a non-profit organization. At the end, she decided to form MOCA — Mothers of College Athletes — a grass-roots endeavor with a mission to "help college athletic programs adhere to NCAA standards by advising parents of student athletes."

MOCA was formed to provide information to parents so they can be better aware of NCAA rules and what constitutes a violation. It also provides a support system for parents whose children are starting to deal with agents, helping them answer key questions during the process.

"I hadn't heard of a program doing that before," said MOCA member Nateal Campbell, whose son, former Hurricanes defensive lineman Calais Campbell, now plays for the Arizona Cardinals. "I thought, 'This is great! How come no one thought of this sooner?'"

After four months, MOCA has about 70 members, mostly parents of football players — including current Hurricanes defensive back DeMarcus Van Dyke, linebacker Colin McCarthy and running back Damien Berry. The organization has a website (mocamoms.org) and is on Facebook and Twitter. Those forums have helped UM parents in MOCA stay in constant contact.

"I was interested in the things she had gone through with Tavares when he was getting ready to be drafted, being that Damien is probably going to be drafted," said Melissa Berry, Damien's mother.

"Different things that we as parents don't know about, have no clue about. I thought it would be in our best interest to join and have our eyes opened to what goes on behind closed doors."

Gooden was invited by UM compliance director David Reed to talk about agents with a group of current UM parents before the team's season opener against Florida A&M. Reed, who worked at Marshall when Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich were top pro prospects and at Pittsburgh when Larry Fitzgerald and Antonio Bryant were there, said the recent player-agent investigations at various schools have "really helped in scaring" UM players.

"The fact Reggie Bush had to give back his Heisman and USC forfeited those wins is sending a message to our kids of, 'Hey, it might not come out in the wash now, it may be five years from now, but when it comes out you will be affected by it and embarrassed by it,'" he said.

Gooden envisions having subcommittees of MOCA based in other states and moms of NFL players giving testimonials. She said she's contacted officials at USC, Alabama, South Carolina and other schools and sent them information on MOCA. A few have shown interest, she said.

"This is long term. This is not something I'm trying to do overnight, and I just want to do for a couple of years," Gooden said. "This is a forever project I'm working on."

Click here to order Tavares Gooden’s proCane Rookie Card.



(orlandosentinel.com)