You have no clue what was told to anyone and you are dead wrong about the athletic admissions process.
We all have a vested interest in the admissions process for our public universities, given how competitive it is to get in. One would hope the process to gain admission outside of normal application channels would be closely monitored, have multiple layers of approval and review, and the decision maker who vouches for someone's direct admission remains accountable for that person. I doubt the process was "just pay Salcedo."
In this case, it may be that a favor resulted in or necessitated future fraud, and the mistakes and poor judgment multiplied. That is what happens when you start out with a lie -- the cover-up is often worse.
By way of contrast, my own child's athletic commitment to a D1 program required meeting and an interview with every member of the coaching staff, an interview with the assistant athletic director, meeting with the head trainer, and meeting with people in academic services and advising (not to mention spending two days with the team). On an ongoing basis, in addition to still watching her play, the soccer staff requires she send every standardized test score and her interim and final grades/transcripts every semester. The coaching staff also met with us, her parents, several times, both with and without our daughter present, and we met with the assistant AD at their request. When I expressed my surprise at the amount of time they spent with us prior to the commitment, the coach made it very clear it was not about soccer. He stated that his career, the soccer program and the school are directly impacted by the decisions every player makes, both on and off the field. He needed to be confident that the players he recruited had the right character.
I do not know AC. She seems like a hell of a coach, and we need more of those in this country. I am less certain about who she is as a person, but I hope this experience makes her an even better one.
