Birmingham State is burning.

The entire college football landscape has been rocked by a recruiting scandal at one of its premier institutions, and coach Frank Payton, the architect of the decades-long Birmingham State dynasty, sits right at the center of it all.

When a young reporter begins to dig into the true nature of Payton's crimes, though, he discovers that there's much more to the storythan meets the eye. While most of the national media focuses on the recent misconduct, a series of deep interviews and artihat Payton's indiscretions extend far beyond recruiting.

For the past 30 years, no one's been able to stand between Frank Payton and his pursuit of excellence.

Not even his former protégé.