:: perhaps known to fans of college football. His media coverage in the scandal has made him much more widely known than he was before the scandal. Outside of the US no one had heard of him, and this is no longer the case. Claiming his fame before the scandal was grater than the fame he gained after the scandal is America centric jingoistic thought at it's worst. 
 That would be the most concise argument. 
 However, as an american, I can say that I certainly never heard of him prior to the scandal. Nor had pretty much anyone I know. I sure to american football fanatics, he is well known. Anectdotal I know, but, most of my friends, many of whom are football fans, never heard of the guy prior to the scandal. Now everyone knows who he is. You'd probably be shocked to learn that most people I know also know only Vince Lombardi as the guy they named that rest stop on the New Jersey turnpike after. I happen to know he had sumpthin or other to do with football because one day out of curiosity i googled him.  Not everyone, or even most people, are football fanatics. When one considers that almost everyone outside the US knows next to nothing about american football, and that the press coverage has been worldwide, i just can't see how you would think your claim holds up.