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Enough from Trojans
Posted May 11, 2008
See if this sounds familiar:
A high-profile athlete at Southern Cal is alleged to have received all kinds of special "benefits" both during and before his times as a Trojan. USC folks, of course, claim no knowledge of the occurrences.
A couple of years ago, it was running back Reggie Bush. This time around it's basketball star O.J. Mayo.
While the evidence against Bush is overwhelming, the NCAA has yet to see fit to administer even a slap on the hand to the Trojans.
Our guess is that the gutless wonders in Indianapolis won't do anything about USC adding a little Mayo to the sandwich of blatant disregard for the NCAA's rules.
Myles Brand and his NCAA cronies are terrific at levying punishment against schools that don't wield big-time power. When they sense such horrible violations such as allowing some walk-ons to eat a few training table meals, they wield a heavy hand.
But when the violations are blatant, such as players taking money for jobs they didn't perform, or players getting free rent for their parents, or players getting free televisions, money, etc., Brand and the Blind Mice turn the other cheek.
They do, at least, if the schools involved are among the NCAA traditional power brokers.
Or, they deal out empty punishment -- forfeiture of games from previous seasons, a penalty that has absolutely no actual ramifications whatsoever.
Gutless. It's the only way to describe the courage-challenged, spineless actions of a bloated bureaucracy that has completely forgotten its original intent. No accountability, a lack of integrity and a single-minded goal of padding the ever-growing institutional budget are the organization's operational standards today.
Sadly, the NCAA no longer governs college athletics.
It has become a dictatorship that panders to the elite at the cost of everything -- and everyone -- else.
I'd like to see them prove me wrong. But here's betting they don't have the courage to actually administer a penalty that fits the crime. Not, at least, when it's USC.
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Posted by JasperJohns on May 12, 2008 at 1:50 a.m.
Come on Neil, this subject is worthy of a lot more than a mere blog posting - I demand a full editorial!!
Posted by bzainthemd on May 12, 2008 at 8:55 a.m.
Right on Neill,
If you are truly going to be an oversight administration of school compliance, as the NCAA says it is, then hand out equal punishments to all. If we get penalized for providing meals innocently, then USC's penalty should be 100X ours. Even if they claim ignorance, which they always do, they should be penalized for not being proactive in indentifying potential big time problems. If you went though the Bush thing, then get a player like Mayo, and you don't check his wardrobe, his flat screen TV in his dorm room, and hotel rooms for him and his friends, and it doesn't set off an alarm, you are either stupid, don't care, or don't think you'll get caught. C'mon...if Tim Floyd sees him in these things and it doens't ring a bell that a poor kid from WVA couldn't afford these things, USC should be penalized for being stupid. But as ESPN's Pat Forde says, it really is "lack of institutional control."
Posted by davndeb on May 20, 2008 at 6:10 a.m.
The NCAA doesn't get enough heat from reporters and sports programmming in the media. There really is no investigative journalism that digs for the truth in these matters any more. USC should have lost championships, trophies, rings and standings because of Reggie Bush and his family. Yet the sports networks continue to "report" on the easy shots of the day rather than ferreting out misdeeds that start with strong rumors and stories and spending time to find the facts. The NCAA continues to focus on PC issues when there are real "fouls" taking place under their noses. Also,I loved the comments of OU when they self reported the fake jobs of their QB and then had the cahunas to say that because they self reported, they shouldn't have penalties instituted on their school. I actually think the NCAA let them off easy too. Let's see...if I shoot someone and then walk in to the police dept. and confess, I should get a get out of jail free card!! Yea, that's it.
Posted by JimmytheBuffalo on May 28, 2008 at 7:39 a.m.
great article. Let's also not forget the fact that they punish college athletes who want to compete for their country in the Olympics, while others are allowed to fight or play baseball professionally during the summer. Pathetic.