Scott
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NCAA Rule Book Needs Enema
Scott via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
I’ve often joked that when they go to give the world an enema, one end of the tube should be squarely inserted in Ann Arbor (the city, not some lady nobody knows about).
But I think I have found a better place. How about the NCAA rule book? Nothing is in more dire need of a cleansing right about now.
Remember the time former OSU basketball coach Randy Ayers committed a violation by offering condolences to recruit Damon Flint on the death of his mother during a non-contact period?
How about the cream cheese controversy, so sophomoric and idiotic that I refuse to delve back into it here. That’s what Google is for.
But what what happened to Charleston Southern’s football players last week, around 32 of them to be somewhat exact, takes the proverbial cake.
To refresh: The aforementioned number of players are in trouble because they allegedly used book money to buy things other than books from the university book store.
Or as the school said, “financial aid violations relative to book purchases.”
Allow running back Ben Robinson to tell the story, as it was posted on Facebook last week. Members of the team were “suspended for using book money to buy other things in the book store like pencils, binders, and electronics, out of our school bookstore. We would have left over book money and the workers in the bookstore advised us to spend the money because we would not get it back, so we did.”
Full disclosure, the school said student athletes may purchase books and school supplies with the financial aid provided to them to purchase books.
Pencils? OK.
Binders? Sure.
Electronics? Maybe not the best idea unless it’s an electronic device to help with actual school work and not listen to Bruce Springsteen.
No doubt the players got some bad advice from the workers and they should have checked with the compliance office first just to be safe.
But here is where the rules really need some soap and water, or at least some common sense. These players, 14 of whom sat out against Florida State last week and 18 of whom will sit out a future game, were not trying to pull a fast one on the NCAA.
They weren’t buying Rolexes or sports cars. So maybe they took an extra liberty or two IF they bought a radio or bag of chips. Or even a school flag or sweatshirt.
This is not the type of stuff with which the NCAA should be concerned. It should be more worried about crappy officiating and coaches eating boogers on national TV. It should be trying to figure out how to justify a nearly $2 million salary for its president and why more than four teams shouldn’t be in the playoffs.
The answer is simple.
Get the member schools to re-write and pass new rules and consequences. The NCAA doesn’t make the rules. It only enforces what the schools agree to.
These types of mistakes don’t deserve a suspension. I doubt Charleston Southern beats Florida State with all 32 players on the field at the same time. But the school should not have been whacked like it was.
Make the players return the items, if possible. Make them volunteer time as restitution. Go over the rule book with them. Make it mandatory a member of compliance goes with players to the bookstore.
But beans and rice, get that damn rule book fixed NOW. Insert common sense. Make the punishment fit the crime. If the intent to commit a serious violation is there, nail them.
If its something so minor as a few items from a bookstore, who cares? That won’t bankrupt the NCAA nor will it give Charleston Southern any type of on-the-field advantage.
It’s about what’s right. And what happened here was wrong.
The post NCAA Rule Book Needs Enema appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
Scott via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
I’ve often joked that when they go to give the world an enema, one end of the tube should be squarely inserted in Ann Arbor (the city, not some lady nobody knows about).
But I think I have found a better place. How about the NCAA rule book? Nothing is in more dire need of a cleansing right about now.
Remember the time former OSU basketball coach Randy Ayers committed a violation by offering condolences to recruit Damon Flint on the death of his mother during a non-contact period?
How about the cream cheese controversy, so sophomoric and idiotic that I refuse to delve back into it here. That’s what Google is for.
But what what happened to Charleston Southern’s football players last week, around 32 of them to be somewhat exact, takes the proverbial cake.
To refresh: The aforementioned number of players are in trouble because they allegedly used book money to buy things other than books from the university book store.
Or as the school said, “financial aid violations relative to book purchases.”
Allow running back Ben Robinson to tell the story, as it was posted on Facebook last week. Members of the team were “suspended for using book money to buy other things in the book store like pencils, binders, and electronics, out of our school bookstore. We would have left over book money and the workers in the bookstore advised us to spend the money because we would not get it back, so we did.”
Full disclosure, the school said student athletes may purchase books and school supplies with the financial aid provided to them to purchase books.
Pencils? OK.
Binders? Sure.
Electronics? Maybe not the best idea unless it’s an electronic device to help with actual school work and not listen to Bruce Springsteen.
No doubt the players got some bad advice from the workers and they should have checked with the compliance office first just to be safe.
But here is where the rules really need some soap and water, or at least some common sense. These players, 14 of whom sat out against Florida State last week and 18 of whom will sit out a future game, were not trying to pull a fast one on the NCAA.
They weren’t buying Rolexes or sports cars. So maybe they took an extra liberty or two IF they bought a radio or bag of chips. Or even a school flag or sweatshirt.
This is not the type of stuff with which the NCAA should be concerned. It should be more worried about crappy officiating and coaches eating boogers on national TV. It should be trying to figure out how to justify a nearly $2 million salary for its president and why more than four teams shouldn’t be in the playoffs.
The answer is simple.
Get the member schools to re-write and pass new rules and consequences. The NCAA doesn’t make the rules. It only enforces what the schools agree to.
These types of mistakes don’t deserve a suspension. I doubt Charleston Southern beats Florida State with all 32 players on the field at the same time. But the school should not have been whacked like it was.
Make the players return the items, if possible. Make them volunteer time as restitution. Go over the rule book with them. Make it mandatory a member of compliance goes with players to the bookstore.
But beans and rice, get that damn rule book fixed NOW. Insert common sense. Make the punishment fit the crime. If the intent to commit a serious violation is there, nail them.
If its something so minor as a few items from a bookstore, who cares? That won’t bankrupt the NCAA nor will it give Charleston Southern any type of on-the-field advantage.
It’s about what’s right. And what happened here was wrong.
The post NCAA Rule Book Needs Enema appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...