Another article, posted Wednesday on ESPN Insider
By Rod Gilmore
ESPN Insider
Phantom jobs allegedly have existed in college football for decades, long before Maurice Clarett ever arrived on the Ohio State campus. A friend of mine, an Ohio State booster who requested anonymity, told me about a Buckeyes player in the 1950s whose job – supposedly arranged for by coaches – was to turn off the lights in the football stadium.
There were no lights in the football stadium.
According to Clarett, phantom jobs still exist at Ohio State. That, among other things, is what the former Buckeyes running back told ESPN The Magazine. Clarett alleges he and other players received cash from phantom jobs, cash from boosters and the use of free cars. Most of the public focus in Clarett's case has been on these alleged "extra benefits."
However, lost in the headlines about cars and cash is the part about the student-athletes. Clarett, and others, also have alleged a number of academic improprieties, including academic advisers steering players to football-friendly professors, Mickey Mouse classes and testing assistance. According to Clarett, this was all about keeping him and other players eligible to play football.
Clarett's allegations raise questions about the true arrangement between a university and its student-athletes. It is commonly understood that the bargain works like this: The student receives a free education and, in exchange, the university receives a talented athlete who helps the school win football games – and as a result, generate money to pay for non-revenue sports, administrators and million-dollar football coaches.
If Ohio State is not delivering the education, it is not living up to its end of the bargain – and the bargain becomes a sham. And if it is a sham, the cries for student-athletes to be paid become more reasonable. If universities don't take seriously their obligation to educate student-athletes they should simply pay the players.
Maurice Clarett alleges that Ohio State didn't hold up its end of the student-athlete bargain.
Some observers will say, in reality, many players attend Ohio State in order to pursue a career in the NFL, not to receive an education. Naturally, Ohio State coaches, like coaches at many other universities, do sell the NFL when they recruit players.
The fact that college football is the feeder program for professional football is the conundrum that confounds the NCAA's amateurism ideal. It often leads to student-athletes buying into a college coach's sales pitch about the NFL and ignoring the academic compact.
Is Ohio State delivering on its educational promise? That's one of the questions raised by Clarett's allegations, and the university should not be defensive about such an inquiry. In fact, it should welcome the scrutiny. It might be impossible for a university to be perfect on this issue, and Ohio State should listen to the claims of Clarett and other players.
For example, B.J. Barre, a defensive back in 2000, claimed he was steered into a learning disabilities program without his knowledge. According to Barre, this allowed him extra time and assistance on tests. Ohio State Athletic Director Andy Geiger vehemently denies this allegation. Geiger stated that learning disabilities are not determined or handled by the athletic department.
There are other examples. Sammy Maldonado, a former Buckeye running back, told ESPN The Magazine that after spending two years at Ohio State, only one year of credits was allowed when he transferred to Maryland. Maldonado said that while at Ohio State, he was advised to take those very classes that Maryland later disallowed.
Another player alleged an academic adviser steered him to a class on Yiddish Culture where approximately 10 other football players were enrolled. It seems unlikely, at best, that so many football players would have such an interest in Yiddish Culture.
Clarett and Marco Cooper, another former Buckeye, claim they were steered to African-American Studies classes that were populated with other football players. Geiger said "only 19 percent," or approximately 10 students, in the class of 50 were football players. That's still quite a few football players in a single class on a campus with approximately 35,000 undergraduates.
According to players interviewed by The Magazine, there are several notorious Mickey Mouse classes football players can take in order to help them remain eligible. Six officiating courses – baseball, basketball, football, softball, volleyball and wrestling – are available for three credits each.
A class on Coaching Football is available – taught by Jim Tressel, Ohio State's football coach. According to one player, the course teaches a basic version of the Buckeyes' playbook. According to Ohio State, football players do not generally take that course.
Ohio State is rightfully proud of the fact graduation rates have improved under Tressel. There are claims that under former coach John Cooper, only about 15 percent of football players graduated. The NCAA's 2004 report now pegs Ohio State's graduation rate for football at approximately 53 percent. Tressel also has encouraged former players such as linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer, who lasted only a short time in the NFL, to return to Ohio State to pursue his degree.
The increase in graduation rates is commendable. However, Ohio State's commitment to the student-athlete cannot be measured solely by those rates. The quality of those degrees also matters.
If football players are being steered to easy courses, then Ohio State is not living up to its obligation. The Buckeyes would not be alone – there probably are Mickey Mouse courses at most universities, especially those with major football programs.
But this should be an opportunity for Ohio State to solve these problems and steer football players in a different direction – in the right direction.
The headlines will continue to focus on whether Clarett and others received "extra benefits." However, the NCAA (not Ohio State officials) should investigate whether Ohio State football players are getting the basic academic benefits the school has promised.
And that can only be determined by listening to the student-athletes, regardless of whether you like what they have to say.
Rod Gilmore is an ESPN college football analyst and a regular contributor to Insider.