My original plan today was to continue my Off-Season Priorities article with a breakdown of the Colts defense, but instead I am being flexible (being flexible is how I have been so successful to get 5 regular readers already). This is not coming from an Arkansas fan still bitter about the loss in the Sugar Bowl (even though I will address that also), this is from a football fan who is tired of rules and punishments being administered by the evil NCAA seemingly random and at will, with no rhyme or reason as to why people are being punished. Hold on while I get off subject for a minute. Personally I think the NCAA is the most crooked, unfair, unreasonable, bullshit organization that I have ever run across; it makes our government, the IOC, FIFA, heck even Egypt's previous government look like honest and upstanding organizations with no hidden agenda other than the betterment of their respected constituents. Their rules are outdated and make no sense, and their enforcement of the rules is even worse. But this is one time that they have a chance to do the right thing, will they? Honestly I doubt it, I have lost all faith in them since they let the OSU players play in the Sugar Bowl after committing major infractions because the Sugar Bowl sponsors lobbied for it. Money talks, we all know that....
Let me start off by giving some background information. Before the Sugar Bowl between Ohio State and Arkansas it was revealed that some Ohio State players had received impermissible benefits. It was reported (and later confirmed) that they (including OSU stars Terrell Pryor & Boom Herron, and fellow offensive starters DeVier Posey & Mike Adams & D-line sub Solomon Thomas) had been selling Ohio State memorabilia and autographs to a local tattoo parlor in return for free and discounted tattoos. Their punishment for these so called "major violations" is that they are suspended for the first 5 games of next season (against traditional powerhouses such as Akron, Toledo, Colorado, etc) and they have to pay to a charity between $1,000-2,500 for the memorabilia (their own property) that was sold. Amazingly though they were able to play in the biggest game of the year, the Sugar Bowl, and their suspensions end before OSU's first big game of 2011 against Nebraska (probably the first primetime nationally televised game also, don't want to hurt the TV ratings and money). Considering that the stated reason for these guys selling their stuff in the first place was because of the bad financial situations their family's were in, how are these guys going to pay it back? Makes no sense! And why were they allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl? Because the Sugar Bowl sponsors lobbied the NCAA hard to allow them to play, because without the stars for one team playing, the ratings, and therefor the money made by both the Bowl sponsors and the NCAA would have been severely diminished. It was not as they say because they felt that the "players were not adequately educated on the rules", Pryor himself admitted (probably on accident but he admitted it anyways) the players knew that what they were doing was wrong. So to get this all straight, players can be suspended for bowl games if they make a bad grade, but not if they commit a major NCAA violation, got it? Me neither....
Now onto Tressel's punishment. It was found out this week that Tressel knew about the violations as early as 10 months before it was reported, and that he lied to his employer, the NCAA, and fans about his program having committed major violations on multiple occasions. This was not one minor slip of the tongue, or it slipped his mind, he literally LIED multiple times and even gave his signature stating that he was telling the truth. This is the head coach of a prestigious and respected college, lying to not only his employers but to the rule writing and enforcement agency that governs his chosen career. It would be like a cop lying to his boss and then lying under oath repeatedly to a judge. So what is his punishment for covering up a major violation and lying about it repeatedly you ask? It is a paltry 2 game suspension and $250,000 fine. Now these are self imposed sanctions by the school and the NCAA has a chance to add to it and make it right. Lets look at a kinda, sorta, but not really, somewhat similar instance from before. Dez Bryant who nearly 17 months ago was suspended for an entire year for lying to the NCAA because they pressured him, he got scared, and lied to them about having dinner with a friend and mentor, Deion Sanders. Remember he was found to not have committed any violations, major or secondary, he was just a scared kid who lied about dinner, and then came clean about it and he was still suspended for an entire year which effectively ended his collegiate career. The USC program was slapped with 30 lost scholarships and a 2 year bowl ban for Reggie Bush's violations (after 6 years of investigations even though all relevant facts were known within 6 months of the story breaking thanks to Yahoo Sports!), and they didn't lie (for many programs this would have been the equivalent of the "death penalty"). So now the student/athletes and coaches who were not even there during Bush's tenure are being punished, I know it makes no sense. Wouldn't you expect a head coach to be held to a higher standard than a student? Aren't the coaches supposed to be the ones setting the example and teaching these kids to be men, and how to live their life as adults. Isn't Jim Tressel supposed to be a role model to all the underprivileged kids that he recruits and signs that come from low income housing areas filled with gangs, that have no father figures and no example set for them; and he lies to cover up major violations and gets a slap on the wrist. What kind of example is Jim Tressel setting for all these kids whose parents he promised he would look out for them?
So what kind of punishment is acceptable? Honestly I do not know.... Do I think he should be fired or forced to step down? No, because by all other measures he has been a great coach, kept the school relevant and in the national title hunt most years (even if they just get whooped by SEC teams every time). But as I have always been told by my parents, lying about the crime will always get you in more trouble than the crime itself. He has managed to graduate 63% of his players (not bad with the lure of millions of dollars and the NFL attracting these kids) which is well above other schools such as, Oklahoma 44%, Oklahoma State 59%, Arkansas 55%, Oregon 54%, etc. To start, his punishment needs to be a punishment for him, not for the University and the players (even though it will affect the players to a point no matter what). It should not be bowl bans, loss of scholarships, or loss of recruiting visits; why punish the student/athletes for what the coach did? It should start with him not being allowed to wear those annoying sweater vests anymore, a minimum 1 year suspension from games and a limit to the number of practices he can attend, and forfeiture of his entire salary. He should be allowed to recruit so that the program can attempt to maintain its respectability, and his off-field income should be minimized (no paid appearances, or paid TV/radio shows). He should be required to do literally thousands of hours of community service, which should start with lecturing kids across the nation about the dangers and evils of lying. I believe that is where the NCAA should start, and they should wrap this up within a month. For once the NCAA has a chance to do some good, punish the man responsible, not the kids that he coaches. Will they do it right.....I doubt it....
My last gripe, it goes back to what I have said previously in this article. The NCAA does not need to punish future generations of players for the sins of the former players. The kids that were 12 when Reggie Bush committed his infractions at USC are being punished because the NCAA is so slow and incompetent, if Cam Newton is ever found guilty for the "pay for play" scam that his father was involved in they do not need to punish the students that are at Auburn then. These university's cannot police these kids every little move while they are on campus, and should not be punished 2-6 years later for something that happened. The NCAA either needs to get it right and get it done while the guilty parties are still under their control, or not do it at all. Do you really think Reggie Bush is at all remorseful for what he did? Hell no, he made his money, and while he isn't that good, he is still one of the more popular figures in New Orleans.
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