I am going to attempt to justify keeping the standard 16 Regular Season Games + 4 Preseason Games format that the league currently uses. I already addressed this briefly in a previous article, but I feel the need elaborate on it some more. One thing we know for sure though is that the NFL, its team owners and the players union (or association or whatever it is called now) care about one thing and one thing only, MONEY! I do not blame them for being as greedy as they are, but I feel that if they shorten the preseason, even if they lengthen the regular season, the quality of the product consumed by the fans will be diminished. The NFL needs the preseason to sort out which players are capable of playing under the lights and pressure during the regular season, to find out which guys are just scout team superstars and which ones can contribute on Sundays. Since it appears fairly obvious that the NFL is going to have to cut the preseason down by half (4 games down to 2) I have found a way for them to do this and at the same time increase the quality of the product on Sunday's, create more jobs at all levels of the organization, and most importantly (to the league, owners, and players) increase the revenue.
As previously stated, the main reason why the NFL needs the preseason is to see which players can perform in game situations and potentially contribute if called up on Sundays. If you are an NFL player that was not drafted in the top rounds of the NFL draft, the only way that you get to show that you can play in the league is during the preseason. During the regular season, if you are on the 8 man practice squad, and not part of the 53 man active roster you only get a chance to shine running the opposing teams offense and defense during practice while going against 1st and 2nd stringers that typically run half speed in practice, and on game days the practice squad does not even suit up, they spend the games watching in street clothes on the sideline, or if it's an away game they usually watch them at home like you and me. Even if you do make the 53 active man roster you may only have a chance to show what you can do on a few special teams plays during the game, if you are not a starter or part of the regular rotation. Your only true chance to shine may be because someone gets injured. I think that there are a lot of guys that can play in the league, and play well, they just never get a chance to show it because of limited opportunities. As a fan I enjoy the preseason games for 2 reasons: #1 because it's football, and #2 because I like trying to see if I can pick out a player that I might want to keep on tabs for fantasy football or mainly to see if I can spot the next guy that will make an impact in the league. So how does the NFL solve these problems? How do they cut the number of preseason games, improve the quality of the product on Sundays (and Thursdays and Mondays), while increasing revenue and keeping the regular season at 16 games? Here is how....
#1 - They sell their NFL Network Thursday night slate of games to one of the networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, or ESPN). From what I have read the league could easily create an extra $350 million in revenue by doing this. This would not only increase profits, but allow for extra broadcast space for idea #2.
#2 - They purchase the UFL, the struggling football league that for the past couple of years has been trying to be a haven for guys who are either a few years removed from contributing to an NFL team, guys that are not even good enough to make the practice squad, or guys that may have been overlooked. This would essentially be the NFL's version of minor league (I know they have their own free farm system called the NCAA but you cannot "call" players up from college on a need basis). By purchasing this league the NFL could relegate their practice squad or scout team players to the UFL where they would be on 1 of 5 UFL teams (and they can add or subtract as they see fit) and teams can call up the players they sent down there whenever they want to, and put them back down there whenever they want. And if the Dolphins wanted to pull a player that the Cardinals sent down to the minor league than the Dolphins would have to keep them on their active roster the rest of the season, and if the Dolphins place a "tender" on the player than the Dolphins have to give up certain draft picks, cash, etc. The main benefit of this "minor league" to the players would be: speed up the development of players by getting them live reps at full speed, create more jobs for players, and it would keep players in game shape by getting them live action.
The league would broadcast the UFL games on NFL Network so fans like myself could scout players that potentially could help out a team, and coaches would be able to see how the players react in game type situations at full speed. These games would be played during the regular NFL season, and while details still need to be worked out, I imagine a system where a player spends half their time with their respective team and the other half with the minor league team. The minor league teams would basically run simple vanilla offenses and defenses so that we are not giving the minor leaguers to much conflicting information, but the systems would allow them to call audibles and adjust coverages. The ad revenue and stadium revenue would be split equally among the NFL teams, and this would create more jobs for NFL players, referees (almost like training), coaches, stadium personnel, network jobs (NFL Network broadcasting them and ESPN and other sports entities that would report and evaluate it), etc. I do not see a downside to this, and I believe it would be very profitable.
Now I know what you are thinking, "the NFL already tried this with NFL Europe and it failed". This would be nothing like that, this would be American football, in American cities, where we know football is popular. Fans would watch these games, maybe not on as regular a basis as the games that count, but they would always be looking for the next Tony Romo playing on the Florida Tuskers. It would be a fan and family friendly venue that would be much more affordable then NFL games currently are. I mean we already know that the most popular player in an NFL town is the backup QB. Now think of the debate this would cause if a team like the Seahawks are struggling with either Matt Hasselbeck or Charlie Whitehurst at QB, but their 2nd round draft pick Jake Locker is setting the minor league football world on fire! All of a sudden you would have every fan of every team with a poorly performing QB watching the minor league games that Locker is playing in, and writing their teams website and local newspaper, calling into talk radio, shouting at the top of their lungs that "X" team needs to steal Jake Locker right now and replace their current QB. And hypothetically Jake Locker would be exclusive property of the Seahawks for 1-2 years possibly, or even 1/2 of the season, and if another team wanted to pick him up then they would have to give up two 1st round picks as compensation (or something of value to an NFL team). Man the possibilities of this are endless!!
I am going to cut this off right here, I think I will follow up on this at a later date with a more detailed plan of how this could and should work. To be honest the more I think about this, the better I feel that this idea really is. The development of players would be increased 10X, the amount of jobs that would be created at all levels are enormous, the interest and debate this would cause amongst football fans, talk show hosts, newspaper writers, bloggers, tweeters, etc is ENDLESS!! And the reason why the NFL should consider it, is because the additional revenue this would create for all sides is limited only by their creativity. The downside to this? I just thought of it, and now they would have to give me a cut of it.....
Showing posts with label NCAA violations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCAA violations. Show all posts
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
A Few Suggestions for the NCAA
After posting my last article I was still peeved off about the NCAA and their ignorant rules and enforcement of the rules, so I decided I would think about some possible ways to improve the NCAA and see if this makes me feel any better.
Suggestion #1 - Give all student-athletes a "per diem" for weekends and extracurricular activities that they may wish to participate in, and by extracurricular activities I mean going out on the weekend with friends, taking somebody on a date, or buying some clothes so they can wear something besides what is assigned to them by the athletic department. This is one way to stop what is usually the biggest student violation among student/athletes that I recall. This does not need to be thousands of dollars per month, but it needs to be enough that these kids can afford a normal life style while they are at college. The NCAA makes it hard for a lot of the kids that come from lower income families that cannot send them money by limiting when they can work, where they can work, and how much they can make. Most student-athletes cannot work during the season of the sport they play, and many cannot work during while school is in session. Also how are they going to work when they have to juggle class, practices, conditioning sessions, film study sessions, weight lifting, and you have to leave a small amount of room in their for them to have a social life. The amount that they should get per week or per month is for people much smarter and with higher pay grades than me (I do this for free so any pay grade) to figure out, but since the respective athletic departments, Universities, NCAA, and all the sponsors make millions each year off the athletes, they should be able to give them some spending money.
Suggestion #2 - This is related to suggestion #1, do not penalize the kids if they decide to sell their signatures or personal sports memorabilia. If the school, bowl game, or athletic uniform provider is allowed to sell jersey's, shirts, etc. with the student-athletes likeness on them and make some pretty good bank, then the kid should be allowed to sell his own personal belongings that he accrues while playing the sports. In fact let the kids do some school sponsored appearances for money where they shake hands and sign autographs, this could help pay for the "per diem" that they should be getting in my suggestion #1. This way the school and/or the NCAA could regulate it and ensure that the student-athlete is not shunning his duties in class or his athletic requirements. It would also give the athletes who are expected to go pro in their respective sport some exposure to some situations that they will be facing when they reach the next level.
Suggestion #3 - When a school or former student-athlete is found to have committed either major or minor infractions, do not punish the current student-athletes that are at the institution. Like I have said previously, I do not believe it is fair for the kids that are currently at USC to be punished for infractions that Reggie Bush and Pete Carroll (both long gone) committed while they were with the University. The solution to this problem is not one that I have a great answer to. Maybe the NCAA should just fine the University a large amount for "lack of institutional control", or have all student-athletes sign a contract stating that "they will not violate NCAA rules while they are an amateur student-athlete and if they are found to have done so within x number of years they will be subject to $xxxxx fine or xx hours of community service". I do not know if that would even be legal or hold up in court, but its not fair for kids, coaches, and administrators that had nothing to do with the infractions to suffer for them; or for the regular students whose college experience will not be as good because of NCAA penalties. Same goes for the coach who is found guilty of major violations, like Pete Carroll did they can just jump ship to another school or the professional ranks while their former ship sinks....
Suggestion #4 - After a student-athlete signs on to play for a particular coach at a particular school, and that coach is either fired, resigns, or leaves that job for any reason the student-athlete should be allowed to transfer to another school with no penalty. The reason for this is that there are a few hundred kids each year whose pro careers are potentially altered by a coaching change. For example, when Michigan switched from Lloyd Carr to Rich Rodriguez their entire offensive scheme changed. It went from a pro style offense with a pocket QB to a spread option style that needed a fast and quick QB whose biggest asset would be his legs. And now the school has just switched from Rich Rodriguez to Brady Hoke, who is a defensive minded coach, that ran a pro style at his previous job at San Diego State. Not to say that he won't hire a coordinator to run a spread scheme that his players are built for, but at some point he will probably make the switch and many players will be out of position. Why should the players suffer because either a school does not retain a coach or the coach leaves, if a coach can choose to leave at the drop of a hat (or the school can fire them at the drop of a hat) then the kids should be able to leave to another school better suited for their athletic abilities if that happens. Along these same lines, majority of the time when a kid signs to play a sport at a school, they are signing to play there because of the coach, not because of the school. And maybe the next coach hired is mad because the student-athlete chose not to sign with him previously and now the kid will be punished under the new coach. Again it all leads back to if there is a coaching change, let the students pick a new school and transfer, don't let them transfer just "for the hell of it" or because they aren't getting enough playing time, make the reason legit and everyone will be better for it.
Suggestion #5 - Offer classes for student-athletes that are expected to go pro, in that field of study. If colleges can train students to be accountants, teachers, lawyers, doctors, anthropologists, aromatherapists, boilermaking, golf course management, comic book art, meat cutting, auctioneering, and bagpiping (yes these are all real majors). Why don't we offer student-athletes a course designed to help them when they do go pro. The way I have thought it up is that the courses would consist of a mix of: personal finance, marketing, public relations, journalism, risk management, some law classes (to help them understand contracts), maybe some sort of "sports agent" class, physical therapy/athletic courses, coaching/teacher classes, classes directly related to their sport of choice like history of football, evolution of offenses and defenses, and since film study is vital to any professional athlete they should get credit for their film study with their coaches. Obviously this is not a cut and dry list and would have to be altered according to specific sports, institutions, etc. Also just because you are a scholarship football player would not mean that you are eligible, for instance, in football if the draft advisory board or a nationally renowned scouting service (or me) gives you a certain draft grade as a freshman than you would be eligible for this major. Or make it where they are not eligible to begin studying for the "Pro Sports" major until their sophomore or junior year after they have gotten their basics out of the way. It would need to be a major that can be completed within 2-3 years (since a lot of student-athletes go pro before their 4 years) and I believe it should be offered as a minor to guys who fill out in college after they were not expected to go pro early on. There are a few kinks that need to be worked out, such as what happens if a guy majoring in "Pro Sports" suffers a career ending injury his junior year in college, in cases like this the school should extend their scholarship (not counting against the athletic departments limited number of scholarships) and allow him time to get a different degree, maybe he would choose a degree in physical therapy or law and already have a credits for that major. I just don't understand how we can train young adults to be almost anything that they want, yet we do not offer them classes on how to deal with one of the more stressful jobs where they are constantly in the public eye.
Well I think my suggestions to improve and fix the NCAA are some good ones that they should consider. Will they? No, the NCAA has its head so far up its own ass that they do not listen to outsiders and especially not common sense, they are still stuck following archaic rules that were written when the NCAA was founded back in 1906. I really enjoyed writing this article and I may make it a regular column that I write with a couple of new suggestions (it will be shorter) like once a month. I am also open to any suggestions that my readers may have, and will even let you guys pen an article and I will publish it for you on reclinerqb.com so let me know if you are interested.
Suggestion #1 - Give all student-athletes a "per diem" for weekends and extracurricular activities that they may wish to participate in, and by extracurricular activities I mean going out on the weekend with friends, taking somebody on a date, or buying some clothes so they can wear something besides what is assigned to them by the athletic department. This is one way to stop what is usually the biggest student violation among student/athletes that I recall. This does not need to be thousands of dollars per month, but it needs to be enough that these kids can afford a normal life style while they are at college. The NCAA makes it hard for a lot of the kids that come from lower income families that cannot send them money by limiting when they can work, where they can work, and how much they can make. Most student-athletes cannot work during the season of the sport they play, and many cannot work during while school is in session. Also how are they going to work when they have to juggle class, practices, conditioning sessions, film study sessions, weight lifting, and you have to leave a small amount of room in their for them to have a social life. The amount that they should get per week or per month is for people much smarter and with higher pay grades than me (I do this for free so any pay grade) to figure out, but since the respective athletic departments, Universities, NCAA, and all the sponsors make millions each year off the athletes, they should be able to give them some spending money.
Suggestion #2 - This is related to suggestion #1, do not penalize the kids if they decide to sell their signatures or personal sports memorabilia. If the school, bowl game, or athletic uniform provider is allowed to sell jersey's, shirts, etc. with the student-athletes likeness on them and make some pretty good bank, then the kid should be allowed to sell his own personal belongings that he accrues while playing the sports. In fact let the kids do some school sponsored appearances for money where they shake hands and sign autographs, this could help pay for the "per diem" that they should be getting in my suggestion #1. This way the school and/or the NCAA could regulate it and ensure that the student-athlete is not shunning his duties in class or his athletic requirements. It would also give the athletes who are expected to go pro in their respective sport some exposure to some situations that they will be facing when they reach the next level.
Suggestion #3 - When a school or former student-athlete is found to have committed either major or minor infractions, do not punish the current student-athletes that are at the institution. Like I have said previously, I do not believe it is fair for the kids that are currently at USC to be punished for infractions that Reggie Bush and Pete Carroll (both long gone) committed while they were with the University. The solution to this problem is not one that I have a great answer to. Maybe the NCAA should just fine the University a large amount for "lack of institutional control", or have all student-athletes sign a contract stating that "they will not violate NCAA rules while they are an amateur student-athlete and if they are found to have done so within x number of years they will be subject to $xxxxx fine or xx hours of community service". I do not know if that would even be legal or hold up in court, but its not fair for kids, coaches, and administrators that had nothing to do with the infractions to suffer for them; or for the regular students whose college experience will not be as good because of NCAA penalties. Same goes for the coach who is found guilty of major violations, like Pete Carroll did they can just jump ship to another school or the professional ranks while their former ship sinks....
Suggestion #4 - After a student-athlete signs on to play for a particular coach at a particular school, and that coach is either fired, resigns, or leaves that job for any reason the student-athlete should be allowed to transfer to another school with no penalty. The reason for this is that there are a few hundred kids each year whose pro careers are potentially altered by a coaching change. For example, when Michigan switched from Lloyd Carr to Rich Rodriguez their entire offensive scheme changed. It went from a pro style offense with a pocket QB to a spread option style that needed a fast and quick QB whose biggest asset would be his legs. And now the school has just switched from Rich Rodriguez to Brady Hoke, who is a defensive minded coach, that ran a pro style at his previous job at San Diego State. Not to say that he won't hire a coordinator to run a spread scheme that his players are built for, but at some point he will probably make the switch and many players will be out of position. Why should the players suffer because either a school does not retain a coach or the coach leaves, if a coach can choose to leave at the drop of a hat (or the school can fire them at the drop of a hat) then the kids should be able to leave to another school better suited for their athletic abilities if that happens. Along these same lines, majority of the time when a kid signs to play a sport at a school, they are signing to play there because of the coach, not because of the school. And maybe the next coach hired is mad because the student-athlete chose not to sign with him previously and now the kid will be punished under the new coach. Again it all leads back to if there is a coaching change, let the students pick a new school and transfer, don't let them transfer just "for the hell of it" or because they aren't getting enough playing time, make the reason legit and everyone will be better for it.
Suggestion #5 - Offer classes for student-athletes that are expected to go pro, in that field of study. If colleges can train students to be accountants, teachers, lawyers, doctors, anthropologists, aromatherapists, boilermaking, golf course management, comic book art, meat cutting, auctioneering, and bagpiping (yes these are all real majors). Why don't we offer student-athletes a course designed to help them when they do go pro. The way I have thought it up is that the courses would consist of a mix of: personal finance, marketing, public relations, journalism, risk management, some law classes (to help them understand contracts), maybe some sort of "sports agent" class, physical therapy/athletic courses, coaching/teacher classes, classes directly related to their sport of choice like history of football, evolution of offenses and defenses, and since film study is vital to any professional athlete they should get credit for their film study with their coaches. Obviously this is not a cut and dry list and would have to be altered according to specific sports, institutions, etc. Also just because you are a scholarship football player would not mean that you are eligible, for instance, in football if the draft advisory board or a nationally renowned scouting service (or me) gives you a certain draft grade as a freshman than you would be eligible for this major. Or make it where they are not eligible to begin studying for the "Pro Sports" major until their sophomore or junior year after they have gotten their basics out of the way. It would need to be a major that can be completed within 2-3 years (since a lot of student-athletes go pro before their 4 years) and I believe it should be offered as a minor to guys who fill out in college after they were not expected to go pro early on. There are a few kinks that need to be worked out, such as what happens if a guy majoring in "Pro Sports" suffers a career ending injury his junior year in college, in cases like this the school should extend their scholarship (not counting against the athletic departments limited number of scholarships) and allow him time to get a different degree, maybe he would choose a degree in physical therapy or law and already have a credits for that major. I just don't understand how we can train young adults to be almost anything that they want, yet we do not offer them classes on how to deal with one of the more stressful jobs where they are constantly in the public eye.
Well I think my suggestions to improve and fix the NCAA are some good ones that they should consider. Will they? No, the NCAA has its head so far up its own ass that they do not listen to outsiders and especially not common sense, they are still stuck following archaic rules that were written when the NCAA was founded back in 1906. I really enjoyed writing this article and I may make it a regular column that I write with a couple of new suggestions (it will be shorter) like once a month. I am also open to any suggestions that my readers may have, and will even let you guys pen an article and I will publish it for you on reclinerqb.com so let me know if you are interested.
Jim Tressel Punishment - What a Joke!
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.
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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