The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
Quite frankly, I don't care a flying fig about Penn State, vacated wins and the legacy of Joe Paterno. But the "unprecedented" sanctions levied by the NCAA this morning break new ground for that institution and it may not be good.
The NCAA took unprecedented measures with the decision to penalize Penn State without the due process of a Committee on Infractions hearing, bypassing a system in which it conducts its own investigations, issues a notice of allegations and then allows the university 90 days to respond before a hearing is scheduled.
The NCAA is a private organization set up by the university presidents to keep the playing field level in recruiting and provide uniform rules under which its athletic teams compete. It is not a civil or criminal court to punish the off-the-field misdeeds outside of its jurisdiction. NCAA President Mark Emmert has decided to give himself the powers of the professional league commissioners. He will now use the "institutional control" rule like MLB's all-encompassing "best interests of baseball clause" to try to wrestle control of football away from the conferences and back to the NCAA.
Because of the shame and the bad publicity surrounding this case, Penn State will probably not appeal. It will be left up to the next college that finds itself on the hook for something that falls outside of the normal NCAA purview to challenge this. Or perhaps this winter the university presidents will codify the NCAA's new powers and cede back control of football to Indianapolis.
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Comments:
Mar '11
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
As an alumnus of a school that's felt more than its share of the NCAA lash, I'm biased, but the NCAA itself is an organization that needs to be blown up and rebuilt. There are rules for the haves and rules for the have nots, and never the twain shall meet.
The NCAA has the authority to mete out whatever punishment it wishes, on the flimsiest of accusations, yet today's action is shameful. What happened at Penn State was quantum leaps worse than what happened at SMU, but since it's Penn State, it still gets to play football and become Stepford on Saturdays. Don't think that Beaver Stadium isn't going to become an even more rabid Paterno shrine than it already is. If they're going to be allowed to play, then hit them with a TV and radio ban and don't allow anyone in the stadium to watch the games. Otherwise, suspend the program until this year's freshman class graduates, force them to clean house and start over.
May '10
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
But Illini, explain this: Who is the NCAA punishing? The kids in the Penn State program who were between the ages of 4 and 8 when Jerry Sandusky last worked there? Or is it supposed to be Joe Paterno, who is deader than dead and now being eradicated from history like a discredited Politburo member?
It is very unlikely that the Penn State officials forced to resign by this scandal will ever find gainful employment at another institution and may yet face jail time. The NCAA is a private institution whose rules Penn State may not have even breached, and it's not a legal court where justice must be meted out to satisfy society.
Mar '11
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
EJHill
But Illini, explain this: Who is the NCAA punishing? The kids in the Penn State program who were between the ages of 4 and 8 when Jerry Sandusky last worked there...
...The NCAA is a private institution whose rules Penn State may not have even breached, and it's not a legal court where justice must be meted out to satisfy society. · 14 minutes ago
PSU should've considered that back in 1998 when they chose to bury this scandal. There are other instances of NCAA imposing sanctions against programs that didn't breach the rules (the Deon Thomas affair comes to mind). What about the kids playing in those systems? They were hurt just as much, if not more, since there was no wrongdoing to punish.
The arrogance that made Penn State think that it could get away with it is reason enough. This is an instance where a cult and a culture has to be broken, and an example set that resonates from Michigan and LSU to Slippery Rock and all points in between.
Edited on July 23, 2012 at 5:28pmDec '11
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
Hypothetically, If I were a player who last season redshirted my freshman year I'd have to ask:
Because of the actions and inactions of adults, stemming back to when I was a mere child, I am being punished for the next four years? How is this fair? Why is this just?
Mar '11
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
Bluenoser: Hypothetically, If I were a player who last season redshirted my freshman year I'd have to ask:
Because of the actions and inactions of adults, stemming back to when I was a mere child, I am being punished for the next four years? How is this fair? Why is this just? · 0 minutes ago
It isn't fair and it isn't just. But when Joe Paterno sat in your living room with you and your parents and told you that playing for Penn State would mold you as a man and not just a football player, that Penn State would imbue you with something you'd take with you for the rest of your life, how do you feel now knowing he was lying to your face? What kind of loyalty should that inspire?
Edited on July 23, 2012 at 5:53pmMay '10
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
But the Deon Thomas affair was all about recruiting and payoffs. That's what the NCAA was created for. (Even if they didn't handle well.)
What we have here is a classic power struggle between the NCAA, its member schools and the conferences over a boatload of money and who's going to control college football in the long run. The schools and the conferences currently have the upper hand with a SCOTUS ruling in their back pocket (Okla Regents v NCAA). No doubt Emmert & Co. hope to use this scandal to get the university presidents to legally cede that control (and money) back to them.
May '10
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
Illiniguy - You wouldn't be bitter about the fact that over the last 14 years (the time period in question with Penn State) that your Illinois Illini club is 27 game under .500 and only got to the Rose Bowl because you finished 2nd and the team ahead of you went to the BCS Championship Game, would you?
Jul '11
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
You bring up an interesting point, EJ. Those directly responsible for this should be harshly dealt with by proper authorities. That includes JoePa, the administrators, and other onlookers who knew what was going on. The question is, what authority does the NCAA have, and is it proper for them to exercise that authority in this matter?
In that sense, it seems that the NCAA decision is a mixed bag. They can't bring criminal charges to the administrators, but they can punish the coaches (esp. Paterno) in a unique way by vacating his wins. Considering that he turned a blind eye to criminal activity during that time frame, I think it's appropriate. While the rest of their decision fails to directly punish the remaining guilty parties, perhaps it serves as a disincentive to allow moral reprobates onto your coaching staff.
The problem with the decision is that it seems to imply that there is a systemic problem with the college football industry that precipitated this, thus the NCAA must take these steps. College football money did not cause this, evil men did.
-E
Mar '11
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
"Didn't handle it well" is putting it too kindly, considering what Bruce Pearl and Iowa perpetrated. At least he got caught again and this time the stink stuck.
Frankly, I don't have a problem with the conferences running their own businesses if the alternative is to have the NCAA and its bunch of pious hypocrites making sounds like it's doing what it does for the integrity of a system that everyone knows is broken. If Federalism is good for the country, why can't it work for college athletics?
Edited on July 23, 2012 at 9:19pmMar '11
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
It may be hard to believe, but no, I'm not bitter. When one becomes a fan of the Illini, one becomes used to seeing the dark cloud inside every silver lining. We don't pretend we can play with the big boys (but it does feel good to take them down a notch every once in awhile).
This makes me mad, if for no other reason than we're being forced to swallow a bunch of swill from people to whom the status quo is just dandy, and please don't look behind the curtain to see who's really pulling the strings. Yes, money has corrupted the system, but it wouldn't have had the system not been willing to be corrupted.
Dec '11
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
Illiniguy
What kind of loyalty should that inspire? · 9 minutes ago
Edited 8 minutes ago
None.
That said, I am now denied an opportunity to play in a bowl game for my entire college career. Sure, I could transfer schools, but I'll have to sit out a year, and loose that year of eligibility to do so.
There are plenty of avenues for holding the individuals with some culpability responsible for their actions/inactions. There are even avenues where the University as a whole can be punished. But, I do not see it legitimate for the NCAA to punish the program for something that did not violate any NCAA rules. It is not just illegitimate it is downright distasteful to punish the kids in the program now for the actions/inactions of adults then.
May '10
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
You don't think the need to preserve the golden goose wasn't behind the coverup?
Jul '11
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
EJHill
You don't think the need to preserve the golden goose wasn't behind the coverup? · 1 minute ago
On the contrary, I'm sure that it played a big part. But crimes committed in pursuit of money do not prove that money is at fault. The scripture says that the love of money, not money itself, is the root of all evil.
There are parts of the decision that punish the offenders (wins vacated, fines, etc). Great. But there are other parts (reduced scholarships, no bowl games) that punish "the system". Those will end up hurting innocent and guilty alike without addressing the real root cause: evil men.
-E
May '10
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
The culture of the entire university is sick with football. Everyone involved in football worship at Penn State including the fans and alumni are responsible for the environment that gave Paterno so much power that he could cover up something so rampant and squalid. That winning football games was so important that it could enlist so many adult men in the cover-up of multiple, repeated child rapes. The janitors are afraid to speak out when they see a child being raped for fear of losing their jobs. That is about more than the individuals involved and requires sanctions far greater than a fine that the alumni will easily make up and the loss of a bowl game. I have no opinion about whether the NCAA is a valuable organization or not, but since it seems to be the only party able to apply any oversight at all, I wish it had struck more directly at the root of the problem. This is about football overstepping and stepping on the academic purpose of the institution and is just as deserving of approbation from the sports governing body as recruiting violations.
May '10
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
EJHill:
The NCAA is a private organization....
Yeah, like the American Bar Association and American Medical Association are private organizations. Whatever they are called, they have the force of law.
This is nonsense. Football fans will consider those wins regardless of NCAA records because we saw those wins happen. Whether or not Paterno was a good man, he was a good football coach. This move serves the NCAA's advertising more than any victims. Like it or not, Paterno and those victories are a part of college football history. Creating a false record brings no honor to the sport.
Sep '10
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
In fact, this case proves the NCAA is really bad at oversight since it did nothing to Penn State prior to the story breaking last year. In fact, Penn State and Paterno had been quite vocal for some time that he was the most important man on campus. If the NCAA is supposed to provide oversight as to whether a "football overstepping and stepping on the academic purpose of the institution" why weren't they already investigating Penn State?? My advice to the families is since the NCAA has inserted itself into the matter, look at suing them for failing to act sooner.
The NCAA is in fact not the only organization capable of applying any oversight. Let the criminal and civil court mete out justice. They'll do a much better job.
Sep '10
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
ESPN's Jay Bilas wrote an excellent article last week, warning the NCAA to stay out of it:
The NCAA is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
May '10
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
Mark Emmert will try to consolidate the power of the NCAA through this by appealing to the university presidents and asking them, "Aren't you tired of being the fourth most powerful person on campus?"
Sep '11
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
Bluenoser: Hypothetically, If I were a player who last season redshirted my freshman year I'd have to ask:
Because of the actions and inactions of adults, stemming back to when I was a mere child, I am being punished for the next four years?
Read the NCAA statement. In fact, if you're a football player, you're in luck. You can transfer without penalty (you won't have to sit out a year). If you decide to stay, you can keep your athletic scholarship, even if you decide to stop playing football.
There is a de facto "supplemental draft" going on this afternoon, as Penn State players scramble to find places in other programs.
May '12
Re: The NCAA Doesn't Waste A Crisis
They were too busy being good ole boys, patting each other on the back, and raking in the money. The NCAA wants to live with the illusion of sponsoring student athletics when they were really promoting a professional sports league. Consider that just last year, before the Sandusky scandal broke, the NCAA gave Paterno its Gerald R. Ford Award for "significant leadership in the role of advocate for intercollegiate athletics and has done so a continuous basis over the course of their career." For the past 20 years or so we've heard from plenty of people including the NCAA that Penn State was 'winning the right way'. Even excluding the Sandusky affair, the NCAA was willing to overlook a real lack of institutional control;
NCAA delenda est.
Edited on July 24, 2012 at 12:16am