The NCAA Can Suck It
This is short of ridiculous. You might remember last year when Florida State University discovered an academic cheating scandal centered around an online class that many of the schools athletes were taking. Upon discovering the clear violations, FSU fired the staff involved, suspended the athletes, and self-reported to the NCAA. Pretty much everything you’d hope a school would do in a similar situation.
The self-imposed sanctions FSU levied were no slouch either. Football players were benched for 4 games, including a bowl game, five scholarships were removed, and the athletic program was put on probation for two years. Florida State was attempting to make a statement that this was a serious offense and as such they were going to take it seriously.
Despite finding no additional violations or lack of institutional control, yesterday the NCAA decided it wasn’t enough. Six more scholarships were canceled, another four years of probation was tacked on and the school will have to vacate wins from games ineligible athletes participated in during the two year period in question. The exact number of games that will be vacated is currently unknown, but there is fear that both the 2006 and 2007 football season could be completely lost which would leave Bobby Bowden fifteen games behind Pterno, rather than one. On top of that, there is a possibility that at least one of the three consecutive men’s track and field National Championships could be lost as well.
More than likely this whole issues stems from a number of years ago when FSU president TK Wetherell threatened to sue the NCAA when they informed FSU, and other schools, that use of Indian themed mascots was defamatory. Wetherell, with the support of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, threatened legal action against the NCAA and eventually the NCAA’s entire push disappeared with no action by any school. The NCAA has had it out for Florida State ever since and finally got an opportunity to extract some revenge.
Frankly this is absolutely ridiculous. When FSU self-reported and imposed their own consequences they were praised for handling the situation so well and cleanly. But then comes in the NCAA and says, yeah, you did good, but we’re going to take it a few steps further. What’s this say to other schools who decide to self-report in the future? How about this: “Don’t bother. You’re better off sweeping it under the rug and hoping no one finds out because no matter what you do the NCAA will drop the hammer.”
Or, as TideNOVA on EPSN put it:
This is basically setting up a precedent for all colleges. The feeling is “come forward and cooperate, you will be punished harsher” and as with USC and Bush and Mayo “don’t cooperate and deny, you will get of scott free with no investigation.”
FSU does not yet know the number of wins they will be forced to vacate, but they have said any number will be contested. This is a long ways from being over.