My ass is still chapped.

Chip Towers explains why.

So, just to get this straight, the worthless courses that these basketball players were taking to maintain their eligibility were NOT a violation of NCAA rules because regular students also took them. OK. Got it.

I bet Jim Harrick and Georgia basketball fans might like to hear a little more about that.

You might recall, the Bulldogs got burned badly about a similar issue. Only, basketball players weren’t routinely earning degrees in what amounted to be a bogus major.

No, UGA’s basketball program was pretty much torched because Jim Harrick Jr., Harrick’s son and an assistant for the basketball team, taught a physical education course for one semester that  counted for one hour of credit called “Coaching Principles and Strategies of Basketball.”

You’ll no doubt remember it because so many people – including late-night talk-show hosts — had fun with one of the questions on Harrick Jr.’s final exam for that class. It was: “How many points is a 3-point shot worth?”

A lot of people got a big laugh out of that at Georgia’s expense. But the Harricks always maintained that no wrongs were committed with that course because the roll included only three basketball players and about 100 other regular students. And the reason everybody got such a big laugh out of that joke of a question included on that exam is because that’s exactly what Harrick Jr. intended it to be — a joke!

Meanwhile, everybody in the class received an A for the course. Not just the basketball players but everybody. So it wasn’t like UGA basketball players were enjoying an extra benefit.

Yet the NCAA denied UGA’s appeal of the case and went on to issue a seven-year show-cause order against Harrick Jr.

“Given the serious violations affirmed above, we find that the seven-year, show-cause order was neither excessive nor inappropriate,” the appeal committee said in its report.

As a result of that decision, UGA had to vacate 30 wins – 11 from January on of 2002 season and all 19 from the entire 2002-03 season – for playing what the NCAA deemed were ineligible players during that span. Meanwhile, Harrick resigned, and the Georgia basketball became a dumpster fire that Dennis Felton was charged with putting out over the next three seasons.

We’re told the reason that the Bulldogs were hammered so hard was that the school admitted academic fraud. They thought they were doing the honorable thing and going to earn some leniency and respect from the NCAA by admitting wrongdoing. It could’ve been worse, then-President Michael Adams and the UGA legal team bragged to us.

The difference, I’ve been led to believe today, is that North Carolina never admitted to academic fraud.  [Emphasis added.]

They bragged about it.  Pride, with no results.  That’s the Georgia Way, peeps.  (And note this is long before Greg McGarity’s triumphant return to Athens.)

We are such chumps.

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UNC 1, NCAA 0

It took ’em three and a half years to punt.  How stupid does Michael Adams’ overreaction to the Harrick scandal look now?  (It looked stupid at the time, but, still.)

At least now they can get back to what’s important, which is keeping the labor base cheap.

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UPDATE:  The hypocrisy is strong in this one.

The same NCAA that claims that the bargain is fair b/c athletes are paid with Education, also says that fake classes are a BENEFIT. pic.twitter.com/OpCYgzL9oO

— Andy Schwarz (@andyhre) October 13, 2017

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UPDATE #2:  Good to see Greg Sankey has his priorities straight.

Sankey says the COI is "deeply concerned" and "troubled" about media leaks related to this case. Perhaps his strongest language so far.

— Andrew Carter (@_andrewcarter) October 13, 2017

Poor babies.

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UPDATE #3:  The cherry on top of today’s NCAA sundae…

The president from another planet

I read this Mark Emmert interview with the New York Times and my first thought upon finishing was “is he really this clueless”?  I mean, here’s the last paragraph of the story:

“There’s always been rumors and innuendo that swirled around about this kind of behavior,” he said. “I think one of the most disturbing elements of this whole circumstance is it seems to have uncovered, at least in these cases, a code of silence — that people who were aware of these things weren’t coming forward.”

This guy runs an organization with an investigation arm that is routinely rebuffed by folks who have no vested interest in cooperating with the NCAA (no, don’t ask me to explain Greg McGarity in that regard) and he’s surprised by a “code of silence”?  Jeebus.

You know, when you put it that way…

Larry Scott: Scandal has reaffirmed his belief in amateurism. "We do not want student-athletes coming to our schools to earn a living."

— Jeff Eisenberg (@JeffEisenberg) October 12, 2017

Scott added that he views college athletics as a "pathway" and not a "destination" for athletes with aspirations of a professional career.

— Jeff Eisenberg (@JeffEisenberg) October 12, 2017

Yeah, Larry Scott is a dick.  That’s callous even by Jim Delany standards.

“We must take decisive action.”

Mark Emmert, in the face of the NCAA’s most serious challenge since… I dunno, the Sandusky scandal? — and if you don’t think a federal criminal investigation into the NCAA’s biggest cash cow isn’t serious, you don’t know Mark Emmert — wants everyone to know he’s on the mother.

The recent news of a federal investigation into fraud in college basketball made it very clear the NCAA needs to make substantive changes to the way we operate, and do so quickly. Individuals who break the trust on which college sports is based have no place here. While I believe the vast majority of coaches follow the rules, the culture of silence in college basketball enables bad actors, and we need them out of the game. We must take decisive action. This is not a time for half-measures or incremental change.

Man, that sounds positively Churchillian.  To the bunkers!  Storm the beaches!

Form a committee.

Therefore, I have secured endorsement from the NCAA Board of Governors and Division I Board of Directors to form a Commission on College Basketball, which Dr. Condoleezza Rice has agreed to chair, to work with me in examining critical aspects of a system that clearly is not working. The commission will be composed of leaders from higher education, college sports, government and the business world, as well as accomplished former student-athletes.

Yeah, if there’s somebody out there who’s fully informed on how the AAU/shoe game is played, it’s Condi Rice.

To give you an idea of how deluded this inquiry is right out of the gate, check one of the three things the commission is directed to focus on:

The NCAA’s relationship with the NBA, and the challenging effect the NBA’s so-called “one and done” rule has had on college basketball, including how the NCAA can change its own eligibility rules to address that dynamic.

That’s going places.

Top that with the usual doing it for the kids excuse…

We need to do right by student-athletes. I believe we can — and we must — find a way to protect the integrity of college sports by addressing both sides of the coin: fairness and opportunity for college athletes, coupled with the enforcement capability to hold accountable those who undermine the standards of our community.

… and it seems like this is nothing but a stalling action until the Feds can put their little inquiry to bed.  Not that Emmert has any clue whether that will work, but he can always appoint another group to review what this commission concludes.  They’ve always got time, or at least they believe they do.

Media Contact

Stacey Osburn

NCAA Director of Public and Media Relations

Now he’s just trolling us.

Forget about taking Econ 101.

What do you get when you ask a bunch of folks who teach Economics what would happen if colleges paid student-athletes?

Really, it shouldn’t be that hard to understand why the NCAA fights to preserve amateurism.

(h/t)

Coaches and the NCAA, working together

The NCAA’s Division I Council introduced a couple of new proposals yesterday.  One  would limit football staff sizes for recruiting purposes to 30.  The other would move the start of football practice back to early August.  Both are expected to pass.

For the recruiting proposal, the 30 staff members would include the head coach, 10 assistants and four graduate assistants. The others would include recruiting coordinators, recruiting assistants, analysts and other administrative personnel.

Schools would have to designate the 30 individuals before the first preseason practice. Only those parties “would be able to initiate written and electronic correspondence with prospective student-athletes, their parents or legal guardians.”

I can’t imaging that’s making Nick Saban a happy camper, but I’m pretty sure he’s got three support staffers grinding away through the night trying to figure out where the holes are in that proposal.

In any event, rest assured that every school will have those lists of 30 at their beck and call to make sure everyone out on the recruiting trail is certified kosher.

As far as the start date for fall practice goes, there was some grumbling this year about certain schools getting theirs underway in July.  That’s gone with this.

In addition, the Division I Council is proposing a new practice start date, which would be 25 days prior to the first game of the season. For example, a team playing its first game Sept. 1 could hold its first practice Aug. 3.

With the elimination of two-a-day practices this year, schools were allowed to begin practice an extra week earlier. Some did so in late July, which would no longer be allowed under the proposed change.

According to the NCAA, members of the American Football Coaches Association are on-board with that proposed change.

“We were also talking about the 14-week standardized season, but it became apparent that it was going to be an impediment in our efforts to keep all the practices in August,” Bowlsby said. “We didn’t want practices taking place in July and conflicting with the end of summer school.”

It’s all coach-friendly.  If you doubt that’s who’s driving the train, guess which NCAA proposal has been tabled for now.

Any talk of changing the rules on NCAA student-athletes immediately transferring in the middle of the season is going to have to wait.

In an NCAA press release on Wednesday, it was announced the Division I Transfer Working Group will develop proposals intended “to improve the transfer environment for college athletes, coaches and teams.”

Per the report:

Legislation addressing immediate eligibility for student-athletes who meet an academic benchmark and graduate student financial aid will not be considered in this year’s cycle.

 “The excellent membership and student-athlete feedback really helped the working group in its discussions this week,” Chair and South Dakota State AD Justin Sell said about the meetings on Oct. 1-2. “I am confident that in the next few weeks we will come forward with a solid recommendation that will make a real difference in the transfer environment.”

Yeah, sure.  They’ll get right on it, kids.