NCAA Violations, Hypocrisy and a Very Disapointed Ohio State Fan

To say that the NCAA violations against Terrelle Pryor, Davier Posey, Boom Herron, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas are frustrating is an understatement. From the actual violations to the NCAA ruling to the feigned outrage coming from the likes of Mark May, the entire thing is just wrong on so many levels.

The Crime
If like me, you spent yesterday under a rock (or traveling) and haven’t heard about the situation, Pryor, Posey, Herron and Adams got caught selling jerseys, cleats and even their Big Ten Championship Rings and “I beat Michigan” gold pants for a whopping $2,500 in the worst case.

As a Buckeye fan, this is where I’m supposed to get angry. The Big Ten Championship rings and pants are tokens of honor. They represent all that is great about the tradition of Ohio State football. Yeah, that’s great but let’s for a moment, put ourselves in the shoes of a 20-year old kid who already has three Big Ten rings and gold pants charms. What’s one gold trinket more or less?

And while we’re role playing, let’s take this a step further. Remember back to your college days for a minute. Think about what you could have done with $2,500. Not to date myself too much but $2,500 would pay for 3 months rent, a stack of music from Singing Dog Records, a spring quarter’s worth of beer and maybe even a stack of textbooks (I was an English major, paperback novels were cheap). And this doesn’t even take into account the idea of supporting a financially strapped family and Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith claimed the players were doing.

Granted, the money wouldn’t go as far today but you get my point. If somebody offered me $1,000 for the life jacket I wore during the MCSA collegiate sailing championship, let’s just say I’d be shopping for a new life jacket.

Not that this in any way justifies the violation. It doesn’t. The rules were broken and when rules are broken, there are consequences that must be faced. Realize that as I work through this discussion, I am in no way justifying what they did or trivializing the violation (well maybe a little).

The Penalty
Given that rules were broken, there needs to be some sort of consequence. The NCAA has stated that five of the six players found guilty must sit out the first five games of next season (NCAA press release here) but apparently their is a rule somewhere that says the players facing suspension can play in bowl or championship games.

Regardless of how you feel about allowing these students to play in the Sugar Bowl, this is a huge penalty and one that is way out of proportion with the crime or lack therof. Remember, although there was a rule violation, no laws were broken and (not counting reputations and fan disappointment), there are no victims.

However, the impact of this punishment is huge. Pryor, Herron, Posey, and Adams will be forced to sit out for the first five games of their senior season. There is no question, all four of these athletes will be playing on Sundays. However, this decision could have a huge impact on their NFL careers. Keeping them from the first five games will severely impact what would have been a BCS National Championship hunt, impact their NFL prospects and possibly keep Pryor from becoming a top Heisman contender.

Up until yesterday, it appeared as though Pryor would forgo the NFL and return to Ohio State for another year. Posey and Herron, maybe but we had been lead to believe that Pryor had not filed his NFL paperwork. None of them are first-round picks and all would benefit from another season developing at the college level. A full year under the spotlight of a top BCS rank could move them way up in the draft.

While the university will appeal the decision, best case scenario is that the penalty is reduced by one game. If any of these player come back next year, it would speak volumes about their dedication as individuals to the university, Coach Tressel and the Ohio State fans.

The Hypocrisy
Is there anything about this entire mess that doesn’t reek of the hypocritical? The NCAA, the coaches, the commentators on ESPN, even your’s truly as I pound away at this keyboard, profits from college football. Everyone of course but the players themselves. Yes, the players get a free education. Yes, many of them will soon be millionaires when they get to the NFL. All of that is great. For the moment however they are for all intensive purposes, starving college students.

Dimitrious Stanley spoke passionately yesterday on WBNS about the fact that all the fame in the world doesn’t pay the bills. He talked about seeing teammates having to bum a couple of bucks to get a pizza or stay home in the dorms while others went out because they didn’t have the money to join them. When speaking to the charges yesterday, Smith (OSU athletic director) said that all of them were using the money raised to support their family in tough times.

Whether or not that is true doesn’t really matter. The system is broken and until it is fixed, violations of this sort will continue. To say that a kid can’t make a few bucks selling his autograph at a special function while all those around him make millions is absurd. If the local tattoo artist wants to give a kid a free tattoo in exchange for an autograph then so be it.

Can you for a second question why these students made a profit, and a relatively small one at that, off of their fame. The Ohio State University does exactly what they did every day. Want to buy a pair pants worn by Adam Homan or Justin Boren? No problem. They’re for sale on an “official” Ohio State website right now.

The problem is, we’ve created a culture in which there is a market for these things (and yes, the hypocrisy of a college football blogger saying that is well understood).

Hypocrisy No. 2
Cam Newton.

And although that name is enough right there, to hear Mark May spouting off that if this had happened in the SEC, the reaction would be different goes beyond my worst opinion of Mark May (and that’s saying a lot). In Mark May’s world, Ryan Mallett wouldn’t be playing in the Sugar Bowl if he had done the same.

The Letdown
As selfish as it may be, it’s not the violation itself that bother’s me. It’s the fact that there is now an astrix next to whatever happens in the Sugar Bowl and the impact on next season could be huge. If we win the bowl game, we will be sure to hear accusations of cheating. If we lose the bowl game, there will be a certain sense of justice from those who are quick to criticize the Buckeyes.

Fair or unfair, Ohio State’s reputation has taken a hit. Although I don’t believe this really does much to sully that reputation, it will be thrown back in our faces for some time to come. I am disappointed in the five players who committed the violations for this reason alone. Buckeye fans take pride in the fact that Ohio State is a class act, that they tend to rise above the problems found at other schools and for a moment at least, we are now forced to defend that reputation.

As Kirk Herbstreet said on yesterday’s Mike and Mike show, Ohio State will bounce back from this and they will be stronger when they do. I agree with him 100 percent (on that point at least).

And let’s face it. This is heart wrenching. As much as these five players have lifted us all up this year, this time they let us down. And although I’m disappointed, they’re still my Buckeyes and I’ll stand behind them to the end.

The Solution
Julie Posey, Davier Posey’s mother spoke out about the financial situation that lead to the violations and she makes an excellent point.

“Every time you turn around, they come up with something new to ensure that the young men that have poured their hearts and souls and energy and intellect into their craft are continually kept at a disadvantage when everybody else around them is running to the bank.”

As I mentioned above, just because a student athlete is famous doesn’t mean they are financially sound. Posey’s mother is a widow with four children. Even if Davier Posey didn’t send the money he raised back to his family, that is money his mother didn’t need to send to him.

Smith recognized the problem and said that he believes that money should be made available to the players and I agree with him. Although I am 100 percent opposed to straight out paying college football players, what about establishing a school managed trust fund which would be made available to the students for personal expenses or maybe a nice dinner out once and a while. The money would be managed by the university and student athletes would be able to make formal request for funds. Monitor the entire thing through some sort of compliance office to ensure that it’s not being abused. Put everything out front and transparent.

If a student athlete graduates without going into the NFL, allow them to take a stipend from trust. No diploma, no stipend. Work academics into the formula, all the better.

As much as I detest the concept of professional college athletics, something must be done. A college kid on work study ends the week with a few dollars in his pocket. I can’t believe a student athlete doesn’t work just as hard.