Over the past couple of weeks, I have been discussing the series of punishments handed down by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) upon the schools and individual players involved in what is known as the “agent scandal”. Now another twist in this story has come into play. An agent by the name of Josh Luchs has come forward to confess his crimes. Luchs has come forward and confessed that he had broken NCAA violations by giving players money. In his “confession” to Sports Illustrated, Luchs estimates he paid more than thirty players over a six year span. Also, Luchs did not hesitate to release the names of players who accepted money from him. Josh Luchs confession has revealed to the public that the agent scandal has been going on for quite some time. Now that more names have come to the surface of players who have accepted improper benefits, is the NCAA going to investigate these allegations and punish their schools like the NCAA sanctioned USC? Wouldn’t that be the fair thing to do? There is no way that the NCAA could look into all of these cases. However the release of this information asks a simple question: is there a way to fix this problem? If so, then how? Numerous of solutions to this problem have been suggested in open debates on radio talk shows and sports news shows such as ESPN’s Sports Center. However, no current action, known to the public, has been taken to try to stop this problem. Ralph Cindrich, a sports agent, said in a radio interview that he would guess that approximately 70 to 75 percent of athletes have broken the rules. In other words, the majority of athletes have broken rules making this problem extremely widespread. Cindrich went all to say that he didn’t think the problem could be solved unless the whole system was changed. Personally, I agree with Cindrich. I do not see any way to rid collegiate athletics of the agent scandal completely. There apparently has been illegal agent-player contact in the past and more than likely there will continue to be illegal agent-player contact in the future. Whether the NCAA searches for a solution to the fix the problem or whether they just let it be, the NCAA needs to make a decision and stick to it.
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| ncaa.org |
Last week, I reported on some of the severe sanctions handed down by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Well earlier this week, the NCAA released, yet another wave of sanctions which continue to shock the collegiate sports world. Over the past summer, the NCAA investigated a party which took place in Miami, Florida. The reason this particular party was under investigation was because of reports of player-agent contact, which is a violation of NCAA rules. Numerous collegiate athletes were investigated; however, most of the players were from the University of North Carolina. On Monday October 11, 2010, ESPN reported the latest sanctions announced by the NCAA. The NCAA declared wide receiver Greg Little and star defensive end Robert Quinn “permanently ineligible.” This basically means these players are no longer allowed to play collegiate football until further notice. At the same time this news was released, the University of North Carolina decided to cut ties with and dismiss All-American defensive tackle Marvin Austin from the team. Austin, who is the center of the NCAA investigation, was already suspended indefinitely. North Carolina decided to dismiss Austin from the team after the NCAA had discovered that Austin had received anywhere between $10,000 and $13,000 of improper benefits. The investigation also discovered that Quinn had received jewelry as well as travel accommodations to Miami totaling in over $5,000 worth of improper benefits. Little also received jewelry and travel accommodations to place such as: the Bahamas, Washington D.C., and Miami as well. Little’s benefits added up to almost $5,000.
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| gamedaycentral.com |
I have to agree with the punishments handed down by the NCAA on these student athletes. However, the report by ESPN also states that the NCAA was going to look into punishing the University of North Carolina. This is where the line needs to be drawn. The NCAA is looking at the possibility of sanctioning the university as well as vacating some of the programs athletic wins. The University of North Carolina did not accept these benefits for the players. The university itself did not have contact with agents. This was a personal action taken by the individuals involved with the agent scandal; therefore, there should only be personal punishment. The article also states that the university is also under academic investigation. If the university has committed academic violations then I could understand punishing the school itself. Otherwise, there should be no punishment placed on the school.
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| coolclips.com |
By now, I am sure that most of you have heard about Reggie Bush returning his Heisman Trophy due to an ongoing investigation by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). All summer long, the media covered the NCAA’s investigation and was chomping at the bit to release their findings and sanctions (punishment). After reviewing the case, the NCAA found that Reggie Bush had received improper benefits during his collegiate career at the University of Southern California (USC). Now the NCAA has strict rules that make receiving improper benefits, mainly money, illegal. I am not arguing the rules; I am arguing the sanctions. First of all, why is the NCAA punishing USC? They did not accept the benefits for Reggie, yet they receive strict sanctions that place them on a two year bowl ban and loss of multiple scholarships. That is just flat out ridiculous.
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| ncca.org |
Another example is the A.J. Green situation at the University of Georgia. The NCAA suspended the University of Georgia wide receiver for a total of four games because he sold his Independence Bowl jersey to someone who could be classified as an agent under NCAA specifications. Honestly, I see no problem with someone selling their personal belongings. However, it is against the rules. Green along with numerous other college football players was being investigated for illegal contact with agents at a party in Miami, Florida. While under investigation, the NCAA found a deposit for $1,000. First of all, why is the NCAA reviewing someone’s personal bank statements? Secondly, another collegiate player accepted almost $2000 worth of improper benefits directly from an agent and only received a two-game suspension compared to Green’s four-game suspension. Is it me, or does it seem that the NCAA has their priorities backwards? There is a fine line between strict punishment and being over the top, and I believe the NCAA has crossed that line. As stated before, I am not arguing the rules; I am just arguing the outrageous sanctions.
