I thought I might post about the current NCAA sanctions/punishments for USC basketball and football since it's hot news and it's blowing up my news feed on facebook.
{and also because i'm kind of tired of responding to every status that pops up. here i can state my opinion and leave it at that}
So, if anyone reads anything newsworthy, you'll have heard that USC has lost 20 scholarships for football, and have been banned from bowl games for TWO years.
The team has also vacated every win during the seasons that Bush played while ineligible.
{the basketball team and USC had already sanctioned itself, banning themselves from post-season play, vacating games won and cutting scholarships}
This all comes after the NCAA investigation of Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo who were both found "ineligible" to play after receiving what appeared to be gifts and money from marketers, which according to the NCAA, is a violation of student-athlete rules.
Now, I am all for living by the rules, especially in sports. They are there to make play fair and enjoyable for all.
I agree that those involved should be punished. The basketball team voluntarily punished itself and served their time.
The ones guilty here are Bush, Mayo, Carroll (former football coach) and Floyd (former basketball coach).
They, although not still under NCAA ruling, should be the ones punished, not the current teams.
Take away Bush's Heisman Trophy.
Vacate his wins while playing ineligibly.
Fine them.
But the teams now had no part in this and most likely, no knowledge of any of this.
Most of them were still in high school when Bush played there.
Why take away their chances of a championship or a bowl win for someone else's stupidity and irresponsibility?
If you must, ban them from post season for one year. Not two. Give the boys the chance to play and prove themselves honest and trustworthy and able to win games on their own.
In the same realm, how does Bush's and Mayo's alleged violations actually affect the wins they gained?
Does living in a home provided by someone who might have had ulterior motives make you play better? Does it garner you more wins? No. Those wins were based on the team as a whole, and by the strength of the individual players. They may have known prior to leaving school that they would be drafted, and as such, they may have decided "i don't need to play well anymore, I'm leaving anyway". But no. They continued to lift up their team, play their hardest and win.
I know there are rules to keep and punishments to be handed out, but perhaps the NCAA needs to reinvestigate themselves and decide how relevant a violation of this sort is to how the game is played.
