Rolled Tide

A look at coverage surrounding Alabama's lastest run-in with the NCAA that resulted in 16 Crimson Tide teams being put on probation for three years:

Ian R. Rapoport, Birmingham News: Crimson Tide officials say they are disappointed in the penalties and are debating an appeal. Plus, the probation by the numbers.

Mike Bolton and Doug Segrest, Birmingham News: Former players were shocked that the NCAA clouded their accomplishments, especially because the guilty parties had already been punished by the university.

Kevin Scarbinsky, Birmingham News: The names and faces change at the University of Arrogance, but the attitude never seems to adjust.

Ray Melick, Birmingham News: It's time for an intervention, time for somebody — university president Robert Witt, perhaps — to bring the entire athletics family into a room and say, "This has got to stop."

David Climer, Tennessean: And they call this a penalty? The NCAA, which no longer punishes a school by banning offenders from TV because it affects other schools and entire conferences, looks foolish.

Jeff Schultz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: If Alabama doesn't clean up, it can say goodbye to Nick Saban.

Ivan Maisel, ESPN.com: Something has changed at the Capstone. In recent weeks, coach Nick Saban worried aloud that the university had not defended itself aggressively enough to the NCAA Committee on Infractions. That is quite a change from a university that for years didn't appear to take the NCAA Manual seriously.

Dennis Dodd, CBS Sports.com: There seemingly is no downside for the rules benders. If the violations are serious enough, all you have to do is get lawyered up with one of a myriad NCAA troubleshooters out there.

Andy Staples, SI.com: It seems the NCAA has banned the death penalty. For the nation's marquee programs, 25-to-life probably is out as well.

Comments

[Matt]

I have to agree with the pundits--this is more or less a green light for cheating by the NCAA.

Between this, the lack of investigation at USC, and the meteoric rise of former programs that were (are) synonymous with cheating (read: The Big XII South, sans OSU), it seems that integrity and honesty are out the window now. And that's a shame, because those are traits that we as a nation seem to lack any more.

[j]

This should not have fallen under NCAA jurisdiction period. The only party victimized in this was the University of Alabama, not the NCAA and not the SEC. No competitive advantage was gained on the field or off. It was not some sinister draconian plan drawn up by the Board of Trustees or Bear Jr. to somehow achieve football supremacy through textbooks. It is lunacy to believe Alabama was trying to lure recruits with promises of extra schoolbooks.

Out of 201 athletes UA’s investigation only turned up (and the NCAA accepts) 22 “intentional wrongdoers.” I believe, although UA did not find nor did the NCAA accuse, that these are the ones intentionally scamming the system for profit however small, let’s face it even the largest amount stolen from UA individually ($3900)wouldn’t cover the mortgage/rent or even monthly expenses of half of those reading this. So let’s say for the sake of argument that some or all of those 22 did profit, how is that any of the NCAA‘s business? There was no competitive advantage gained and the crime was committed against UA. Those 22 student-athletes violated their scholarships by intentionally defrauding the University.

Yet somehow the NCAA finds a way, through the labyrinth of oxymoron’s, double talk and insanity they call the NCAA rule book, to stick their fat money grubbing nose where it has no business. A 43.000 dollar fine for what? The students have already paid restitution to the victim (UA). That amount would not even make a dent in Nick Saban’s piggybank let alone UA’s athletic budget, i’m not saying that they are doing this for money but come on what’s the point?

The NCAA is nothing more than good ole’ boys/fat cats club and if you’re not one of them you are SOL. They either slam you for doing what others do (see USC, Oklahoma, OSU, etc.) or drag your schools name threw the mud and embarrass you for something that doesn’t add up to squat; simply because they can.