Today, the NCAA announced Ohio State’s sanctions for Tresselgate. They are, of course, far less severe than USC’s sanctions, despite the misconduct having been indisputably more widespread, with higher university officials (like, I don’t know, THE HEAD COACH) having been undeniably more directly responsible for what occurred.
Asked to comment, USC athletic director Pat Haden demurred: “My job is to move on. Not going to compare it.”
Here’s what Haden should have said:
Good afternoon. Today, the NCAA announced that it is imposing a 1-year bowl ban, and a reduction of 9 scholarships over 3 years, on Ohio State’s football program. These penalties resulted from an investigation which found that five football players had sacrificed their amateur status, sold merchandise illicitly, and taken illegal benefits from boosters within the Columbus community, and that head coach Jim Tressel knew about this, lied about it to the NCAA, and covered up his role, in large part so that the ineligible athletes could continue to compete for Ohio State, including in the 2010 Sugar Bowl.
As you know, USC is presently serving a 2-year bowl ban, and is about to suffer a reduction of 30 scholarships over 3 years, as a result of the NCAA’s findings that a single football player took illegal benefits, in San Diego, from a would-be agent. The NCAA found that USC had not adequately monitored this athlete’s activities or those of the agent, and had lacked institutional control in that the university “should have known” what was occurring, because “high-profile athletes require high-profile monitoring.” Crucially, however, the NCAA found no proof of actual knowledge by the school, still less of coaches or other university employees lying to the NCAA or engaging in a coverup.
We are gratified that, by imposing lesser penalties on Ohio State for what are indisputably more serious infractions that those committed in the USC case, the NCAA has tacitly acknowledged that its penalties against USC were far too harsh. It is unfortunate that the NCAA did not come to this realization sooner, such as when we appealed for a reduction in the penalties. However, the NCAA has obviously, if belatedly, realized its mistake, and for that we are grateful. All of college athletics is better off when the punishment for a given infraction fits the crime, as in the Ohio State case, rather than being grossly excessive, as in the USC case.
In light of these developments, we look forward to receiving an explicit statement of acknowledgement and apology from the NCAA. We also believe, although our appeals process has been exhausted, that a discretionary decision by the NCAA to reduce our scholarship penalties would be appropriate. But in any case, we are grateful that the mistakes made by the NCAA in our case will not be repeated going forward, and other schools will not suffer similarly unreasonable penalties to the ones we were given.
Thank you for your time.
But alas.
For the record, I’m genuinely glad Ohio State didn’t get hit harder. The fact that USC got royally screwed — a fact that cannot now seriously be disputed — is no reason to royally screw everyone else, too. That flies in the face of the concept of “precedent,” of course, but I’m looking at the bigger picture here. We can’t be giving Ohio State a three- or four-year ban, Miami the death penalty, and Penn State…what the hell would you give Penn State? No, we can’t do that, not if we want college sports to continue.
What should happen is an explicit renunciation of the USC ruling — the precedent being wiped off the books with an apology, a cancellation of the as-yet unserved sanctions, mass resignations from the Committee on Infractions, and a criminal investigation of Paul Dee (okay, kidding, I’m sure he’s done nothing criminal, but dammit, I can dream). That won’t happen, of course, because of the NCAA operates like a third-world kleptocracy, and third-world kleptocrats can never acknowledge that they were wrong about anything — it’s right there in the third-world kleptocrat handbook! So the USC ruling will remain on the books, a “widows & orphans” case that will never be used as precedent for anything, and USC fans will forever (or at least for the next decade or so) be pissed off when new rulings come out that are plainly unjustifiable when compared to our sanctions. That’s just how it’s gonna have to be, folks.
Meanwhile, I extend my sincere sympathies to any Buckeye fans who might be reading this. You’ll see no schadenfreude from this corner. It sucks to be you today. I know. I remember. But take heart: you’ll be back. Today is the low point. So fly your colors proudly today, as I did when USC’s sanctions were announced. Take your medicine, but have pride in your school. Tomorrow, the sun will rise. And Urban Meyer will still be your coach, you bastards. 🙂
I sooo badly want Barkley to come back and lead USC to a national championship while winning the Heisman. Not just because it would be so fun to watch as a USC fan, but also because it would be sticking a thumb in the NCAA’s eye.
I’d like to see a congressional investigation and the NCAA’s non profit and protected status stripped. Then I’d like to see a Justice department investigation for monopolistic practice and anti trust violations. Then I’d like to see congress decree that any non profit doing business with the NCAA will loose their non profit status.
The difference is that once Ohio State found out what was going on they acted contrite and fired their coach (even if it was a crocodile tears). USC had Garrett in charge and he thumbed his nose at the NCAA and then hired Kiffin.
The NCAA has so little enforcement staff that they rely on members to provide information to them. If you actually try to fight back, the NCAA is going to hammer you because they want programs to have incentives to acknowledge their authority. You can blame Garrett for your probation. If he had just acknowledged that it looked like Bush did something wrong, and then done an investigation and fired the dog killer and suggested a couple of scholarship losses, the NCAA probably would have backed off.
Woo Hoo Barkley is coming back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The real Pat Haden is handling this right. The sanctions were a bitter pill to swallow for every Trojan and the process was a total sham, but Trojans shouldn’t spend any more time dwelling on the Rose Bowl we don’t get to win this January, or the sanctions, that clearly aren’t going to hurt them the way the jealous haters said, and hoped, they would.
Instead of identifying with the Persecution set forth by the NCAA, Trojans should instead admire the success of the Coach and Quarterback last season, and the seasons going forward. The perserverence in the face of the sanctions that would cripple a mortal program, and the amazing accomplishments that will surely come one after the next after the next.
If you want belly-aching just see how the NCAA handles the punishment to Miami for infractions that should invite the death penalty to any program, and remember that those infractions happened under the watchful eye of the current chairman of the board of infractions for the NCAA. And let everyone who doesn’t know that, know that.
I guess I should have mentioned the charlatan by name. Paul Dee was the AD for Miami taking cash and gifts personally, and ignoring the payoffs to over 100 Hurricane amateur atheletes by Nevin Shapiro. He’s now the Chairman of the board on infractions with the NCAA.
Wonder if he’ll bring the hammer down on himself, and the athletic department he oversaw.
Now that’s corruption.