tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

The NCAA Is A Disgrace

http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/24156338/30798279

The NCAA has found that there was no institutional wrongdoing on behalf of Ohio State University in the memorabilia-for-sale scheme that involved a number of players over a multi-year period. According to the NCAA, all the blame falls on Jim Tressel. Give me a break!!!

From everything that has been brought to light since this all came out back in December, it appears that various administrative types at OSU knew exactly what was going on. It is just unfathomable that no one but Tressel knew that players were selling or trading jerseys and other memorabilia for tattoos and cars. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, it was reported that the OSU AD before Gene Smith notified Tressel of problems pertaining to players selling items. I believe this was in 2005-2006. The article above does a great job of describing the inconsistencies of the Ohio State story.

There appears to be selective justice on the part of the NCAA. But what we also see is that the NCAA has some significant ethics problems. USC is on probation. Georgia Tech has given up their 2009 ACC title and been fined. Tennessee has self-imposed penalties and is awaiting an NCAA ruling. LSU is under investigation. Who will be happen next?

The NCAA is a disgrace. It talks about protecting student athletes. It talks about the importance of competition. Yet, it turns a blind-eye to a Big Ten institution and football powerhouse out of control. The yahoos in Columbus must all be happy. Tressel must be viewed as a martyr. And the Ohio High School Football Association will go on with their opening day tribute to him. Because at the end of the day its all about winning no matter how many rules you break. I can tell you one thing: I would never recommend a young man to go to OSU for any sport. It's nothing more than a meat factory. So much for protecting student athletes.