NCAA spins fairy-tale fodder
 

Didn't see this. Sorry if repost.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/colum...2&sportCat=ncf

NCAA spins fairy-tale fodder

By Gene Wojciechowski
ESPN.com

Huh? Did the NCAA do what I think it did? Did it basically rule that a father and a third party can actively, brazenly and with impunity shop a player around for hundreds of thousands of dollars -- and the worst thing that happens is the father has to lie low and the third party has to disassociate himself from the programs in question?

Did it just get embarrassed by a rules loophole the size of Jordan-Hare Stadium, the gist of it being: Your old man and another guy can put you on the open market, but as long as you don't know about it, you're good to strap it up for the next big game?

The answers: yes and yes.

"In determining how a violation impacts a student-athlete's eligibility, we must consider the young person's responsibility," said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president for academic and membership affairs, in announcing the ruling Wednesday that Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton is eligible. "Based on the information available to the reinstatement staff at this time, we do not have sufficient evidence that Cam Newton or anyone from Auburn was aware of this activity, which led to his reinstatement."

Amazing. The NCAA just made it possible for anyone with a blue-chip prospect to shop that player without fear of real punishment. Football player … hoops player -- doesn't matter. All you have to do is say the kid didn't have a clue about the sales price and it's like nothing happened. Plausible deniability.

The Rev. Cecil Newton should thank the heavens that the NCAA carries guns loaded with blanks. Newton's penalty for peddling his son: His access to Auburn athletics is "limited." That's it -- "limited," whatever that means.

This isn't a slap on the wrist; it's a wet kiss on the ring finger. Someone who tried to sell his own son as if he were a football commodity essentially beat the rap.

You think the reverend cares whether he has limited access? Please. In all likelihood, his son has two games left in his Auburn career. And then Cam is off to the NFL, where the auction is sanctioned and done publicly. Amen, to that.

As expected, everyone involved issued the appropriate statements. The NCAA made its molar-less ruling. Auburn said it was pleased with that ruling. And SEC commissioner Mike Slive said, "The conduct of Cam Newton's father and the involved individual is unacceptable and has no place in the SEC or in intercollegiate athletics."

Duh. Of course it's unacceptable. But nothing the NCAA or the SEC did Wednesday is going to make this go away in the future. If anything, Cecil Newton provided a detailed road map for those parents or others looking to make a buck (or nearly $200,000) off their sons. Now everyone with their hands out knows the NCAA is powerless to do anything -- just as long as the kid has that plausible deniability.

And maybe it's just me, but the NCAA's phrase, "Based on the information available to the reinstatement staff at this time" caught my attention. Does that mean investigators are still digging? Or does it mean they've run out of shovels?

And if they are still digging, what happens if they find something after the Heisman vote? Or after the national championship game? Then what?

So Cam Newton is eligible -- for Saturday night's game against South Carolina, for the Heisman and for the BCS National Championship Game, should No. 1-ranked Auburn win the SEC title. But something still doesn't feel right.

The NCAA, for all its countless, mind-boggling rules, is apparently useless when it comes to a father trying to sell his son. Think about that for a minute. It's like a bad fairy tale:

Once upon a time, in the land of the SEC, the quarterback's scheming father and the evil scouting service owner decided they were going to auction off the quarterback to the highest bidder. Best of all, the quarterback would never, ever know.

Then one day, they were ratted out.

The handsome quarterback was ruled ineligible but then instantly reinstated by the NCAA, played for the SEC championship and remained the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, and everyone lived happily ever after.

Meanwhile, Cecil Newton is laughing all the way to his big, bad limited access. He got his happy ending. And, as it turns out, so did his son.

But here's the thing: This isn't the end; it's the beginning. Of loophole chaos.

Good read and agree.

wasn't his father therefore acting as his agent from a legal perspective?

This could be solved by allowing all major universities to provide the SAME base salary amount no matter what school they go to. When you have poor athletes that get money waved in thier face, they are going to take it. The schools are making more than enough money off of the talent they bring into the school. See Reggie Bush's argument about the situation.

Supposedly without his knowledge so I'm not sure.

complete bullshit

when it comes to recruiting etc the student athlete and immediate family have to be consider 1 entity. If not then from now on it will just be some twisted game of cat and mouse with plausible deniability.

parents go to student athelete "we will decide which college you go to, you just play" then they go out and basically sell their kid to the highest biding college. If anything ask the kid anything he can legitimately say "i don't know anything about that".

Doesn't work

The NCAA is the most hypocritical organization. Jesus. You all KNOW that if Auburn weren't in the championship game picture they'd get raked over the coals for this, along with Cam. But no, the NCAA wants to spare themselves the embarrassment, so they set this DANGEROUS precedent.

**** the NCAA. What a joke.

They made the right call in this case.

I didn't know you worked for the NCAA.

I tend to agree. If (and its a BIG IF) he really didn't know about it, then he shouldn't be punished. The obvious problem is how do you prove someone did or didn't know what their parents were doing?

"Hey dad, What's with the new Suburban and Mercedes in the driveway? Oh my god, is that a new 70" flatscreen being installed? What happened?"

"Nothing, just sign the letter of intent on the new kitchen table, you'll be playing for Auburn net year."

IMHO the NCAA has to address this in the offseason and make a rule change or this will blow up in their faces soon. Every baby daddy with a blue-chip son will be asking to get paid "but don't tell my boy, he don't know".

He was over 18 at the time and, legally, his own entity. How could you count he and his father/parents as one entity when, in all other legal instances, they aren't?

So, now that we've got that all cleared up, any chance we could get a ****ing decision, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, on Tony Mitchell?

Exactly. Even a lie detector test isn't 100% reliable.

In other words the NCAA doesn't want TCU in the championship game.

So all parents of top 50 recruit children should just take out Craigslist ads and not tell their kids?

Oh and if you believe he didn't know I have some swamp land I'd like to sell you. Newt hold on before we commit to Auburn I have one more call to Florida to make then we are good.

I'm thinking he did indeed know as well. The problem is proving it.

FTR, no, I don't believe he didn't know anything about it. But I wasn't in on the NCAA's investigation. If they determined that he didn't know about it, then the decision they made followed suit.

Of course he knew. But it appears it can't be proven, so what are you going to do?

TCU will get raked over by Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. Then what will your argument be?

The problem is that you really can't prove it, and you won't be able to prove this sort of thing in future cases. There's no reason for parents not to go to a middleman and get paid now. No reason at all.

The only way I can see to handle future abuses of this sort is to either make a ruling that specifies all family members will be considered to be acting for the player themselves, or make a fine so stiff against anyone colaberating with non-agents in the interests of that player that it wouldn't happen.

Not until next year when they are finally part of "The System"......

A TCU loss doesn't affect his argument at all.

They don't join the Big Least until 2012.

When they get rolled by Wisconsin it will prove they didn't deserve a title shot.

Which is something very different than what chiefnj said.

Clueless.

Its getting there that is at issue...

His agenda has always been for Boise State or TCU or whatever other mid-major team of the year to get a title shot.

eh ... people said the same thing twice about Boise State

I'm not in favor of government involvement in athletics, far from it. In a case like this I wonder if there are any laws against solicitation of funds in return for guiding your unknowing child to perform an action? For some reason this seems more like it should be handled by the legal system than the NCAA.

They said Boise State would get rolled by Wisconsin?

Boise who?

NCAA, especially football is all BS anyway.

Good point.

No, that the smaller non BCS school would get rolled by the large BCS school.

And they said that about Boise State twice? Against Oklahoma and who else?

Once again, if they start paying football players, that means they have to pay all the athletes in all the sports. That will NEVER happen.


I think there is some truth to this.

Don't be dense.

How much $$$ did Auburn make off of Cam Newton?



Leave it alone. Players are going to get paid, and there won't be a damn thing that anyone can do about within the current fair and LEGAL system.

NCAA ruled no major violations for this. Opens the door to pay all parents as long as they don't tell their children.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...ing-cam-newton

The only thing the article you linked seems to say is that NCAA found no proof of Cam's family getting paid.

Awesome

I guess he should be asking you the same thing.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...e-sports/8643/

Interesting history of the NCAA and all their brazen hypocrisies.

The Perfect Crime.

There are many reasons why athletes can never get paid. As has been pointed out, if you pay one, you have to pay all. That will make it easier for cheaters to pay out more to the athletes.

There are two reasons for college athletics to exist. First is to bring prestige to the university. The second is to make money for the universities. Erase either of those and there is no incentive for universities to have sports. Having to pay athletes are going to boot a bunch of schools out of the process who don't make the millions that Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas or USC can bring in. I would guess a good percentage of Div 1 schools will simply downgrade at that point.

Most writers seem to think they are only in place as a minor league system for football and basketball. They also can't seem to understand that by paying college athletes in many instances makes these athletes now government employees. That's money coming out of taxpayers pockets.

The fact is athletes are paid with a college education. The fact that those who believe they will turn pro don't believe that its worth it for them doesn't make the opportunity any less. They complain some athletes can't afford to live. They get room, board, books, tutors. Tell me what else they need? If they can't afford to live with free food and housing, how did they make it that far?

Clearly the NCAA needs to look at its mounds of rules and relax them to a great extent. Problem is loosening the rules opens the door even further for programs to take advantage of. Let's take outside jobs. If those are allowed then overzealous boosters may put entire squads on their payroll for non-existent jobs. It could also flood the market so that those who do not have a full ride and a name on the back of their jersey won't have any jobs available. They probably actually need the money, unlike these athletes.

Nice.