The NCAA is patently ridiculous, and we deserve better. I don’t mean they are unique in their ridiculousness, I actually mean surely they filed some sort of legal document to ensure that no one is allowed to be as ridiculousness as the NCAA. Because contrary to popular belief they are not mean or evil, they are simply stupid and nothing worse. Of course if you’re in their charge, the NCAA being dumb is still pretty big punishment.
Let me explain. I’m not talking about the incompetence of the BCS- although rest assured a playoff is needed. I’m also not complaining about Dez Bryant, the Oklahoma State receiver who was suspended for the year for not disclosing that he had dinner with Deion Sanders. His suspension, which ended his college career, is pretty dumb, but complaining about that is like complaining about GM not making a good hybrid. A company that big doesn’t get into this much trouble without making mistake after mistake. Dez Bryant is just another victim of a poorly run system. He’s a victim because he is being made an example despite others’ mistakes while those others get off scot-free. He and the 2009-10 USC basketball team can console each other.
In fact, USC is the epicenter of the most recent proof of the NCAA’s idiocy. The ton of bricks that broke the camel’s back, if you will. Make no mistake, USC- like every other college with a sports team- is an accessory to the NCAA’s absurdity. But maybe if the NCAA weren’t so hell-bent on ruining college sports, they would actually use USC’s example. Instead of just trying to make an example of them, why not try and make a fundamental change to the entire system? They could make a rule- we in the media will immediately nickname it the “Pete Caroll rule”- that could go a long way in cleaning up college sports. It would be accompanied by the “Reggie Bush rule” and just for good measure, the “Mike Garrett rule.”
First- The Pete Carroll Rule
Just about everyone was surprised by Pete Carroll’s departure from USC. He seemingly had just survived the first rebuilding year of his career at SC, he now had everything he could want- Matt Barkley with a year of experience, another bowl win, another strong recruiting class, and grad students and Malibu. All in all, a good life. But there were two things that could bring it all crashing down- Reggie Bush and Joe McKnight. Despite Bush leaving a few years ago, the investigation is still pending. Bush has treated the NCAA about the same as he has the Saints, which is to say that everyone knows he’s around but can’t really get anything useful out of him. But we’ll get back to Bush and his disappearing act, this is about Carroll. And Tim Floyd. And punishing the people after the criminal has left.
Tim Floyd, like Carroll was a failed pro coach who found success at USC. He had a couple of years of moderate success with below-average recruiting talent (quick sidenote- below-average simply means below the Dukes and UNCs of the NCAA world, the talent that SC had could still whip me on the court. Of course a team of four-year-old girls could beat me, but that’s beside the point.) But like a magic-monkey-paw, Floyd stumbled upon something that could grant his wish of true success, he stumbled upon someone that promised to deliver OJ Mayo. Floyd took about six seconds to think about it before he agreed. Mayo came with more red flags than a Chinese armada. There was the time in high school he assaulted a ref, or the multiple high schools he attended, or the time that his handlers asked Floyd for money, or the fact that this 18-year-old had “handlers”, or wait- what? He gave OJ’s people money to land him!?! Floyd made a deal with the preverbal devil, to land a one-year-wonder who could theoretically get Floyd enough exposure to land an NBA job. In other words, he took a calculated risk that he wouldn’t be caught before he could move on. And it worked out, Floyd got to leave with USC holding the bag. So the NCAA punished USC. Not Mayo, because he was gone; not Floyd, because he was gone. Instead a group of kids that made no other mistake other than going to a program that one time allowed shady dealings to occur are being punished (yes I know USC “punished themselves” but that’s like saying someone accepting a plea bargain was not punished by the legal system.) What group, other than the NCAA, would do this? This would be like finding out a crime occurred in a house and punishing the next person that moves into that house.
Pete Carroll is about to do the same thing. Did he give someone money to land Matt Barkley? Probably not, but did some of his players take improper benefits? Yes. Did he know about it? Maybe. But the fact remains that punishment is coming to USC football and Carroll knew that now was his time to leave. And so he did. And so the kids (and coaches) that had nothing to do with the crime are facing the consequences.
How do we fix that? Enter: the Pete-Carroll rule. Put a blackmark by Carroll’s (and Floyd’s) name. When he flames out in the pros- and we know that he will- he will have an outstanding punishment waiting for him when he comes back to college. Two-year postseason suspension? Fines? Whatever the NCAA decides is fair punishment, make it known, and leave it waiting for him. Whatever college agrees to take him, has that punishment waiting for them. Is it fair to punish that new school? Probably not, but at least they know what they are signing up for- to get Carroll you also get Caroll’s misdeeds. If he stays in the pros then he’s in the Switzerland of the sporting world, but if he ever wants to come back to college he will have to pay the piper. Another step could be to make all new college coaches salaries the domain of the NCAA. The NCAA can fine them, even after they leave the college ranks, if they are guilty of breaking the rules. If they break a rule, hold them accountable, wherever they end up.
Second- the Reggie Bush rule
A few months ago I wrote a column (which you can find here) about Ed O’Bannon suing the NCAA for use of his name and likeness after he was no longer under the jurisdiction of the NCAA. My suggestion then- and I stand by it now- is for the NCAA to settle. Give former players a share of the billions that the NCAA rakes in off guys that are no longer amateurs. There were a few benefits of this- namely you could entice guys to stay longer in college to get a larger share of the money- but one benefit I didn’t think of then was that that money could then be held against them. Whether Reggie Bush accepted money or not, the fact remains that players (like OJ Mayo) can simply leave for the pros and never face any punishment from the NCAA. But if the NCAA was in charge of distributing the residuals, suddenly there are potential millions that could be docked from any player that violated the NCAA rules while an amateur. Is it going to clean up the amateur ranks? Maybe not entirely, but they now have a financial incentive to follow the rules.
Lastly- the Mike Garrett rule
Know how USC announced the sanctions on the basketball program? By video. In other words, they wanted it to look like a press conference but without the hassle of having people, ya know, actually be able to ask them questions. Mike Garrett, USC’s athletic director, is just as culpable as those coaches and players. His department must be punished. But how can you do that without punishing the new kids who have done nothing wrong? Simple, hit them where it hurts- the wallet. Fine the department (and I mean Millons.) Take away scholarships- does this hurt some of the kids that are there now? Of course. But it is a lot less punishment to them than preventing them from postseason play. In fact, the real punishment to the school that helps out those kids? Let them transfer without having to wait a year. They didn’t sign up to play for a school that can’t play in the NCAA tournament, so let them walk- if they want. Let it be open season on that school, let every other school recruit those players to a more clean program.
Are any of these things going to happen? Of course not. The NCAA is far too dumb to be able to clean up their own house. But watch a USC basketball game, watch these kids play their hearts out, and then let’s talk about whether they deserve better than to be punished for someone else’s crime.