Punishing USC for Volunteer Sins

The NCAA has found new and exciting ways to be infective and ridiculous this year.  After a banner year of crazy in 2010 they are looking to make 2011 even more absurd.  Even the most staunch defenders of the NCAA are starting to feel that something isn't right.  The trend continued this week, yesterday the NCAA notified Tennessee about violations committed by both Lane Kiffin and Bruce Pearl.  The NCAA claims that both coaches failed to create an atmosphere that lead to compliance.  Wednesday Kiffin also received a separate letter detailing the allegations against him.  He is now the head football coach at USC.

First of all, most of the blame for Tennessee's troubles can be traced back to Athletic Director Mike Hamilton.  He is the man in charge of Tennessee sports, he is the boss of  Kiffin and Pearl.  He obviously has little to no control or knowledge of whats going on in his program.  We aren't exonerating Kiffin or Pearl, we are only pointing out that there is no way this much happened without Hamilton noticing.  The NCAA may still hit Tennessee with the dreaded "lack of institutional control" over all this. Hamilton needs to be fired immediately.

Put together the charges against Kiffin and the NCAA's new policy of "punishing coaches" and it gets even stranger.  Connecticut basketball was hit with penalties from the NCAA earlier this week as well.  All be it small and ridiculous penalties for the amount of violations.  They did suspend Connecticut basketball coach Jim Calhoun for the first 3 Big East games next year.  This trend of punishing coaches is a new move for the NCAA.  Like everything else the NCAA has done since Mark Emmert took over as President, we think it has everything to do with money.  By punishing coaches, and not giving post season bans to programs, the NCAA will not hurt the amount of cash flowing to big conferences and big schools.  So once again its all about the money.  This year has taken the NCAA out of the regulation business, and into the propping up the BCS business.

That leads us to the biggest problem with punishing coaches.  If Lane Kiffin is punished for violations he committed while at Tennessee, then USC will be punished as well.  This would be beyond ridiculous.  USC is already bitter, being the last school the NCAA really dropped the hammer on.  Of course, they were the last school to be really punished before Mark Emmert took over as President of the NCAA.  If Kiffin gets some sort of recruiting restrictions, or even a game ban, the only school punished is USC.  Tennessee and their lack of institutional control can laugh it off in Knoxville.

What this all boils down to is further examples of the NCAA making rulings not based on what is fair or right, but on what is good for the bottom line.  The NCAA has never really been completely fair and balanced, it's now becoming openly biased.

More on Mark Emmert and the NCAA:
Congress Needs to Investigate the NCAA
Help Fight the NCAA
Why The NCCA Let Auburn Off the Hook
NCAA President Admits Public Opinion Was a Factor in Cam Newton Ruling
2010 a Year of Change for College Football

If Bruce Pearl said I wasn't on Twitter, he was lying.



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