Handling College Scandals

In light of recent allegations made by convicted felon Nevin Shapiro, the University of Miami is looking at a bleak future. In claims made to Yahoo! Sports, he has claimed to have given money, prostitutes, and even paid for an abortion for over seventy former and current players at the university. Shapiro had access to places that most people were not allowed to go into, and was often seen out with players at nightclubs, parties, and other venues.

As such, there are rumors that the University of Miami could be given the death penalty, which would set the program back for a long time. The days of the U being one of the preeminent college football factories would be all but over. The brunt of the punishment would fall upon players and a coaching staff that had nothing to do with the situation, but would be forced to play under the realization that they are essentially screwed.

Yet, is this the best solution? To punish a team, and subsequently players, for years that may not have had anything to do with the scandal? Often, the coaching staff that was in charge during the payoffs and scandals has long since left. The players are no longer with the university. Regardless, the institution and their football team bares the brunt of the punishment while those responsible walk away without any repercussions. Is this truly in the best interests of the NCAA?

There is a better way. Place these sanctions on the coach and, if he has knowledge of the situation, the athletic director that were there during that time. The coach leaves, the sanctions follow the coach and athletic director. Do not place the punishment upon people that had nothing to do with what was happening. Put the punishment where it belongs – on those responcible.

By doing so, it takes away the safety net of being able to move to another program and not have to deal with the problem. For instance, why should Pete Carroll be able to go to another college with a clean slate when his former school is paying for transgressions that occurred under his watch? It is not right. Make Carroll pay for what happened, not people that were not even there.

This would be the best course of action, and would cause coaches to pay more attention to what is actually happening off the field. However, this is a logical solution, and any entity that thinks a playoff to determine a national champion is wrong obviously cannot be expected to do the logical thing.