NCAA Death Penalty: It’s All About The U!

Matt Schaeffer

Give the U the death penalty. Please NCAA, pretty please. This has to stop.

For those that don’t know, current inmate Nevin Shapiro gave a deposition after being brought up on charges of running a Ponzi scheme that reached $930 million. During his deposition, Shapiro revealed that over the course of an eight-year period, he provided improper benefits to 72 players and six coaches involved with the University of Miami’s football and basketball programs. Benefits included cash, prostitutes, paying for meals at restaurants, bounties for on-field play including injuring other players, and even an abortion among other things. This is surely one of, if not the biggest, scandals in college football history.

It’s not the only thing either. Major violations are popping up everywhere. In January, five Ohio State football players were discovered to be taking improper benefits and were suspended for five games. The team forfeited its 12 wins from the 2010 season, placing itself on probation and the scandal eventually led to the force-out of head coach Jim Tressel.

Even after the incident, and as the program awaits an NCAA ruling on whether more punishments should be included, three more players were suspended for at least two games for taking $200 in benefits at a charity event.

The University of Southern California is currently serving a two-season postseason ban for the same type of activities. The Universities of Michigan and Tennessee are currently under punishment as well for violations committed by their coaches.

It’s out of control and it needs to stop. Players should not be picking schools because they are handed a briefcase with $50,000. They should be picking a school because they like the school. They like the feel of campus, the tradition, the coaching staff, and the education they’ll get. There are many reasons to pick a school. Inadmissible benefits should not be one.

When a player breaks the rules, they put their entire program at risk. It’s not fair to the kids who are staying in line and doing the right thing. Players today don’t seem to care about the repercussions because they don’t think they’ll get caught. But a lot of them have been and it’s still happening.

The NCAA needs to come down hard. The U is a perfect candidate to set an example. Last year, an ESPN 30 for 30 special on Miami showed interviews with players and boosters that blatantly hinted at rampant violations. Now Shapiro comes out with these revelations and the stage is set. The program is out of control and the NCAA has the perfect opportunity to nip this issue in the bud. The removal of the universities football program would wake these kids up. This is out of control and only the NCAA can put the fear of god into these programs.

 

  • Mesa Legend Staff

    These are archived stories from Mesa Legend editions before Fall 2018. See article for corresponding author.

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