Kilgore Trout

December 23rd, 2010 at 12:29 PM ^

I generally agree in the thought that it's kind of fun for bad things to happen to OSU, but this comes off as complete bull shit as far as I'm concerned.  This is completely messed up on two levels (that I've thought of so far).

1.  These guys gets suspended for almost half of a season for selling their awards and jerseys?  A, the University makes a crap load of money selling shirts that acknowledge those awards and even more on replicas of the jerseys that people only want to buy because the work those guys put in put value on certain numbers on the jersey.  I agree that the players get lots of benefits out of being student-athletes, but how in any possible way does the punishment fit the crime?  It's so disproportionate that it blows my mind.  There's no competitive or recruiting advantage at all here.  It's insane.  Cam Newton's family can violate a written NCAA rule with a monetary value that is literally almost 100 times higher than the values in this case, and he gets no punishment.  Unreal.

2.  If you throw out every argument I had in point one and think the suspension is deserved, how does it make a lick of sense for them to be able to play in the bowl game?  Why does LSU's starting running back with the academic violation have to sit out the bowl game?  Why can't he just miss whatever Sun Belt foe LSU faces next year?  The quoted logic in the link is nonsensical.

Seriously, I think the BCS schools should honestly consider just leaving the NCAA.  They are voluntary members and stuff like this is so nonsensical that they should just save their money and do it themselves. 

Joined: 02/20/2009

MGoPoints: 13178

Kilgore Trout

December 23rd, 2010 at 1:13 PM ^

I think there's a distinction between profiting off of your amateur status and getting paid directly for your performance when posing as an amateur.  They shouldn't have done it because it's pretty explicitly against the rules, but that doesn't mean I can't question the rule.

Joined: 02/20/2009

MGoPoints: 13178

AAB

December 23rd, 2010 at 1:24 PM ^

and the line is basically impossible to draw.  Under your reasoning, college athletes should totally be allowed to appear in tv commercials and other ads in exchange for money, which would make the whole "don't pay student athletes" thing hilariously easy to circumvent. Instead of offering Cam Newton's dad $180,000 in a duffel bag, they just could have offered Cam Newton $180,000 to appear in a commercial for a local car dealership.

Joined: 01/14/2009

MGoPoints: 8284

Kilgore Trout

December 23rd, 2010 at 2:06 PM ^

You make a good point regarding the Newton situation.  I can respect that.

I don't know, maybe I'm naive and simple minded to some extent, but every situation is different and there is an ultimate truth to it, whether or not it can really be determined.  There is a difference between a booster walking up to a player and saying here's $3000 if you play for OSU and somebody going, "dude, I'll give you two grand for that ring!"  It's just not the same and the intentions are different.  Can it really be regulated any differently?  Probably not, but that doesn't mean the two scenarios are identical.

Joined: 02/20/2009

MGoPoints: 13178

profitgoblue

December 23rd, 2010 at 12:40 PM ^

Its interesting you say that a 5-game suspension does not fit the crime because my initial reaction is that those kids should have to sit an entire season.  Harsher penalties are the only way these kinds of things are going to stop.  The competitor in Pryor, for example, will probably make him regret what he did but its not like he's not going to be part of the team during those 5 weeks.  He'll be practicing, studying film, and generally making himself a better player in preparation for the NFL.  In my opinion, a 5-game suspension is almost a soft landing.

Joined: 09/01/2009

MGoPoints: 19559

PurpleStuff

December 23rd, 2010 at 12:30 PM ^

Clarett leads them to a national title only to get suspended the next season and eventually booted off campus.

Troy Smith wins the Heisman after being suspended for taking money from a booster.

Does anyone else see a pattern here?

Joined: 04/21/2009

MGoPoints: 15969

umich1

December 23rd, 2010 at 12:30 PM ^

Why stick around for the senior year if you aren't going to play?  We all know he isn't going to be utilizing his education from the University of Ohio State anyways.

Joined: 09/14/2009

MGoPoints: 6398

BiSB

December 23rd, 2010 at 12:33 PM ^

Pryor said, "See?  I got way more for my ring than the other guys.  It's like I've been saying; put me in an auction... Sotheby's, Ebay, ANY type of auction... and I'd dominate."

Joined: 08/15/2009

MGoPoints: 46071

Beavis

December 23rd, 2010 at 12:34 PM ^

The 5 games won't matter - if these kids have a chance of going anywhere in the first four rounds of the draft (hint: they do), they will go pro. 

Excellent Christmas gift a few days early.  Love it.

Joined: 07/28/2009

MGoPoints: 5993

sULLY

December 23rd, 2010 at 12:42 PM ^

The reasoning by the NCAA as to why they should be able to play in the bowl is absurd.  Does anyone remember the Green situation in Georgia to start the year.  You didn't hear the NCAA saying "we did a bad job of informing him of the rules regarding selling awards and gifts, so he will be suspended for some future period of time."

The bottom line is they committed violations, so they should be punished immediately like Green.  Consistent much?

Joined: 01/29/2010

MGoPoints: 446

Ben from SF

December 23rd, 2010 at 12:45 PM ^

Devier Posey is projected to be a 2nd round WR by ESPN.  He is definitely a goner.

Herron rushed for 1,000+ yds last year.  While he doesn't have eye-popping athletic abilities, 7 (+bowl game) additional games will not change his ratings.  He is probably an early-entry as well.

Mike Adams has only started one year as a LT, but he was a highly rated recruit and possesses the athletic ability to be a star.  I can see him declaring as well based on potential.

Solomon Thomas is a backup who has used his redshirt already.  He is not considered an NFL candidate, but I can see him declaring just to see if he can get a free agent contract somewhere.

...and that leaves Terrell Pryor.

Pryor is not NFL ready and is a 3rd round pick at best, but, will the 7 additional games help improve his draft grade?  In addition, the rust may affect his performance early on.

If I was Pryor's advisor, he is declaring for the draft with this incident looming.

Now, if NFL has a lockout...

Joined: 10/08/2008

MGoPoints: 1349

AMazinBlue

December 23rd, 2010 at 12:53 PM ^

or belief that the game is bigger than the players, he would suspend these bozos for at least the first half of the bowl game.  I think he should hold them out completely, but then he is giving the game away.

Joined: 10/12/2008

MGoPoints: 7197

saveferris

December 23rd, 2010 at 12:53 PM ^

What are the chances that Pryor jumps to the pros early now that half his senior season is down the drain?  If the NFL labor lockout wasn't looming, I'd say the chances of that would be 100.0%  Things as they are, the odds are somewhere less.

Joined: 07/02/2009

MGoPoints: 24841