Yo_Blue

October 13th, 2017 at 1:09 PM ^

I kind of wish we has stonewalled the NCAA and told them to go pound sand after stretch-gate rather than cooperating and showing our records.  They are so freaking inept that if we didn't do the work for them we would not have had sanctions.  That was such a load of nothing and the NCAA cackled with glee handing out our penalty.  Screw their incompetence.

Blue In NC

October 13th, 2017 at 10:21 AM ^

What sucks is that this case appears to be much more egregious than the Michigan "scandal" and yet UNC will get zero penalties while Michigan suffered greatly.  Just goes to show you how the NCAA's enforcement has gone rapidly downhill.

DCGrad

October 13th, 2017 at 10:22 AM ^

but this seems more like an accreditation issue than an NCAA issue. The classes in question (to my understanding) were offered and taken by both athletes and non-athletes and the NCAA deals with athletics only. I wish UNC would have faced some accrediation punishment but I don't think this was really an NCAA issue.

taut

October 13th, 2017 at 9:58 PM ^

There was a class called Chicano Politics here at the U in the 80's that was rumored to be an easy-A class for athletes, and an easy-B or better class for other students as long as you showed up.

I (non-athlete) took it with some of my friends. Lots of football players were in the class (occasionally) and a few of us civilians. I got a B for doing not much. The players got A's from what I heard. Not shocked to hear some other school did something similar.

poseidon7902

October 13th, 2017 at 10:33 AM ^

I agree.  While I'm not a lawyer or fully studied up on NCAA by-laws and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night either, this reads like a problem with integrity from an academic standpoint, not a violation of permissable benefits.  I would hope that the accredidation bureaus would get involved and possible revoke their accredidation.  

1VaBlue1

October 13th, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^

Exactly.  The NCAA could still push this 100 different ways because UNC cheated at sports.  They intentionally violated a bunch of rules, and then hid behind the governing accreditation body for the academic parole they were put on.  They essentially told the NCAA that would any penalty would be double jeopardy, and they'd take it to court.  The NCAA apparently backed down.

I guess, when faced with the prospet of keeping its money or giving it to lawyers, they chose to keep it.  So now academic cheating is fair and open.

poseidon7902

October 13th, 2017 at 1:47 PM ^

That's a valid question.  I do believe that the NCAA had to ability to come in and say that any player who took this course would have it removed from their eligibility scores.  If they dropped below the threshold, then they would need to be removed from sports till their grades were fixed.  The only thing I can think of (If I'm reading this right) is that it is not the NCAA which sets the threshold for eligibility, but the academic institution.  Here's the bylaw as copied from an article on ESPN:  



"To be eligible to represent an institution in intercollegiate athletics competition, a student-athlete shall maintain progress toward a baccalaureate or equivalent degree at that institution as determined by the regulations of that institution subject to controlling legislation of the conference(s) or similar association of which the institution is a member and applicable NCAA legislation."



So, as you can see, it still would come back to an accredidation or ACC ruling, NOT the NCAA.  



The more that this comes out, the more it reveals just how good the NCAA has it.  they really don't have to enforce academics, and the laws in place are subject to review and varying judgement.  All they have to do is collect the millions or billions each year to keep doing it.  

WhoopinStick

October 13th, 2017 at 11:50 AM ^

 

Smells like a fake class set up to help athletes, but North Carloina gets off the hook because regular students also ended up taking the "class".

It's like Kentucky basketball's super fancy dorm which is legal per the NCAA because a few regular students get to live there too.

http://larrybrownsports.com/college-basketball/kentuckys-housing-chef-f…;

bacon

October 13th, 2017 at 2:10 PM ^

I agree and UNC should have lost some standing here officially. I’m not sure it’s done in a way where this could result in a meaningful punishment, like going from A rating to B rating, as taking away the schools accreditation would affect thousands of students.

Dylan

October 13th, 2017 at 10:23 AM ^

Love how the NCAA gave everyone a personal cocktail for how to openly practice academic fraud.  Just have to make sure the class isn't only available to student athletes and that the Professor who is the ringmaster of the whole thing doesn't personally agree to talk to the NCAA about what went on.  What a joke.

MGoPoe

October 13th, 2017 at 10:24 AM ^

This investigation by the feds into the money in college bball should make the NCAA take a long look at itself.  Far too easy to skirt the rules, the punishments are negligible, and the NCAA lacks any real power to uncover much.  2 year post-season ban and take away the wins is nothing to these schools.  It takes the feds getting involved in the unpaid taxes a la Capone to get any traction on anyone anywhere.  Toothless.

True Blue Grit

October 13th, 2017 at 10:37 AM ^

Ha ha.  Very funny.  That would assume that the NCAA organization and the bozos who run it even had a shred of the capability for introspection.  Their entire recent history shows exactly the opposite - an unwillingness to make any meaningful, positive changes in a system they see as not needing any fixing.  The NCAA and it's head tool, Mark Emmert are all about the status quo and the money it brings in.  

MGoPoe

October 13th, 2017 at 11:28 AM ^

Unfortunately I don't think that's going to change either.  They'll brush off this fed case as "a few bad eggs, the system works" and business as usual.  What can they actually do you know?  NCAA can't control a coach's ability to earn income, none of the actual athletes are being forced to sign any LOI's (they all sign of their own accord), everything's above board as far as the NCAA is concerned.

kevin holt

October 13th, 2017 at 10:34 AM ^

The violations were so egregious they might technically not even have a rule on the books about it. It says here you gotta take CLASSES but aint say nowhere they gotta be real classes or that a dog can't play basketball! LOOPHOLE