The NCAA is making it up as they go along...

After all, many violations involve both the athlete and the school, and in most cases, one entity that is more culpable than the other…and thus would be the priority target of a legitimate investigation.

Take the Miami case (what we know of it) as an example. To me, this is a case of blatantly negligent compliance and enforcement on the part of the U. A booster (and agent) was allowed to operate openly and unimpeded for almost a decade…with coaches (i.e., university employees with compliance responsibilites) looking the other way and (in some cases) particpating in the violations themselves. We can only speculate what types of rumors and tips passed through the U compliance department during this time, but Paul Dee recently acknowleged in an interview that he was privy to the “word on the street”, at least at it pertained to players frequenting strip clubs…activity which is ironically similar to the types of benefits that Shapiro was showering upon Miami’s highest-profile players at the time. If Miami hadn’t been asleep at the wheel, all of the current NCAA players corrupted by Shapiro never would have been exposed to Shapiro. Miami got greedy and failed them miserably. So why not use them to take Miami down? Makes sense on this level, doesn’t it?

In PRACTICE, “limited immunity” is a terrible idea. An organization which is as fundamental corrupt as the NCAA simply cannot be entrusted with a discretionary tool as powerful as “limited immunity”. In the first place, all NCAA athletes are obligated to cooperate with the NCAA anyway. None of the current athletes who accepted beneifts from Shapiro would likely be subjected to more than a four game suspension (which they deserve for acepting benefits) if they cooperated with the NCAA. But if they don’t cooperate (tell the truth), then they are finished. So why exactly is limited immunity needed?

The answer is that limited immunity isn’t needed to get to the TRUTH of the matter. If a player is willing to lie when doing so might void all of his remaining eligiblity, then is dangling limited immunity going to pursuade him to tell the truth? For most such people, it won’t. Honest people tell the truth, and dishonest people tell the tale that serves them best…which is why limited immunity should not be used by the NCAA. Imagine an NCAA enforcer with an agenda (not hard to do) interviewing an athlete susceptible to testifying in his own best interest (again, not hard) under an implied arrangement (limited imunity) that “if you say what I want you to say, then you are free”. Limited immuity is the tool of witch hunts. Those who would tell the truth don’t need it (and can’t be swayed to lie because of it) and those who will change their testimony because of it are just as apt to lie to get it as they are to tell the truth to get it. An organization which places agenda above truth will not make good of limited immunity. They will only make good of their agenda.

And just as important, limited imunity is a discretionary tool. There is no logical reason why a player who left the U should recieve less penalty that one who remained at the U if both received the same benefits. In the NCAA, “discretionary” = “abuse”. Hell, you can’t even get ND to suspend their star WR for a single game after his third alcohol related offense (a DUI, no less). You think a Domer on the COI isn’t going to do everything in their power to grant a key ND player limited immunity…and deny such for a key USC player under the identical circumstances. The whole concept of rewarding a player for ratting out their old team, only when the NCAA wants them to, is totaly fucked. It’s just another way the good ’ole boys can look after each other, and screw everybody else.

. . . . IS THE FIRST UNDODGY thing the NCAA Enforcement staff has done in a long time!

But lemme be clear: the Enforcement arm of the NCAA is still a ginormous hunk o’ shit, as far as credibility is concerned.

As Dodd pointed out, by granting these former Hurricane players immunity- it seems (on the surface) that the NCAA is centering their investigation on the principals and not the players. The former players are allowed to continue their collegiate careers so long as they provide truthful testimony to corroborate or refute Shapiro’s allegations. The NCAA appears to be going for the jugular, which is . . . . . .alright by me.

They’ve stupefied me with their lameness (the NCAA) lately, and today- I’m actually surprised to see/read that their doing their jobs correctly, finally! How weird is that?