Now the folks at ESPN who have been screaming for vengeance against Penn State can go off to NFL training camp with a feeling that they've done their duty.
But I think Kentucky fans should have serious concerns about the notion that the NCAA can simply levy enormous punishments on member institutions -- even if no NCAA rules have been violated.
The NCAA says it determined that its bylaws and constitution were violated, so--to the extent that is correct--this Kentucky fan has no concern with the NCAA's authority to jump in here with penalties.
ReplyDeleteThe one penalty that clangs off the rim for me, however, is the vacating all of the football team's wins over the last so many seasons, moving Joe Paterno off the top of the all-time-victories list. I haven't yet found the rationale behind that. If the NCAA in some way determined that the Sandusky mess somehow conveyed Penn State a competitive advantage in those games, then I can see it; I can't imagine, however, how that would be the case. Instead, what it seems to me is that the NCAA effectively wanted to take down its own statue of Paterno. And I don't buy that. One of the takeaways of this whole saga should be that Paterno was a really successful football coach--but that fact doesn't mean necessarily anything more than that.
Free Enes!
DeleteFREE ENES!
DeleteFor the record, I just ignore all of the NCAA orders vacating certain games. If a game was played, and it was intended to be an official game, then I count it.
DeleteMy biggest problem is that they only penalized football. It seems to me if you are saying the entire athletic department had this problem, then you should punish every sport at Penn State not just football. I like you don't get the stripping of wins, and honestly I don't even get the scholarship reduction.
ReplyDeleteThe stripping of the wins feels to me as though they just wanted to distance the good name of the NC2A ... or whatever ... from Paterno and Penn State. That's a bad reason if that's the reason.
DeleteAnd that's a good point about football-only vs. the department-at-large.
DeleteThe NC2A should change its name to the Department of the Appalled, and it should just grade everything on a five-star scale of how appalled they are ... Enes? Three stars appalled. Joe B. coaching UK grads in an exhibition? One star appalled. Sandusky/Paterno/Penn State? Five stars appalled.
I agree with both of you guys. I don't think you can show a plausible connection between the punishment and the actions of people at Penn State -- and I am concerned that the NC2A just appears to be making up penalties with no respect for its usual practice.
ReplyDeleteWKU Compliance @TopsCompliance
ReplyDeleteFruit, Nuts and Bagels - this is a complete list of items we may provide SA's under the fruit, nuts and bagels legislation - nothing more
12:27 PM - 24 Jul 12
Jon Lipsitz @UKCoachLipsitz
ReplyDeleteSo now excessive celebration is a cautionable offense in NCAA Soccer. If there is anything that defines soccer it is such celebrations
4:51 PM - 24 Jul 12
Jon Lipsitz @UKCoachLipsitz
seriously who thinks of such idiotic rules? This is SOCCER -- we celebrate great goals -- excessively -- thats the fun of it!
4:51 PM - 24 Jul 12