The Rest of College Football

[Hannibal]

Lots of great observations in here, as usual.
The law of untended consequences looks large here IMO.

Very well said.

[iam416]

If you're going to really start hammering kids for improper benefits, then those benefits need to be clear and sane. The scholarship should be considered a contract. The contract should specify a breach includes acceptance of improper benefits. The contract should specify that a breach for acceptance of improper benefits allows the institution to seek partial or or full restitution of the scholarship award.

I would two-tier the benefits. I'd set a threshold dollar amount for benefits that are going to be used to seek restitution -- $2000 or something. I'd make these benefits strict no value provided things (as opposed to being generously paid for a job or selling trinkets, etc.) Restituion enforceable up to 5 years after end of contract. I'd still keep some of the trifling stuff just because you need to limit loopholes. But for those more vague situations, I'd take restitution off the table.

So, someone finds out that DJ Fluker took $50,000 while at Alabama. Alabama can seek restitution of Fluker's scholarship value. I believe he was in-state, but if he were out-of-state, those 3 years would amount to an easy $75,000.

Also, make failure to seek restitution an indicia/factor that can be considered in an infractions hearing.

That is, of course, if assuming collegiate athletics proceeeds as is.

[lineygoblue]

Those seem like good ideas.

One thing I'd add is I'd like to see the NFL and NCAA Football partner together to make penalties follow back and forth. Don't allow college coaches to escape to the NFL and leave their former school with a buttload of penalties.

[entropy]

NFL would never go for that.. they don't care.

[Mike]

The NFL would never agree to that and I'd argue they shouldn't. Most of the violations that get college coaches in trouble revolve around recruiting. That isn't an issue in the NFL. If you're running a pro football team and you think Coach X can help you succeed, you should be able to hire him even if he got dinged for a few recruiting violations while he was coaching USC.... I mean team X.

[lineygoblue]

I understand that, but it sucks that Carroll, .. er, Coaches are allowed to run a college program any way they like as long as they win, .. then bail out to the NFL when they are about to get caught and punished. At least some kind of monetary penalty should follow, IMO.

I know .. the NFL doesn't care ... but they should.

[Mike]

I suppose you could work something into their contract that they can be fined by the university if they are guilty of egregious major violations. Then the school runs the risk of not being able to hire an A list coach if that's what they want.

I say just scrap about 95% of the rule NCAA rule book.

[iam416]

Right. It has to be contractual.

[iam416]

I should note, I still think there's nothing immoral about taking money. However, most contract provisions are amoral and simply seek to allocate risk. As it currently stands, the Institutions bear nearly all of the risk of student-athlete rules violations. Shifting some of the risk to the student-athletes seems like a rational approach.

[Wild Hoss]

As it currently stands, the Institutions bear nearly all of the risk of student-athlete rules violations. Shifting some of the risk to the student-athletes seems like a rational approach.

Yes...the current approach is akin to combating crack cocaine usage by making it illegal to sell, but not illegal to possess. Both Supply and Demand sides must face risk.

Its not going to be perfect, but it would be an improvement. I think there are a lot of kids out there- especially the poor ones- who, along with their families, would be a lot less likely to accept bribes if they knew their shot at attending college/making the NFL could go up in smoke for taking $10,000. Especially once they saw it actually happen a few times.

[Hannibal]

Isn't that risk theoretically already there? The problem is that nobody ever gets caught in the act. Nobody ever gets caught, period, unless there is a paper trail that has nothing to do with the NCAA (e.g. Ed Martin and Michigan basketball or Reggie Bush court documents).

[Wild Hoss]

Isn't that risk theoretically already there? The problem is that nobody ever gets caught in the act. Nobody ever gets caught, period, unless there is a paper trail that has nothing to do with the NCAA (e.g. Ed Martin and Michigan basketball or Reggie Bush court documents).

There have been suspensions, and players blocked from attending the university that bribed them (Albert Means and Dear Old Alabama U comes to mind) but I do not believe there is any mechanism to deny eligibility to play for recruits.

[Hannibal]

Wasn't Manziel going to be finished as a college athlete if the NCAA had deemed him guilty of accepting cash for autographs?

[Mike]

I think it would have been a four-game suspension but that would have made him miss the Alabama game so it was OK.

[Tony G]

whatever happened to the Obannon- EA sports lawsuit? That one was supposed to change things