NCAA missed a big chance

Values in both college and professional sports are hard to come by these days, what with… Values in both college and professional sports are hard to come by these days, what with million-dollar contracts being tossed around like basketballs and endorsement deals waiting in the wings for the next big thing.

But who is to blame for this lack of values when players and coaches cross major boundaries and pretty much get nothing more than a slap on the wrist?

Last June, Ohio State’s head basketball coach, Jim O’Brien, and one of his assistants, Paul Biancardi, were fired for NCAA rule violations. They did things coaches are banned from doing, such as giving money and gifts to recruit players, such as prospective recruit Slobodan Savovic receiving housing and academic support and Alex Radojevic being given $6,000 cash to supposedly help pay for his father’s funeral costs.

Combine that with the Buckeyes’ earlier bouts with former freshman phenom-turned-laughing-stock Maurice Clarett, who was forced to leave Ohio State after explosive allegations that coaches and boosters were arranging for him to receive improper academic assistance, free cars and cash, and you can see this type of win-at-all-costs mentality in sports today – and this is only one school.

The Buckeye coaches cheated to build a strong and successful team. Then they accepted the rewards of that success as if they did nothing wrong. One would think that these crimes against the NCAA and Ohio State University would surely be dealt with severely. After all, the integrity of both organizations was at stake. A strong message should have been sent to show everyone the true values that exist in college sports today.

Justice hardly prevailed.

Last Friday, two hours before the seventh-ranked Buckeyes defeated Penn State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Conference Tournament, their punishment was announced. The NCAA ruling placed Ohio State on three years probation, erasing records from four NCAA tournament appearances by the men’s basketball team, including a trip to the Final Four in 1999.

In addition to erasing those four seasons, the school will have to pay back 90 percent of tournament revenues, an estimated $800,000. The 1999 Final Four banner hanging from the rafters in the ironically named Value City Arena will be taken down and all pictures and articles about the achievements of the 1999-2003 teams will be deleted.

Does anyone really care if some pictures and records are erased from years gone by? I am sure that most current Ohio State students and fans really do not care about that now. Consider the students and players from other schools who were eliminated from tournaments or lost opportunities during the time Ohio State was performing these unethical acts. How might they feel now?

Some may argue that everyone bends the rules and that the Buckeyes were just the ones that got caught, but that doesn’t mean that the punishment is just. After all, a monetary fine of $800,000 is a joke in comparison to how much money they spend on athletics each year.

After disgracing the NCAA, these men should not be able to coach for a long time. Right now, O’Brien is looking for another coaching job. If he gets one, the only punishment he faces will be appearing before the NCAA infractions committee to talk about additional limitations.

That goes without mentioning the fact that O’Brien sued Ohio State for firing him – and won! He could be receiving up to as much as a $9.5 million settlement. The judge justified O’Brien’s lawsuit by claiming that although he did violate his contract, it was not serious enough to be fired over.

Who says crime doesn’t pay?

As for Biancardi, he got a job right away as the head coach at Wright State in Dayton. He is prohibited from recruiting until October 2007, which means he will be allowed to recruit again after just one season.

It seems to me that both men are getting off pretty easy.

The NCAA had a chance to show what collegiate sports are all about and promote integrity to the future leaders attending universities everywhere. It should have made the sanctions to coaches O’Brien and Biancardi harsh enough to discourage this type of behavior.

It also should have punished Ohio State more severely. Thanks to this punishment, the risk of cheating doesn’t appear to be any more than a few deleted records. A more effective punishment would have been the right step in promoting integrity in college athletics, something that needs to be done everywhere, not just in Columbus.