Folks like to complain about the NCAA imposing arcane rules or being unfair to kids. The bigger issue, in my view, is that the NCAA is hamstrung by the big institutions that push back (and have the power to push back) against any meaningful enforcement of good faith rules. And worse still are the toadies who not only condone but actively enable corrupt behavior.
Enter Jay Bilas. I have heard Jay on the radio last night and this morning defending Louisville and railing against the NCAA. As best as I can tell, every single thing Jay says on the issue is not just wrong, but offensively so. He is either conflicted (does his law firm represent the ACC or Louisville?), corrupted (is ESPN putting him out there to shill?) or utterly incompetent. For what it is worth, I don't think that he is incompetent.
Some of his nuggets:
"the issue is that this is salacious and offends some people's sensibilities": Jay, Louisville's director of basketball operations ran a nightclub/brothel in Louisville's basketball-only dorm. Sensibilities have nothing to do with it. That's illegal conduct committed by Louisville's staff.
"they are treating this as an illegal benefits case": Do you have some other word for it?
"I would expect the NCAA to care more about issues like money for cars": Booster cash is an issue, sure. Not as big an issue as money paid directly by the University staff! And last I checked, booster cash was against the rules - but not illegal. Basketball brothels are both.
"taking away a banner is not a deterrent": This is the opposite of the truth. Taking away the banner is the only reason anyone is upset. Sure, people remember the game (bah!) and the season, but there is a permanent stain on the school and the coach. As there should be.
"there is not one shred of evidence that Pitino knew": Pitino hired McGee onto his staff and promoted him to Director of Basketball Operations in the middle of this timeline. So riddle me this: Is it "better" for Louisville if Pitino knew and winked at the illegal conduct, or is it "better" for Louisville if a member of Pitino's staff ran a four-year sex operation in a basketball-only dorm named for Pitino's brother-in-law, involving every single player on Pitino's team and many of his recruits, and involving the families of some of those recruits, spending massive amounts of cash in the process, and if Pitino and all other responsible Louisville employees were so oblivious that Pitino gave the offender a massive promotion in the middle of the four-year-long sex-party streak? "I knew nothing" may be a good defense for Pitino personally, but is devastating to Louisville's level of institutional control.
"UNC is not an NCAA issue": This is just perverse. UNC went a decade-plus during which every football and basketball game (or nearly every one) had multiple academically-ineligible players. In order to defend the teams and preserve their records, UNC has argued that there was no special treatment of athletes; rather, it is UNC's position that the entire university was corrupt. Now, UNC may win its game of chicken with accrediting boards, as no one wants to throw a major research institution on the rubbish heap. But it is highly disingenuous to claim that no-show classes created for and dominated by athletes are not at the core of the NCAA's student-athlete mandate.
I never start threads. I rarely ever post. But I needed to vent on this one. Jay - I often disagreed with you, but with respect. All respect is gone. You are venal, or a dunce, or both.
Enter Jay Bilas. I have heard Jay on the radio last night and this morning defending Louisville and railing against the NCAA. As best as I can tell, every single thing Jay says on the issue is not just wrong, but offensively so. He is either conflicted (does his law firm represent the ACC or Louisville?), corrupted (is ESPN putting him out there to shill?) or utterly incompetent. For what it is worth, I don't think that he is incompetent.
Some of his nuggets:
"the issue is that this is salacious and offends some people's sensibilities": Jay, Louisville's director of basketball operations ran a nightclub/brothel in Louisville's basketball-only dorm. Sensibilities have nothing to do with it. That's illegal conduct committed by Louisville's staff.
"they are treating this as an illegal benefits case": Do you have some other word for it?
"I would expect the NCAA to care more about issues like money for cars": Booster cash is an issue, sure. Not as big an issue as money paid directly by the University staff! And last I checked, booster cash was against the rules - but not illegal. Basketball brothels are both.
"taking away a banner is not a deterrent": This is the opposite of the truth. Taking away the banner is the only reason anyone is upset. Sure, people remember the game (bah!) and the season, but there is a permanent stain on the school and the coach. As there should be.
"there is not one shred of evidence that Pitino knew": Pitino hired McGee onto his staff and promoted him to Director of Basketball Operations in the middle of this timeline. So riddle me this: Is it "better" for Louisville if Pitino knew and winked at the illegal conduct, or is it "better" for Louisville if a member of Pitino's staff ran a four-year sex operation in a basketball-only dorm named for Pitino's brother-in-law, involving every single player on Pitino's team and many of his recruits, and involving the families of some of those recruits, spending massive amounts of cash in the process, and if Pitino and all other responsible Louisville employees were so oblivious that Pitino gave the offender a massive promotion in the middle of the four-year-long sex-party streak? "I knew nothing" may be a good defense for Pitino personally, but is devastating to Louisville's level of institutional control.
"UNC is not an NCAA issue": This is just perverse. UNC went a decade-plus during which every football and basketball game (or nearly every one) had multiple academically-ineligible players. In order to defend the teams and preserve their records, UNC has argued that there was no special treatment of athletes; rather, it is UNC's position that the entire university was corrupt. Now, UNC may win its game of chicken with accrediting boards, as no one wants to throw a major research institution on the rubbish heap. But it is highly disingenuous to claim that no-show classes created for and dominated by athletes are not at the core of the NCAA's student-athlete mandate.
I never start threads. I rarely ever post. But I needed to vent on this one. Jay - I often disagreed with you, but with respect. All respect is gone. You are venal, or a dunce, or both.
