Hearing Louisville and Pitino complaining about the NCAA turns my stomach.
I think players and teams should have the opportunity to appeal the penalties assigned to them, sure.
HOWEVER...I believe in the "appeal process", they should face the possibility of HIGHER penalties, as well as lower ones, and if they don't accept what they were given they roll the dice on the sanctions being even worse after appeal.
As it sits now, there is absolutely no down side to players and teams appealing. It is ALWAYS a lessening or, at worst, a reaffirmation of the existing penalty.
If, in pro and college sports, someone with a 5 game suspension appealed knowing they COULD have it increased to 10 games (or similar), you would see greater public confidence in all this, fewer appeals, greater respect for the rules of the sanctioning body, AND less bad behavior. IMO.
I think players and teams should have the opportunity to appeal the penalties assigned to them, sure.
HOWEVER...I believe in the "appeal process", they should face the possibility of HIGHER penalties, as well as lower ones, and if they don't accept what they were given they roll the dice on the sanctions being even worse after appeal.
As it sits now, there is absolutely no down side to players and teams appealing. It is ALWAYS a lessening or, at worst, a reaffirmation of the existing penalty.
If, in pro and college sports, someone with a 5 game suspension appealed knowing they COULD have it increased to 10 games (or similar), you would see greater public confidence in all this, fewer appeals, greater respect for the rules of the sanctioning body, AND less bad behavior. IMO.
