Even Bobby Petrino Knows The NCAA Is A Joke

As a rule, I usually discount much of anything Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino has to say because I think he's a bit of a weasel. I mean, the way he ditched the Atlanta Falcons' head coaching position, midway through the season, in the middle of the night—once he saw they were headed towards trouble—was, in my opinion, one of the most despicable acts of cowardice that I have personally ever witnessed.

That said, he was dead-on in his comments regarding the NCAA's selective enforcement as it pertained to the the six Ohio State players who were granted eligibility for the Sugar Bowl game this past season. Said Petrino, "We wanted to play their best players, but there's no question I don't understand how they were eligible to play in the game. I just don't know; I never will."He went on to say "I think they (the NCAA) kind of changed the rules for that (Sugar) bowl game."

Hmmm, ya think?

The NCAA has come out smelling like a pile of steaming horse manure in this one. From day one they have done nothing but bow down to Ohio State and they did their best to accommodate Jim Tressel (now, finally, the former head coach) and all who were involved in the day-to-day business of running the football program in Columbus.  Honestly if it weren't for that little story on Yahoo, would any of us have known about Tressel's missteps? Just saying.

Now, that it has become alarmingly obvious that Tressel was both a liar and a cheat, it's a lot less likely that anyone who isn't a die hard Ohio State apologist will give a flip what happens to that football program as a result.

For many, the whole thing reeks and Ohio State will need to receive more than just a slap on the wrist for their many transgressions or else what's the point of having a "governing body" in college football.

NCAA President, Marc Emmert is a joke. I pull no punches in saying as much because his "leadership" since taking office has been about as fair and even-handed as that guy who ran ENRON into the ground. That said, yet again, he has an opportunity to make an example of Ohio State and send a message to any other coach currently contemplating or doing something similar by making the school's punishment severe and long.

It's only fair, I mean, if there were ever a case of a complete and total loss of institutional control it's in this one, and the fact that Jim Tressel finally did what his AD and President didn't have the nads to do, from the first hint of scandal, shouldn't mean squat—look at what happened to USC...after Pete Carroll left.

It's clear that Emmert & Co. aren't equipped to do their job with any competency whatsoever, but there again I'll hold my breath to see what happens here—although not for long as I have a family to consider—as they just might surprise us and do the right thing this time.

Back to Petrino, though, as I had a nice chuckle at his final thoughts on the matter. Said the former Atlanta Falcons head coach, "...Tell the truth in all your relationships."

Just classic. 

Related articles

• Jim Tressel's legacy, part the first (blutarsky.wordpress.com)
• Tressel's fall a warning to other coaches (sfgate.com)

College Football: Forget Integrity, We Just Want The Money

After the story broke about Ohio State players selling their jerseys and accepting favors, many of us watched and waited to see what the all-mighty NCAA would do to punish the players and the university—at the very least we expected the six offenders to sit for the Sugar Bowl.

Well, what happened instead is yet another example of how the NCAA is just another bully masquerading as an organization of order.

Ohio State was given the option of delaying suspensions until the start of the 2011 season, and now that the representatives of the Sugar bowl have spoken, we know why—money.

Said Sugar Bowl CEO, Paul
Hoolahan,

"I made the point that anything that could be done to preserve the integrity of this year's game, we would greatly appreciate it...that appeal did not fall on deaf ears, and I'm extremely excited about it, that the Buckeyes are coming in at full strength and with no dilution."

Must be nice.

While it's easy to understand Hoolahan's motives—he is a business man after all—it's less easy to explain away the obvious double-standard of the NCAA in this case.

Are they the governing body of college football or not?

A.J. Green sat four games for selling his jersey, Anthony Dasher missed four for taking a $1500 loan, and last season, Dez Bryant missed most of his final season for talking to Deion Sanders...but Ohio State gets the option of delaying punishment because some bowl official doesn't want another lackluster BCS game on his hands?

Nice job of getting tough, Mr. Emmert. Here we thought you were bringing balance to the NCAA—as it's new president—but as it turns out, you just brought a bigger checkbook.

What a joke.