NCAA suspends Ohio State football players

[Da Coach]

Another improper benefits case- 5 Ohio State football players, including quarterback Terrell Pryor have been suspended for the first 4 games of next season for trading autographs for tattoos-

http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/buckeyes/entries/2010/12/23/pryor_one_of_six_buckeyes_who.html

It's quite interesting that the NCAA decided not to suspend any of the players for Ohio State's game against Arkansas on Jan. 4, 2011 in the Sugar Bowl.
What a joke, and a mockery of the whole NCAA rules/enforcement/"improper benefits" system. There is a chance Pryor might enter the NFL draft and thus never have to serve any penalty at all. Can anyone recall a previous case where the NCAA deferred such a penalty into the next year, rather than an immediate suspension when there was still a game to be played this season?
And I recall that Bradley also received an institutional probation penalty. Apparently, the NCAA did not apply any such penalty to Ohio State.

[BradleyJD]

To not suspend them for this bowl game makes zero sense.

[Da Coach]

One source is reporting that the NCAA decided not to penalize the players this season was because of "inadequate rules training" by Ohio State.

Again, that's a joke! If they are blaming Ohio State for not informing the players that they can't get stuff free or for their autograph, then Ohio State should also receive an institutional penalty (which they didn't).
But then couldn't every school get away with this excuse any time they had a player violate a rule?

[SaintLouBrave22]

Not a big deal...

A bigger deal would have been the NCAA doing the right thing and suspending these guys for their bowl game...I'm also certain that the sweater vest knew about all of this...

Finally, it won't hurt Pryor at all...he will just go pro

[tornado]

This is an amazing and laughably contrived penalty to be sure the Ohio State guys can still get to play the bowl game
and to be sure the actual impact of the penalties don't hurt the NCAA too much..

Yes- the rule mandates immediate suspension and the amounts of impermissible benefits are considerably more than anything alleged paid to POB --
But of course it's ok to defer to next year -- I guess it's better than making SEMO pay the penalties like they usually do!!

[TheAsianSensation]

So the stars (Pryor) get to go pro and the "scrubs" (I use that term loosely given it's OSU, but you get the drift) serve the full 5 games next year. Punish the little guys to let the stars have their escape hatch. The NCAA are cowards.

That said, a few hundred dollars discount on tattoos means you lose half a season, but Cam Newton and his $180k loses not a single game?

[real fan]

Double standard as usual , they broke the rules and should not be playing in any bowl game, I do not understand why any non BCS school would not fight any sanctions handed down by the NCAA with a law firm and use all these comparisons in how the large schools get caught with huge violations of the rules and get minimum penalties while the small schools have smaller violations yet huge sanctions.

[SFP]

NCAA cowards or walking a fine line to keep themselves relevant with the BCS football schools? The big boys have been pushing it a bit more of late and I can see them doing away with the NCAA. Who really needs who? Just reality.

[tornado]

the only reason the NCAA is acting on this is because it's been in the press now for some time...... and has been quite an embarrassment...
otherwise the NCAA would have ignored it completely...like they did the Reggie Bush matter 'til the media made it a topic hard to ignore..

[dogsrus]

I am confused....IF they are saying that OSU didn't properly instruct players this was a rules violation how is letting them play in the bowl but still suspending them 4 games allowing for mitigating circumstances.....?

How about OUT for the bowl game then let them play next year.......


Listen...I understand this is a violation but to me the REAL violations are money given to GET a player to your school. THese were just kids doing a dumb thing.....much like the POB incident (allthough they didn't do anything they just failed to report what they had to know that they were getting too much money for the amount of work being done) .....its not like POB came to BU becuase he was promised money for no work.

Neither the POB/Star trucking incident OR the OSU violations gained either institution any competitive advantage but were clear violations ANY reasonable person had to understand .....

You take away immediate playing time for OSU guys just like you did for BU.....

[Grassman]

I am confused....IF they are saying that OSU didn't properly instruct players this was a rules violation how is letting them play in the bowl but still suspending them 4 games allowing for mitigating circumstances.....?

How about OUT for the bowl game then let them play next year.......


Listen...I understand this is a violation but to me the REAL violations are money given to GET a player to your school. THese were just kids doing a dumb thing.....much like the POB incident (allthough they didn't do anything they just failed to report what they had to know that they were getting too much money for the amount of work being done) .....its not like POB came to BU becuase he was promised money for no work.

Neither the POB/Star trucking incident OR the OSU violations gained either institution any competitive advantage but were clear violations ANY reasonable person had to understand .....

You take away immediate playing time for OSU guys just like you did for BU.....

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ TV bowl advertisers
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ BCS
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Bowl Committees
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Conferences.

The NCAA is not going to alienate any/ all of these groups.

[it's boogie time]

I know I'm in the minority here, but I think it is a bigger deal to suspend them the first five games of next year instead of the bowl game. To me, there's a national championship game and 20+ exhibitions. This puts a dent in OSU's bid for a national title next year, especially if it is the deciding matter of Pryor turning pro.

[electricmayhem]

He'll be the starting tight end for the Rams next year...

[tornado]

Neither the POB/Star trucking incident OR the OSU violations gained either institution any competitive advantage.......

I disagree and the NCAA obviously does as well......
If a school is allowed to get away with with their kids getting $$ and benefiting from their status as "amateur athletes", then they DO gain an advantage since they can use that as a recruiting tool...
Clearly if a kid can make several thousand extra dollars at Ohio State that he wasn't allowed to make at Purdue, that's an extra benefit that is enticing!

Now -- here's where the comparison to the Star Trucking thing falls completely apart --
At Bradley NOBODY knew about the overpay from Star -- NOBODY!!
Even the final NCAA ruling clearly granted that Bradley had no way of knowing about it and it was unintended and inadvertent...

But just read the articles about what was going on at Ohio State...even the players themselves had been tweeting for months about selling their autographs for tattoos, and those couple Kansas State bloggers I cited had written that everyone on campus knew about the players getting free things at local stores...EVERYONE, for years!!!

So this is the MAIN difference...

--Bradley does everything they can to keep the program clean and still gets nailed for something they had NO control over and NO knowledge of.
Then NCAA calls it a MAJOR violation & hits BU HARD with sanctions!

--Places like Kansas State & Ohio State let their players violate rules endlessly until the media & bloggers call them into account, and then -- ONLY THEN -- even tho the school fails to take any action, and finally to stop the media circus and embarrassment, the NCAA steps in with a paltry penalty...calling it a minor or secondary violation and assessing penalties that are comical by comparison!!


One last thing -- lots of opinions out there that we should let the kids have the money or pay them...poor little college athletes are getting none of the $$ they generate!
BUT -- it IS and it ALWAYS HAS BEEN that college sports are defined as amateur...
and that carries special rules and definitions...kinda the same all the way back to Jim Thorpe..
The athletes are free to go play pro sports, but they CHOOSE and elect to play amateur sports and they DO sign specific agreements NOT to take $$ and break the rules. In return they get the treasured opportunity to do what only a fraction of college or high school kids only dream of...they get a free scholarship for 4 years (generally) and the chance to to play ball.....they agreed to it -- so these violations are a clear cut violation of their word and their agreement.

[dogsrus]

I disagree and the NCAA obviously does as well......
If a school is allowed to get away with with their kids getting $$ and benefiting from their status as "amateur athletes", then they DO gain an advantage since they can use that as a recruiting tool...
Clearly if a kid can make several thousand extra dollars at Ohio State that he wasn't allowed to make at Purdue, that's an extra benefit that is enticing!

Now -- here's where the comparison to the Star Trucking thing falls completely apart --
At Bradley NOBODY knew about the overpay from Star -- NOBODY!!
Even the final NCAA ruling clearly granted that Bradley had no way of knowing about it and it was unintended and inadvertent...

But just read the articles about what was going on at Ohio State...even the players themselves had been tweeting for months about selling their autographs for tattoos, and those couple Kansas State bloggers I cited had written that everyone on campus knew about the players getting free things at local stores...EVERYONE, for years!!!

So this is the MAIN difference...

--Bradley does everything they can to keep the program clean and still gets nailed for something they had NO control over and NO knowledge of.
Then NCAA calls it a MAJOR violation & hits BU HARD with sanctions!

--Places like Kansas State & Ohio State let their players violate rules endlessly until the media & bloggers call them into account, and then -- ONLY THEN -- even tho the school fails to take any action, and finally to stop the media circus and embarrassment, the NCAA steps in with a paltry penalty...calling it a minor or secondary violation and assessing penalties that are comical by comparison!!


One last thing -- lots of opinions out there that we should let the kids have the money or pay them...poor little college athletes are getting none of the $$ they generate!
BUT -- it IS and it ALWAYS HAS BEEN that college sports are defined as amateur...
and that carries special rules and definitions...kinda the same all the way back to Jim Thorpe..
The athletes are free to go play pro sports, but they CHOOSE and elect to play amateur sports and they DO sign specific agreements NOT to take $$ and break the rules. In return they get the treasured opportunity to do what only a fraction of college or high school kids only dream of...they get a free scholarship for 4 years (generally) and the chance to to play ball.....they agreed to it -- so these violations are a clear cut violation of their word and their agreement.

Disagree and the NCAA OBVIOUSLY does as well.

AND neither BU OR OSU was "hit hard with sanctions" allthough OSU CLEARLY got hit harder by the individual sanctions given.

POB/Will 6 games....Pryor/co. 5 games. Football is what 12 games....they are losing about 40% of games AND will deystroy the Universities chance of Bowl game and/or National Championship. 30 games - 6 is what 20% and hurt BU MUCH less in the championship picture.


Neither group was PROMISED money for nothing to COME to said institution. To me THATS gaining a competitive advantage.

And how do we know POB and WIll weren't telling others "hey, I only work 5 hours and am getting paid for 10." While I seriously doubt that neither YOU or I have ANY idea. Just becuase OSU kids were tweeting about it it was still something more like a "crime" of opportunity.

The ONLY difference I see is POB and Will "fell into this"...IOW they were getting paid for work NOT done and SHOULD have come forward. Its not like they set out to "cheat".They got caught and paid a price. They both appeared to have learned from it and went on to good careers with NO further problems.....Pryor and co., found a way to make money SHOULD have known better dispite the NCAA trying to say it was partially OSU's fault for not educating these kids first that this type of behavior was wrong/illegal.