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Shabazz Muhammad, who many people rated as the #1 high school player in the country in the class of 2012, landed at UCLA. But the NCAA found that he accepted thousands of dollars of "improper benefits"- free airplane trips and lodging for recruiting visits. UCLA admitted the violations of the NCAA rules on amateurism. But upon appeal, the NCAA appeals committee reinstated him after missing just 3 games (which UCLA won).
Here is the problem I have- recall that when a similar violation of the improper benefits rule affected Bradley players back in 2005, the NCAA admitted that the violations were inadvertent, and not committed by anyone connected to Bradley, but it was still required that Bradley player Patrick O'Bryant sit out 30% of his games, since that was the rule for such a violation. But in Shabazz Muhammad's case, the NCAA only requires that he miss 10% (3 games)of his games (for a dollar amount of benefits that significantly exceeds what POB was reported to have received) and that he pay back the $1600 in improper benefits. But since he has already missed 3 games waiting for the NCAA to rule on his appeal, the NCAA has allowed him to count the 3 games he has missed toward the 3 game suspension. Thus, he is able to play immediately!
Note that just 2 years ago, Kansas freshman Josh Selby (who is now in the NBA) was found to have accepted thousands of dollars of improper benefits, but he got a 9 game suspecsion (30% of Kansas' games), and that remains the NCAA rule. So why does Muhammad get only 10% of his games?
Here is the problem I have- recall that when a similar violation of the improper benefits rule affected Bradley players back in 2005, the NCAA admitted that the violations were inadvertent, and not committed by anyone connected to Bradley, but it was still required that Bradley player Patrick O'Bryant sit out 30% of his games, since that was the rule for such a violation. But in Shabazz Muhammad's case, the NCAA only requires that he miss 10% (3 games)of his games (for a dollar amount of benefits that significantly exceeds what POB was reported to have received) and that he pay back the $1600 in improper benefits. But since he has already missed 3 games waiting for the NCAA to rule on his appeal, the NCAA has allowed him to count the 3 games he has missed toward the 3 game suspension. Thus, he is able to play immediately!
Note that just 2 years ago, Kansas freshman Josh Selby (who is now in the NBA) was found to have accepted thousands of dollars of improper benefits, but he got a 9 game suspecsion (30% of Kansas' games), and that remains the NCAA rule. So why does Muhammad get only 10% of his games?
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