NCAA Penalizes Arkansas State

[tornado]

for buying over $5,000 in apparel for a player - which included 16 pairs of shoes...

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25553267/arkansas-state-vacates-win-fined-by-ncaa-after-player-orders-5k-in-gear

oddly, this would have never come to light except the player's father called NCAA to report the violations after his kid was kicked off the team.
I guess that's the way to get even!

http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/2016_ArkansasStatePublicDecision_20160413.pdf

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2015/10/05/arkansas-state-mens-basketball-player-dismissed-from-team/73404878/

[tornado]

If you read the more detailed accounts of this case, it becomes very interesting...

-first - the ONLY way NCAA became aware of these violations is because the father of one of the disgruntled players (who was later kicked off the team) - called NCAA to rat on Arkansas State & their staff for numerous violations - especially giving them impermissible benefits.
(...does this sound familiar? ..think Anthony Webster.... and think disgruntled fired assistant calling and ratting on Bradley back in 2005)

Then - at first - NCAA didn't take the claims all too seriously and simply asked Arkansas State if it was so and would they please check it out.

LOL - well, of course the folks at Arkansas State said - heck no, there's nothing going on here and believe it or not, the NCAA bought it all hook, line & sinker!

"they did not uncover any violations.."

Then 6 months later - that same player finally got booted permanently from the team and the dad again called the NCAA and ratted again demanding more investigation!
This time, the NCAA actually sent someone to do the digging and they found the proof of the $5,165 worth of shoes (reportedly 16 pairs of $300+ Jordans) given to the player ..
Once NCAA had enough proof, then the Arkansas State people admitted the violations and fired their DBO (assistant) using him as a convenient scapegoat to throw under the bus.


Now, seriously -- there's two things that stand out here to me...

-first - if the basketball coaching staff gave ONE kid $5K worth of shoes, then I have to believe the cheating goes way, way deeper but NCAA must be too busy to bother because they stopped looking after they confirmed the freebie clodhoppers.

-then - what the hey- the NCAA did such an incredibly pi** poor job of checking out the claims originally, that they darned near missed 100% of the evidence and turned their backs on the guys who were cheating. ONLY BECAUSE the player's dad called repeatedly to NCAA and griped about getting free stuff - did the deaf, dumb & blind NCAA finally stumble on the violations and hand down penalties. Makes you wonder how much cheating they miss there and everywhere else every day because they are so inept.

OMG - is this laughable bungling or what?
When it was Bradley in 1986 and 2005, they didn't believe anyone and sent multiple top- level investigators to tear thru anything & everything on a mission to find something whether it was actually there or not!

[Chico]

Wonder why he waited until his trouble making kid got kicked off the team to realize he shouldn't have so many shoes? He's as guilty as the University.

[tornado]

I agree- and clearly the ratting dad wasn't trying to be a good citizen - he was simply trying to satisfy his vindictive, hateful ego and get even with someone he had a grudge against at Arkansas State!