NCAA way too soft on Boeheim and Syracuse
I read Jim Boeheim's comments about the NCAA investigation of Syracuse and its men's basketball program.
He is "disappointed" in their conclusions and wonders why the committee overlooked all the time during his 37-year reign at Syracuse when the program did follow the rules.
He's kidding, right?
Maybe he wants a merit badge, but it sounds like he is saying it's OK to just be honest some of the time.
Here's the litany of deceit this guy pulled off under his tenure: 1.) academic misconduct; 2.) extra benefits; 3.) failure to follow drug testing policies; and 4.) Impermissible booster activity, which basically is another way of saying they had guys like "Happy" from the movie "Blue Chips."
And that was just what they self-reported in 2001. But wait, I'm not done.
In its 94-page report, the NCAA committee said, "For approximately 10 years, the head basketball coach failed in his responsibilities to promote an atmosphere of compliance within his program and monitor the activities of those who reported directly and indirectly to him."
Boeheim and Syracuse athletics will be punished. He is suspended for 9 ACC games next season, the school loses 3 scholarships for each of the next four years, and must serve a five-year probation, along with the school's football program. The NCAA will vacate all wins that involved ineligible players from 2004-2007 and 2010-2012, and in the football program from 2004-2006.
For me, that isn't enough.
Boeheim should have been relieved of his duties as top dog of the basketball program because he cheated, and he cheated real good! There are too many years of misconduct he has presided over.
Why isn't he being fired? Because he is the top dog in Syracuse and has been for a long time. He came up through their ranks and even though he has a prickly personality, he is still revered there.
I watched the North Carolina-Syracuse game on Saturday. Bryan Harlan and Dan Bonner were doing the game and Bonner was bemoaning the loss of scholarships the NCAA imposed on Syracuse.
It sounded like a pity party for cheaters. The national media should be demanding Boeheim step down.
It just amazes me how soft we have become. Shouldn't Boeheim, at the very least, have been suspended for a year?
Sorry but Boeheim isn't close to Mike Krzyzewski. In my book, he's closer to guys like Kelvin Sampson, who was fired from Indiana for impermissible phone calls, or like Bruce Pearl, openly violated NCAA rules at Tennessee.
That's a shame.
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