ramblings

[slickdawg]

I sent this to a fellow sooner last night. This is all I'll say on the subject to keep my blood pressure in check.


So the inequity of the NCAA continues. The entire OU football team,
players and coaches included, are punished for what two did (or did not
do) well outside the scope and purview of the university.

This is my biggest gripe with the NCAA - how can a university WITH NO
LEGAL AUTHORITY over private individuals and businesses be held
accountable for their actions? As soon as Bob Stoops found out about
the actions of Bomar and Quinn, he kicked them off the team. He kicked
his starting QB off the team as two-a-days began, and one of his top 10
offensive linemen. What more can he do as the school has no authority to
audit businesses and individuals? Especially with the limitations the
NCAA has on coaching staff and personnel.

[dougsooner]

And yet, B**** and Q**** get to play football this year.... AND Sampson gets to coach and get paid big bucks..... Punish the person who broke the law.

[cvsooner]

And yet, B**** and Q**** get to play football this year.... AND Sampson gets to coach and get paid big bucks..... Punish the person who broke the law.

B and Q had to sit out a season and have to repay money they received. At least they had to do that, which is more than Sampson had to do. He gets a bigger contract at a school with a lot of tradition--and Indiana gets off scot-free. The punishment ought to follow the coach. And he should have been fired before he had a chance to quit, IMHO.

I have to say the following, and I'll only say it once, though it pains me as an OU alum and a longtime follower and fan of OU sports:

I don't care for the NCAA much either. I must add I thought the "punishment" if you can call it that, was fair. Really, OU is being penalized for not having better systems in place. Even if the two attempted to defraud the university, the systems should have caught it much sooner. (No pun intended.)

That's the way the real world works, too. And OU, unfortunately, has a history, both some time ago and more recently, of not sticking to the NCAA rules. Vacating the wins was a stupid thing to do, and is almost meaningless.

I see the "punishment" as nothing more or less than a final warning. If there are any further infractions, and/or the university is any less than honorable in its handling of the situation, much worse sanctions will come down the pipe.

The main thing that saved this situation in the first place was Stoops immediate and final decision to cut both players, with no hope of probation or parole. He at least seems to get it.

Boren is doing what I would expect him to do as a university president, though I have to wonder about his administrative expertise.

I have bigger concerns about Joe C., who all in all has been a very good athletic director, which is like saying Barry Switzer was a great coach. He was, but playing fast and loose with the rules will get you punished.

Somehow, the Joe C.'s of the world have got to make it clear, and the entire athletic department, has got to get the message and put it into practice that the rules apply to everybody and they will not be violated. Period. Or this sort of thing will continue to be the proverbial sword of Damocles hanging over our heads.

Okay, soapbox over.

On a brighter note, when exactly do two-a-days start? I haven't seen that info anywhere.