The NCAA and Kelvin Sampson

Its time for me to publicly make known my feelings on the whole Kelvin Sampson situation. I talked to my dad about it the other day, but my feelings have changed a bit since then.

I do think he should be fired. He cheated, is a repeat offender, and needs to go. But...the university should be punished also, for knowingly hiring a cheater. Here is what I think should happen. Players should not suffer because of the choices of their coach. They should be allowed to finish the season, participate in post season tourneys and so on. Once the season ends, these players should be given the option to transfer without sitting out a year. They should not be stuck in a program that will be sanctioned because their coach cheated to get them there. Incoming players will know that ahead of time, which would be the difference.

Indiana should lose as many scholarships for as many players that leave, for the time remaining on each scholarship. If a player with 3 years left leaves, they lose that scholarship for 3 years, etc. This will show how the kids that earn scholarships really feel about the situation. If, 10 of the 12 scholarship players leave, they lose those 10 scholarships for however amount of time remains on each one. I know the NCAA doesnt have the guts to do something like this to a big program, although they might think about it if UNLV was in the same situation...

That would be about as close to the death penalty as possible. Could you imagine a new coach playing in the big 10 with more than half of his players as walk ons? I think Indiana would learn very quickly what the consequences are for hiring a cheater.

I believe in second chances, but people need to prove they have changed. Kelvin Sampson was on probation with the NCAA when he was hired!

While I am talking about the NCAA...

They need to do something about the constant change of coaches, especially in football. Bobby Petrino has signed almost 20 years worth of contracts over the past 4 years. I understand it is a business and if a job you want opens up, you should look into getting it. The bad thing in college sports is the effect this has on the athletes. Here is my solution.

First, make a special rule (maybe just for football) that players can transfer to another program without sitting out a year if their coach leaves, for a reason other than being fired. Especially if the new coach runs a different system.

Case in point. Ryan Mallett at Arkansas. Last season, he started 7 games as a freshman at Michigan. He is 6'8, 250 pounds. Coach Carr decides to retire, and Rich "Shredder" Rodriguez is hired. Shredder runs a spread offense. All of a sudden, Mallett (the #1 QB in the country coming out of high school) goes from the top of the depth chart to third or fourth.

Mallett decides to transfer, which is a great decision because of his NFL potential. Normally, he would have to sit out a year before playing, but he has filed a petition with the NCAA to recieve a waiver of that year. The NCAA will review that request, but i doubt it will be granted.

With the way football coached bounce around from program to program and with the Rich Rodriguez example, not even power schools are exempt, the NCAA really needs to figure out a way to lessen the impact this has on the athletes. Many of the football and basketball players in the NCAA are trying to make a living in the future through their talents, and a certain coach may be a big reason they choose a certain school. At the same time, everyone needs motivation, and if Coach graduated from USC, and that job opens up, he should go after that job. If the new coach cannot use the player in a similar way, there should be nothing keeping him from going somewhere that will use him. If I am an English major because I want to work with a certain faculty member and that faculty member finds a better job elsewhere, I can transfer to another school that would be a better fit!

I think football has many more "bouncing coaches" then basketball does, but if the NCAA creates a small committee to review each transfer case by case, everyone can have a chance to find a way out of a sudden coaching move.

One other option would be to try and limit the length of coaching contracts and extensions, which can express a false sense of commitment. Bobby Petrino signed a 6 year extension with Louisville, only to leave less than a year later to sign a 4 year deal with the Falcons. Again, less than a year later, he leaves the falcons to sign a multiyear deal with Arkansas.

The NCAA is a huge moneymaking machine, but never seems to make the right moves. Maybe that can change with the whole Kelvin Sampson.