Jan 27, 2016; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino looks on in the first half of the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Cassell Coliseum. Photo Credit: Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports
From my perspective, another chapter in the book of outlandish acts performed by the NCAA was written when the organization made Louisville the latest victim of selective enforcement, causing the university president James Ramsey to self-impose a ban for the last nine games of the season on the 19-4 squad.
They call it “self-imposed,” but c’mon. No college president or administrator is going to “self-impose” anything and take the money out of its own coffers by choice. It’s an edict from an organization that often seems to operate below board, damning administrators and coaches if they don’t adhere to the rules that allow the Mark Emmerts (NCAA President) of the world to make big money each year off of the sweat of the brows of 18-22-year old kids who play under the universities’ names and garner not so much as a penny.
The suits in the ivory tower in Indianapolis seem to have again showed their disdain for college athletes as Damion Lee and Trey Lewis came to Louisville as fifth-year graduate students from Drexel and Cleveland State, respectively. These two young men were excited to have a shot at playing big-time basketball in a premiere program and conference. Ramsey and the NCAA disrespected them with the ban which costs these two young men that opportunity.
Once again, when is the broken system washed away into the ditch of the 1950s and 1960s, when a lack of common sense and a care for human rights run rampant in the country, not just in athletics? Perhaps the worst part of this situation is the idea that Ramsey is sworn to secrecy by the NCAA, while Coach Rick Pitino and Athletic Director Tom Jurich are kept in the dark about the investigation since the NCAA says it is “ongoing.”
To start with, none of these players were even on the team when the actions by a rouge assistant coach (Andre McGee, who played at Louisville and was an assistant for two years) allegedly happened. A prostitute corroborated his story that he had supplied strippers to the U of L basketball team during his time period as an assistant. Does this mean that the NCAA will adhere to allegations from this even type witness to flex its enforcement arm?
Another shameless aspect was that the NCAA wouldn’t allow Jurich on the committee investigating the situation. Being the Louisville athletic director, he and the basketball program at least deserve to be apprised of every detail of an investigation such as this.
“The mistake was made by not having Tom Jurich on the committee,” said Pitino, after Louisville blasted Boston College, 79-47 for its 19th win, “You don’t go into war without your general. And they made a mistake in not having him on this committee. Rather than pinpoint who is to blame, we don’t want to do that, it is a mistake.”
Lee was sidelined with a knee injury on Saturday, while Pitino was worried about Lewis emotionally going into the game. Lewis played well, scoring 16 points in 28 minutes and hitting all nine of his free throws.
Meanwhile on Friday, in Louisville, Lee and Lewis cried when they found out Ramsey was going to make the announcement and the Louisville players gathered around them with hugs.
With these recent NCAA actions in mind, it’s time that student-athletes should consider picking a Saturday – one for football and one for basketball – and sit out the appointed game. Maybe this could permeate all the way through non-revenue sports and make an even more emphatic statement. It’s time to consider drastic measures and hit the university presidents and the NCAA in the pocketbooks. What if stadiums/arenas were filled and at game time, players sit in the end zones or on the sidelines? Of course, there’s no leader, no facilitator for such a desperate action.
Check Ken’s college basketball site at www.collegehoopswatch.com
Twitter: @CollHoopsWatch and @KennyThaBaller
