Filed under: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, USC
In past years, I've analogized the NCAA's enforcement arm to a traffic cop. I hate, hate, hate traffic cops. So do you. Why? Because they sit on the side of the road and watch everyone speed by. Occasionally they pull out into traffic, pull over a speeder and write him or her a ticket. While the traffic cop is writing you the ticket, everyone continues to speed past you as you sit on the side of the road. Nothing changes. Any attempt to regulate traffic speeds is impossible. It's a stupid, ineffective and inconsistent, just like the NCAA.
In the wake of NCAA's ruling on Ohio State's five football players, including Terrelle Pryor, who all acknowledged selling jerseys, rings or gold pants, I believe I've been too generous to the NCAA. This has been the year when the NCAA has stopped being a traffic cop and turned into an arbitrary and capricious dictator. Think an insane Saddam Hussein at the height of his powers in Iraq. The NCAA is a totalitarian dictator, the rules are what the NCAA says the rules are. Even if, you know, honest logic dies in the process.
Put simply, the decision to allow Ohio State's five "suspended" players to remain eligible for the Sugar Bowl is indefensible. Completely and utterly indefensible. I'll write more about this shortly, but how can you have a suspension that doesn't take effect immediately? How can you be eligible at the same time that you're ineligible? How can a window of eligibility exist if you are presently ineligible? What's more, and there will be more on this shortly, how come Ohio State's 2009 and 2010 seasons aren't invalidated for ineligible players competing?
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