A SENSIBLE, YET FIRM, PUNISHMENT FOR USC ATHLETICS

by WCT, The Ship of Fools

If I ruled the world, I'd free all my sons I would offer sensible, yet firm punishments for all improprieties. In most situations, there is no reason to make things complicated, or to try to "make an example" out of those who do wrong. In most cases, a simple solution, where all parties know exactly where they stand, and all repercussions are cut and dry, is usually the best one.

Take the situation at USC for example. If the allegations surrounding O.J. Mayo are true, (I recognize that this is a big "if," but for the purposes of this post, let's assume they are) and the allegations surrounding Reggie Bush are true, (another big "if," but stay with me) then the NCAA needs to act, and they need to act now. I am not saying that the USC athletic department was either involved, or complicit when these two guys were receiving cash and gifts, but there is definitely (to borrow everyone's favorite phrase when describing stuff like this) a "lack of institutional control." I refuse to fly off the handle, as some have, and suggest that the school should be given the so-called "death penalty," as SMU football did in the '80s -- when the athletic department literally helped boosters pay students -- or that Reggie Bush should be stripped of his Heisman trophy, and the 2005 Trojans' BCS championship no longer be recognized -- honestly, what kind of penalties are those? -- but I think something has to be done that sticks.

So here is my suggestion: The entire USC athletic department (because obviously this problem spans more than any one sport) should be placed on a sort of "probation" for five years. Now, this probation should not prevent them from participating in any postseason games, or cause them to lose scholarships, or cause them to be on television any less. This is just sort of a warning. However, if anything, and I mean anything like this surfaces during this five year period, then serious sanctions (including possibly the death penalty) have to be made. I mean, if one guy steps out of line, if Pete Carroll makes one phone call more than you are allowed by NCAA standards, I drop the hammer. If a basketball booster gives a player a stick of gum without charging him for it, I throw the book at them. This is a true zero-tolerance policy for the next five years. And if they keep their nose clean for the five-year period, then the probation is lifted, and everything goes back to normal.

Under this punishment structure, you give the athletic department the benefit of the doubt that they didn't have any idea what was going on with two of the biggest and most high-profile student athletes in the history of their school (something I personally do not believe, but whatever). At the same time, you put them on notice that this type of activity is not something that is going to be tolerated at all during the probationary period. There is no need to launch an investigation, that will take months (if not years), and then hand out a punishment sometime in the the future that will either hurt no one, or hurt parties that had nothing to do with the violations. You don't punish the, ahem, innocent athletes that are there now (or sometime in the future), instead, you light a fire under the ass of the athletic director and coaches now, and motivate them to monitor what their players are doing and who they are dealing with. They cannot use the excuse of not knowing what is going on with their players and their boosters, because they are forced to make it their business to know.

I realize that Mayo has denied the allegations against him, just like Bush denied the allegations against him, just like the USC athletic department denied knowing anything about either set of allegations. But honestly, we as sports fans have heard so many phony denials and so many weak apologies recently that its getting harder and harder to know who and what to believe anymore. But I'm sure that everyone, even the biggest and most passionate USC fanatic (if such a thing exists! zing!) must be willing to accept this zero-tolerance probation, right? RIGHT??