Shameful!: 2017 NCAA Scandal Still Rocks College Basketball

FBI Indictments Were Just the Beginning

In September 2017 the FBI issued 10 high profile indictments for bribery and corruption in NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball. The FBI found an illegal “Pay-to-Play” scheme. Here’s how it worked: An agent, coach or other intermediary pays a recruit, $100,000 in one claim, and, in exchange, the recruit commits to play for a specific school. Universities, coaches, apparel companies, agents, recruits (obviously) and their parents all played a role. The FBI indictments led to resignations, terminations, convictions and federal prison.

Famed Hall of Fame Louisville head coach Rick Pitino was forced to resign. Four assistant coaches pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. James Gatto, a former Adidas executive, went to prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud against Louisville and Kansas. Former Adidas consultant Merl Code and sports agent Christian Dawkins were sent to prison on similar charges. These crimes can bring severe penalties.

Student athletes are the “products” generating those revenue streams

If convicted of the original six felonies, Emanuel “Book” Richardson could have been sentenced to 60-years in prison and $1.5 million in fines. Instead Richardson pled guilty to a single felony and will serve 3-months in prison, 2-years on probation and forfeit his $20,000 bribe. Not bad if that was the end of his story, but it’s not. He also lost his $250,000 a year job and will never coach an NCAA game again. Richardson’s “life has been ruined.” Like Richardson, NCAA Basketball’s future is uncertain at best.

Nothing is Settled For the NCAA

Prominent schools will likely be affected. NCAA vice president Stan Wilcox will not be specific, but twenty schools were named in the FBI investigation. According to Yahoo! Sports, that number could rise to 50! The futures of star athletes at elite programs such as Duke, North Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, Michigan State, USC and Kansas are also at risk. Nobody knows where or when this scandal will end.

The NCAA’s internal investigation is underway. CBS Sports reported that at least six programs will receive “notices of allegations for Level I violations from the NCAA this summer.” Level I violations carry stiff penalties such as postseason bans, loss of scholarships and other penalties. Marquee teams could be left in shambles for years to come.

The NCAA hired former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to lead a blue ribbon panel, recommending steps to improve the system and mitigate future scandals. The results were underwhelming. Forbes characterized it as, “not offering anything new” and “what everybody knows.” Too harsh? Perhaps. On thing is certain, the Rice Commission didn’t solve anything and largely avoided the toughest issues.

Size 16 Shoes

A 6’ 7”, 270-pound man that can outrun a cheetah, leap to the clouds and shoot 40% from 3-point range is not in college for a degree. He’s there to satisfy an NBA rule that requires a 1-year gap between high school and entering the NBA Draft. The rule is well-intentioned, it’s goal being to encourage kids with marginal NBA skills to test their skills at the college level first.

The underlying issue driving all this bad behavior is, of course, money. Those at the top of the food chain amass incredible wealth by leveraging the high demand for NBA-level talent against the low supply of NBA-level talent. Multi-year, multi-million-dollar NBA contracts are a powerful draw. Which means there will always be people, institutions and businesses gaming the system. What to do?

ESPN’s Mike Wilbon is right, the NCAA needs new policies which should include paying some “student athletes” for their services. Sharing the revenue will reduce “shenanigan opportunities.” Besides that, the money is already available. The NCAA has $10.8B in television deals. Over $100M is for apparel contracts and other rich revenue streams. Student athletes are the “products” generating those revenue streams and, dammit, they deserve a cut.