FanPost

Trogan-to-English: Haden takes on the NCAA

IT IS A GREAT PERSONAL GRIEF TO LOSE THE BEST TRANSLATOR SUBJECT EVER, MR. LANE KIFFIN. I STRONGLY CONSIDERED RETIRING AS BN TRANSLATOR, BUT, AS SHOWN BELOW, PAT HADEN IS STILL ON THE JOB SO I WILL STAY ON.

While Lane Kiffin got axed for not helping the Trogans progress, his athletic director, not yet fired, has similarly failed in his efforts for Troy. You can read about his meeting with the NCAA in full text at http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/9/26/4774670/usc-ncaa-sanctions-penn-state and then read the translation of key excerpts.

"...we had planned to discuss a variety of topics, including the NCAA's governance structure, the need to address student-athlete welfare concerns, and other current issues such as 'pay for play.'"

We planned to talk about loosening NCAA compliance monitoring, looking the other way at impermissible compensation of athletes, and other current issues like criminal activity.

"We also wanted to thank NCAA staff members for their cooperation with and assistance to USC on a wide variety of compliance-related matters ranging from numerous waiver requests..."

We wanted to make our promised payments for their agreed-upon leniency, involving a large number of compliance violations and also many waivers that would free SC from the rules that apply to every other school.

"...to the positive resolution of the Joe McKnight/Davon Jefferson matter earlier this year."

Successful meaning hand-slap only, no ineligibility for bowl games, no loss of scholarships, no penalty of any sort.

" Our work with the NCAA is not confined to the big 'breaking news' media stories that everyone reads about. Rather, we work with them on a daily basis to address and resolve issues involving eligibility, academics, transfers and graduation that never see the light of newsprint."

In fact, our work we keep intentionally out of the news, given that it violates all sorts of legal, ethical, and moral strictures. We do need to work with them daily due to the large number of ineligible players we seek to suit up, the many academically-lacking members of our football squad, illegal or immoral transfers like our running back from Penn State, etc.

"After learning of the NCAA's actions on Tuesday (Sept. 24) regarding Penn State and the lessening of the sanctions that were imposed on that institution, when viewed in the context of the events that have shaken intercollegiate athletics over the past year, we felt compelled to discuss USC's sanctions in a new light."

Having suckered the NCAA into a meeting under false pretences on other subjects, we decided to go after relief for our modest penalties for massive wrongdoing. Having failed many times too convince the NCAA that their light penalties on us were in fact harsh, we tried to invent one more rationale to get away with murder.

"... I believe the penalties imposed on our football program in 2010 were unprecedented and inconsistent with NCAA precedent in prior cases."

They were unprecedented because our violations were unprecedented, and even then we weren't punished anywhere commensurate with what we committed. Everyone knows we should have received the Death Penalty.

"... the sanctions have resulted in unintended consequences both for our football program and our student-athletes. Although the sanctions reduced our total football scholarship limit to 75 (down from 85), attrition resulting from injuries and transfers has resulted in less than 60 recruited scholarship student-athletes suiting up for our games. The current situation is certainly not what was envisioned, nor is it in the best interests of our student-athletes' welfare."

The NCAA knows that every school punished is liable to have injuries (every school every season does) and that some folks will transfer as a result of sanctions (in fact this is desirable as it reinforces the punishment). Why should SC be treated any differently for experiencing what every other major cheat experiences?

"In reducing Penn State's scholarship penalties, the NCAA specifically noted the 'progress' it had made regarding athletics integrity."

Which makes no sense, because Penn State was punished for criminal pedophile actions unrelated to the football team or any other university athletic activity. Athletics integrity was never an issue at Penn State.

"... we again argued for some consideration regarding the 2010 sanctions during the last year of our penalty."

The last year of our penalty! When we should have received the Death Penalty, or at least 5 years of major sanctions for the greatest wrongdoing of the decade by any school, perhaps the worst in several decades.

"... We proposed creative 'outside the box' solutions to the scholarship issues resulting from the injuries and transfers experienced by our football team over the past three seasons."

We proposed get-out-of-jail-free solutions to let us out of experiencing the full weight of the admittedly light penalties.

Subsequently, the NCAA came up with a translation of its own:

"There is no comparison between USC and Penn State," the NCAA said in a statement issued Friday. "USC's appeal was denied and there is no further consideration being given."

In other words, Penn State was granted some relief, not just because of its recent actions to improve itself, but also because a) Penn State never committed any violation giving it one drop of advantage on the football field, and b) the NCAA zapped Penn State via an illegitimate process without normal investigation, hearing, etc.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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