The latest scandal has further embarrassed college basketball.
Mike Krzyzewski called it a “horrible time” for the game he has coached for 43 years. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo wouldn’t say anything about what has long been a secret society of protectionism, except that his implicated player Miles Bridges is still eligible after a less-than-48-hour internal probe by his school, which has been in other hot water lately.
Georgia coach Mark Fox said he is disgusted and probably broke the secret code by blaming other coaches for being involved or turning their heads to something he said has been going on for years and years.
That “something” is Federal findings that dozens of players have received impermissible benefits from agents trying to secure them as clients once they turn pro, or shoe companies paying five-star recruits and their families to steer them to the schools they have under contract.
Fox hit the nail on the head when he said the NCAA is not a bunch of suits in Indianapolis; the NCAA is made up of member institutions that make — and have the power to change — all the recruiting rules. Why don’t they? Because schools with the most influence are making the most money from the game they all readily admit is imperfect.
Supposedly, the cream of the Power Five conferences did not have to cheat because they can win by abiding all the rules, big and small. If true, Arizona is a step behind and its coach Sean Miller made what could be a career-ending mistake if he really did discuss a $100,000 payment with a recruit who stars for his current team.
So the NCAA schools have the power. Instead of protecting themselves and blaming the leakers, stop hiding behind shady academics and amateurism and change the rules to clean it up, whether that is policing recruiting better or coming up with a legal way to pay the players.
Years ago, NCAA schools chafed over the money they were losing from scalpers in the secondary ticket market. So what happened? They went into business with StubHub and other resale ticket agencies to at least get part of profits made on the black market. Colleges need to figure out a way to fix this latest mess, and stop being the greedy benefactors.
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