Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Media & Entertainment Law Blogs -> Sports Biz

Media & Entertainment Law

: Sports Biz

Will the NCAA Finally Find Teeth?

On Thursday, the NCAA Board of Directors heard recommendations from the Division I Committee on Infractions that would significantly beef up the penalties that the heretofore toothless NCAA would levy against member schools found to be violating the myriad rules in its several inch thick rulebook. The Infractions Committee recommended that the NCAA dust off some old but now rarely invoked penalties that would hit offending schools where it would hurt the most - their pocketbooks.

Among the recommendations suggested by the Committee are greater use of fines, postseason bans and that oldie but goodie, television bans. The Committee also recommended that the cooperation of the school committing the infraction not be taken into account in determining the penalty to be applied.

The Board of Directors has taken the recommendations under advisement but has delayed taking any action while it confers with member schools. It should be a short period for investigation. The decision on these recommendations should be a "no brainer". It is long past time for the NCAA to start imposing penalties that actually mean something to the offending school. Without meaningful penalties, the NCAA is nothing but a toothless, old hag who mouths idle threats. If the sanctions applied for violating the rules do not include post season and television bans as well as fines, and the NCAA starts to actually apply the tools in its arsenal, then the rampant rules violations that currently plagues college sports will just continue unabated. The sooner the NCAA acts, the sooner it can begin to clean up after itself.

Full post as published by Sports Biz on November 02, 2008 (boomark / email).