Ohio State reinforces NCAA’s status quo
Ohio State.
Baylor.
Penn State.
Michigan State. Mississippi, Florida State, Florida, Miami, USC, North Carolina, Colorado, Maryland, Ohio State again …
The scandal list in big-time, huge-money college athletics never ends.
It’s simple and easy to say that “One of the nation’s top-20 public universities” — Ohio State was publicly referring to itself with that lofty title Thursday afternoon — should have fired Urban Meyer instead of supporting its suddenly forgetful football coach.
But anyone who knows anything knew the school’s hasty internal investigation felt Waco wacky from the start. Were you actually shocked when Meyer got off with a lightweight threegame suspension, which allows the career 177-game winner to conveniently return to the sideline just in time for the meaty portion of the Buckeyes’ Big Ten schedule?
Naive, naive. Never-ending dollars and Saturday victories. Those are the only things that truly matter in the all-mighty Power 5 world, especially when foaming-at-themouth Buckeye Nation, Michigan versus Ohio State and the College Football Playoff are at stake.
Former Georgia running back Todd Gurley was suspended four games in 2014 for making a little extra money signing his name, all while the NCAA and Bulldogs made way too much cash off his
amateur likeness.
Remember when Johnny Manziel’s signing his name was a big deal? Texas A&M’s ex-golden boy was suspended for the first half of the Aggies’ 2013 season opener for using his name or likeness for “commercial purposes.” That nationally covered crackdown was so mission critical that it required a joint statement from the school and NCAA.
Domestic-violence allegations and mounds of evidence?
Coaches are treated and catered to like gods. Players, “student-athletes,” the futures of young men and women … who has time to worry about all that?
The Buckeyes are ranked No. 5 in the preseason AP poll.
Dollars and W’s. Prime-time national exposure. Ohio State told us what it really cares about.
First two guesses don’t count
Guess who recently received a $1.2 million raise and was set to be paid a whopping $7.6 million to inspire, reach and get the best out of young men in Columbus, Ohio?
The still-public face of Ohio State University, of course.
Overly obsessed fans, the media, the NCAA, schools, presidents, athletic directors … we started creating this monster decades ago.
Sometimes, in 2018, we sort of get it right. But we mostly just keep feeding the beast — then express shock, awe and temporary outrage when the ruthless machine grinds too hard again.
Nine North Carolina football players recently were suspended four games apiece for secondary NCAA violations that arose from the selling of team-issued shoes. Meyer got three games. After all this time and all these scandals, the NCAA hasn’t even come close to figuring it out — that’s where the real outrage should start and remain.
Rhetorical questions
College basketball is a mess in its modern one-and-done world. When the sport’s governing body recently attempted to address a massive recruiting scandal, it only dug a deeper hole and complicated an overly complicated process.
About 100 miles to the northwest, new Aggies leader Jimbo Fisher is dealing with accusations that his staff committed multiple NCAA violations before Texas A&M played its first football game under the new coaching regime.
Do you feel confident in the state of big-time college athletics?
Did you believe Ohio State was going to get it right with Meyer?
That the NCAA will push for and discover the real truth in Columbus?
Of course not.
Meyer is set to coach his Buckeyes against Michigan State on Nov. 10, then it’s good ol’ Michigan and Jim Harbaugh on Nov. 24 at the Horseshoe.
Ohio State got exactly what it wanted out if its investigation.
The college game goes on.