Mac dinged for ineligible player. Again

For the second time this year, the Marauders are sanctioned for playing a player who shouldn’t be on the court

For years, McMaster has been the envy of much of the Canadian university sports landscape. It’s won championships, been in the running for others, attracted star athletes and looked like the very model of efficiency and expertise.

Heck, when it’s gone looking for athletics directors, a former CFL commissioner and the one-time general manager of the Toronto Raptors were eager to step in.

So learning that the school has now forfeited a men’s basketball game for dressing an ineligible player twice — just months after the football team forfeited two games for the same violation — is honestly stunning.

“McMaster has found that a student-athlete on the men’s basketball team became ineligible for competition due to a brief courseload violation,” a school statement says.

“The student-athlete’s eligibility has since been reinstated after complying with all academic standing requirements,” it goes on to say.

Regardless of the circumstances, Mac now looks foolish and honestly, more than a tad bumbling. Which leads to a rather obvious question.

What’s happening here? “Well, this is part of our ongoing commitment to double down on our focus on transparency and integrity within the department,” says director of athletics Shawn Burt. “When we learn of these matters, it’s our position that we come from a place of honesty and selfdisclose.”

That’s laudable. The fact that the school self-reported both of these cases is good. Honesty and sportsmanship carry great value. Everyone should be on board with this.

But while that speaks to the response, it doesn’t answer how this happens in the first place. One violation could perhaps be understood. Things happen. But two? In the same year?

John Bower, the director of marketing and communications for USports, says there are usually two or three such situations each year across the entire country.

“I wouldn’t say it happens frequently,” says Ontario University Sports chief operating officer Matthew Davies, “because schools are pretty diligent with their eligibility.”

Off the top of his head, Davies can’t remember the last time this happened to Mac. Prior to this year. Bower says he can’t find one for the Marauders going back to 2016. Glen Grunwald was McMaster’s athletics director from 2014 to 2018. Does he remember it happening to the maroon even once when he was there?

“No,” he says.

So what’s going on?

Burt says he can’t get into specifics out of respect for the student athletes and staff. Even though there have been staffing changes in the department, he says laying the responsibility at any one person’s feet would be unfair. As for assurances it won’t happen a third time, he simply says the school is committed to ensuring it’s in compliance with the rules and doing everything it can to ensure this won’t happen again.

This is part of our ongoing commitment to double down on our focus on transparency and integrity within the department. When we learn of these matters, it’s our position that we come from a place of honesty and self-disclose.

SHAWN BURT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

“Like anything, there’s opportunities to improve,” Burt says. “But again, these are very complicated situations and every one is unique.” So that’s that. Ultimately, this situation isn’t good for the basketball team, just as it wasn’t good for the football team. In fact, it’s even lousy for all the other teams in all the other sports who have to be sitting on pins and needles worrying that maybe they’re going to be next.

Coaches are now going to be wondering if they need to be spending more and more of their valuable coaching, scouting, prepping, recruiting and teaching time scouring eligibility requirements. This is stuff the department is supposed to help them handle.

Don’t be surprised if it’s also a red flag for recruits who’ll surely wonder what in the world is going on here.

Most of all, this has to be embarrassing to a university that’s supposed to be one of the elite venues for sports anywhere in the country yet has now found its athletics department publicly slapped twice in a single year. This kind of thing can lead to a reputation.

And if there was to be a third? Let’s just say it would probably be advisable for all involved that there not be a third.