Az I Play It....
As a former professional athlete and life long sports fan, it is getting more and more insulting each time a new sports scandal breaks. Whether it be a coach, a team, a player, a commissioner, or all of the above; enough is enough. Do you think the University of Miami is the only school who participated in the newly-alleged NCAA steroid violations? Do you really believe that both the commissioners of the NFL and MLB would be totally unaware of steroid use, despite astronomical increases in player size and statistics? Let’s be realistic.
The issues at hand here are not the violations but rather how to deal with the violations. Reggie Bush was stripped of everything he accomplished for USC, and USC has forfeited games and been put on probation. What was Coach Pete Carol’s punishment? Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens and others were hunted by the media. Yet Jim Thome hit his 600th home run without a whisper or doubt from the media, despite playing on the same teams as steroid-positive testers and putting up steroidal numbers over the same time span. Why?
Now with the Miami Hurricanes, we again are looking to punish many of those student athletes who did not partake in any illegal activity. Multiple players and coaches have long come and gone without recourse only to be interviewed saying, “....how sorry and tragic this is for their respective universities.” Give me a break! It would be refreshing to hear an athlete come out and say they aren’t sorry for using their university - in the same way they got used by their university.
Like many of us who face the daily grind, if we cheat, steal, connive, lie, or break rules and/or regulations set forth for us…..we get fired. Here is a simple solution - in terms we all can relate to:
1) If a player or coach breaks certain codes of conduct, they should be released immediately just as we would in the workplace.
2) Each school is assigned an investigation committee throughout each year so that violations come with immediate action rather than future discipline.
3) The NCAA quits abusing the talents of athletes bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Pay the players! And no - a payment equal to the cost of attendance is not good enough . $5,000 or $6,000 is not a legitimate amount when coaches are making millions per year.
4) Performance enhancing drugs are used for cheating. Plain and simple. If you get caught in any league, whether it be professional or amateur, you should be suspended without pay for that entire season in which you tested positive. Repeat offenses should come with a ban.
With the negativity surrounding lockouts, performance enhancements, rule violations and many other scandals, it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We need to draw from the positive examples we see everyday - from the likes of CEO’s , Congress, government officials, and Superstar athletes………oh. Guess it’s back to the drawing board!
Special submission by Michael Muscato
The issues at hand here are not the violations but rather how to deal with the violations. Reggie Bush was stripped of everything he accomplished for USC, and USC has forfeited games and been put on probation. What was Coach Pete Carol’s punishment? Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens and others were hunted by the media. Yet Jim Thome hit his 600th home run without a whisper or doubt from the media, despite playing on the same teams as steroid-positive testers and putting up steroidal numbers over the same time span. Why?
Now with the Miami Hurricanes, we again are looking to punish many of those student athletes who did not partake in any illegal activity. Multiple players and coaches have long come and gone without recourse only to be interviewed saying, “....how sorry and tragic this is for their respective universities.” Give me a break! It would be refreshing to hear an athlete come out and say they aren’t sorry for using their university - in the same way they got used by their university.
Like many of us who face the daily grind, if we cheat, steal, connive, lie, or break rules and/or regulations set forth for us…..we get fired. Here is a simple solution - in terms we all can relate to:
1) If a player or coach breaks certain codes of conduct, they should be released immediately just as we would in the workplace.
2) Each school is assigned an investigation committee throughout each year so that violations come with immediate action rather than future discipline.
3) The NCAA quits abusing the talents of athletes bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Pay the players! And no - a payment equal to the cost of attendance is not good enough . $5,000 or $6,000 is not a legitimate amount when coaches are making millions per year.
4) Performance enhancing drugs are used for cheating. Plain and simple. If you get caught in any league, whether it be professional or amateur, you should be suspended without pay for that entire season in which you tested positive. Repeat offenses should come with a ban.
With the negativity surrounding lockouts, performance enhancements, rule violations and many other scandals, it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We need to draw from the positive examples we see everyday - from the likes of CEO’s , Congress, government officials, and Superstar athletes………oh. Guess it’s back to the drawing board!
Special submission by Michael Muscato
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