Todd Gurley suspension another example of why NCAA can’t be gone too soon
News of the Todd Gurley suspension just took the internet and every sports media outlet by storm. Georgia’s top running back and the nation’s top Heisman Trophy candidate was under investigation by the NCAA for “alleged violations”.
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That sounds bad. Really bad.
Alleged violations? What could that be? Did he cheat on an exam? Was he found stealing playbooks from the Auburn locker room? Did he get caught using anabolic steroids? For an indefinite suspension it must be something really, really horrible.
Why else would the NCAA force the UGA Athletic Association to suspend their star player just as the most crucial point of the season had arrived?
It was worse. Much worse.
Are you sitting down?
Apparently, Gurley (allegedly) made money…on his own likeness.
The horror!!!
Of course, we don’t know for sure what the allegations are because the NCAA doesn’t believe in transparency…or due process…or anything resembling the fair treatment of the athletes which literally make them millions of dollars.
So, schools can’t pay the athletes (and I still maintain that they shouldn’t), and scholarship athletes can’t get jobs to keep themselves in soda and pizzas, but they’re expected to be step-and-fetch-it little puppets for anything the NCAA needs done in terms of marketing and personal appearances/press conferences.
“Come on boys…be available for the press…no hiding out. Do your photo ops..but don’t you DARE sell any of those photos for some spending cash”
Hypocrisy at its highest level.
It’s time to bring a swift end to this completely dysfunctional organization known as the NCAA, who doles out punishments with all the equality and fairness of the Spanish Inquisition. Their methods are insanely archaic and without merit in many cases, and if you’re looking for punishments befitting the crimes, you’d be better off looking at a Turkish prison.
Whether or not Gurley has received “improper benefits in receiving compensation for his likeness” (gosh that sounds so evil) isn’t the point. It’s his likeness, and he’s earned the notoriety by his performance on the field…not by anything the NCAA has done for him.
NCAA President Mark Emmert
Yes, rules are rules…blah, blah, blah. Funny how they are enforced when it’s convenient for the NCAA.
Last season, former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel faced similar charges, with what seemed to be overwhelming evidence that he had provided hundreds upon hundreds of autographed items to memorabilia brokers, and he was simply handed a half-game suspension.
Here we see a perfect example of the NCAA’s idea of fairness and transparency at work.
The NCAA could be looking at cases of physical and sexual assault, drug use, academic scandals, cheating….a mountain of violations worthwhile of an organization that claims to exist for the best interest of the student-athlete.
Preventing a student from making money that brings no harm to anyone and no tactical advantage to a program should be at the bottom of their list.
For my money — and many others, I’d wager — the NCAA can’t be gone too soon.
Ooops. I just said wager. Better make sure I’m not investigated.