Head Coaches or NCAA? Whose Side Are You on?

OK, this is my first article submission for Bleacher Report, and I will start off by saying that I am a huge UK homer. They are my alma mater, and I have loved the school for as long as I can remember, just like 99 percent of all UK fans, especially if you were born in the beautiful state of Kentucky. 

That being said, I have two subjects to broach today, and by broach I don't mean the God-awful ugly pin that your Aunt Thelma used to wear on her shirt that would leave a red mark on your face when she bear-hugged you and told you how much you looked like your grandfather.

1. How can sportswriters and TV talking heads keep repeatedly spouting that our beloved new coach is dirty, that he has tests taken for athletes, and generally runs a suspicious program? There is NO evidence that he has operated outside the NCAA rulebook whatsoever, and if he stretches said book to its limits (just like the pants Aunt Thelma would apparently paint on before dispensing hugs), then isn't he just thinking outside the box? Using every resource available to him to get a leg up on the competition? 

In the corporate world, he would be lauded for his efforts, but in the wonderfully perfect world of Div. 1 basketball, he is cheating. Folks, he is not alone on the vacated Final Four/Wins list; there are quite a few big names on said list: Calhoun, Fischer, Brown, Olsen, Keady, Tarkanian, and the wonderful, inspiring Jim Valvano.  Coach K should also reside here, as Corey Maggette has openly admitted that he took money from a handler prior to enrolling at Duke and helping them win the 2001 NCAA title. 

Point being, a head coach should be involved in ALL aspects of his program, but he can't be expected to know EVERYTHING about EVERYBODY associated with the program. That would be akin to the CEO of a Fortune500 company knowing exactly what the trainee in the mail room does following his lunch break, which brings me to the second nd topic.....

2. What in the world is the function of the NCAA Clearinghouse??? How can an organization clear a student-athlete the play Div.1 sports, then do an about face later and say that the SAME student they cleared to play somehow cheated on an admissions test or had grades altered?

Isn't that their PRIMARY purpose? To make sure the student is eligible BEFORE they make it to campus? How could any school be held liable after the fact when they had to clear them before they ever enrolled? Absolutely ridiculous. Wake up NCAA and realize that YOU are the majority of the problem!!