Will The NCAA Step Up To The Plate?

Well here we are second week in April, spring showers and all that. It is also time for Spring Ball.

But the question that is prevalent in my mind is:

Will the NCAA ever do anything about the rampant cheating going on in LA namely at the University of Sanctioned Cheaters, also know as USC.

Sanctioned? Must be because the NCAA continues to support this out of control program by its seemingly endless investigation that has done nothing to halt the blatant cheating, bending or rules to gain an advantage.

Players driving cars they cannot afford, parents with minimal income traveling first class to away games. Athletes living off campus in plush condos that they cannot afford nor can their parents afford. Illegal contact with recruits from supporters. Cash payouts, agents contacting the coaching staff about recruits. Agents at practices.

So it has come to this. The NCAA held a hearing with suc in February the results of to be released some 6 to 8 weeks later, which is now.

Well we are all waiting! Does the NCAA have the balls to sanction it's West Coast CASH COW or will it continue to ignore this seemingly out of control, win at any cost program? Was Pete Carroll that great of a coach that he could take a team, that in the previous five years before his arrival had a combined record of 32 win and 28 loses, and in just a little over one year turn it into a College Powerhouse? There was always talent at suc. That was never an issue but the seemingly endless stream of five star talent that flocked to this program in this day and age where players want playing time first and foremost had its price. This price paid was events like cash payouts a la Floyd/Mayo.

The position of the University was one of see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. The administration turned its back for one simple reason. A BCS bound football program generated huge amounts of cash. Not only in bowl appearances but greater fan support, merchandising and TV revenue. This attitude also lead to the administration misleading the scholastic by padding its academic achievements such as in the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering reporting that it had 30 NAE members when its actual number of full-time, tenure-track engineering faculty members who have been elected members of the National Academy of Engineering—a very high honor for engineering faculty—was actually 13 at the end of 2008. Just another example of how twisted the truth is at USC.

So cheating, misrepresentation is the norm.

It is this kind of thinking that lead to the case of:

RHIANNON TANAKA, PLAINTIFF-APPELLANT,
                                        v.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA; MICHAEL GARRETT; DARYL GROSS; PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE; NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION, DEFENDANTS-APPELLEES.

In which Ms. Tanaka alleged:

That during her senior year of high school, Tanaka met with USC athletic officials, including Michael Garrett and Daryl Gross, who allegedly made certain representations to her regarding the USC women's soccer program. She also inquired about transfer restrictions, and was allegedly told that she would be free to transfer without penalty provided she remained at USC for one year and met minimum academic requirements. Tanaka thereupon signed a letter of intent to enroll at USC and attended USC for the 1994-95 academic year.

Tanaka quickly became dissatisfied with the state of USC's women's soccer program and the quality of her USC education. In particular, she claims that USC was arranging for athletes to receive fraudulent academic credit through sham classes.

To events such as:

Elena Martinez, said Paige Laurie paid her $20,000 in return for,over 3 1/2 years completed most of the course work at the University of Southern California.

The university was put on probation in 2001 for academic fraud, providing false and misleading information, and a lack of institutional monitoring. This was in football and the women’s swim tream.

We all know about Senora Rose Mary Ross and her almost free pass in Spanish three and that was in 2007.

 So on and on it goes. The question remains will the NCAA finally step to the plate?

Note: Photo courtsy of BRUINs NATION