FBI Investigation: Where does the NCAA turn now
By Bryan Mauro
Where does the NCAA turn after the results of the FBI investigation into college basketball?
The allegations by the FBI should be taken seriously not only by the shoe company and the universities but also by the fans. Collusion is a crime punishable by prison time, and it was speculated today that Auburn University associate head coach Chuck Person could face up to 80 years of prison time if convicted of all counts of corruption.
The FBI conducted this investigation independently and without the knowledge of the NCAA. The universities involved not only have to deal with an ongoing investigation with the FBI, but all are going to face severe penalties from the NCAA, which for some could potentially be the new version of the death penalty.
How should the NCAA react? The corruption that comes with recruiting in all college sports is rampant but it was the worst in basketball. Will this force the NCAA and the NBA to now work together to change the one and done rule? Will it force the NCAA to prohibit shoe companies from getting involved in AAU basketball? Will the NCAA give out the death penalty as a penalty?
Let us focus on the death penalty to a program for a moment. The NCAA has said on repeated occasions that they do not want to give the death penalty to any program, mainly because some of the revenue that the NCAA would make from that school would dry up, but secondly it takes multiple years for a team to come back from the death penalty. If the Baylor University programs are still allowed to operate, it will be hard to hand out the death penalty. That is unless you are the University of Louisville.
Rick Pitino, the former head coach of the University of Louisville, has been in the news a lot recently for all the wrong reasons. Last year, before the season started there was the scandal at Louisville that involved the prostitutes and the recruits. Somehow, Pitino could survive that scandal, and now not even a calendar year later and the Cardinals are in the forefront of this investigation yet again.
Louisville is one of the strongest brands in the game, and, with the possibility of Louisville facing harsh sanctions, the ACC will be reeling. The Cardinals are a powerhouse, and Rick Pitino and his coaching, and potentially cheating, were a big reason for that. Louisville makes the rest of the ACC better and forces teams to recruit harder and smarter, which is better for basketball overall. The ACC and college basketball will be able to survive these sanctions.
Teams that don’t have an illustrious history of winning could turn their programs around with one program defining recruit. Most of these schools normally would not have a chance at these recruits under the old corrupt system, but, now that the NCAA is aware, the recruiting rules are bound to change. The changes that come from this are bound to involve higher monitoring as well as shorter live periods, but most likely stricter rules when it comes to contacting recruits.
The NCAA will wait until the FBI investigation is concluded before releasing the sanctions on the schools. One thing for sure is that a few coaches will be out of jobs, most likely ostracized from coaching at any level. College Basketball will move on, and the schools without much history will be given new hope. The schools who continue to win and recruit the right way will be the new model for how to win in college basketball.
Next: Everything we know about the FBI investigation so far
The college basketball landscape was already ever changing. This change could send basketball into the next chapter of the sports history with a bang. The next chapter in College basketball lore could see new teams winning and competing for championships, and teams with no history or tradition competing for conference championships. Fun times are ahead for college basketball.