Busting Brackets
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College basketball: Five consequences of FBI investigation

By Tristan Freeman

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 26: Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Attorneyâs Office, Southern District of New York, on September 26, 2017 in New York, New York. announce charges of fraud and corruption in college basketball. The acting U.S. Attorney announced Federal criminal charges against ten people, including four college basketball coaches, as well as managers, financial advisors, and representatives of a major international sportswear company. (Photo by Kevin Hagen/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 26: Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Attorneyâs Office, Southern District of New York, on September 26, 2017 in New York, New York. announce charges of fraud and corruption in college basketball. The acting U.S. Attorney announced Federal criminal charges against ten people, including four college basketball coaches, as well as managers, financial advisors, and representatives of a major international sportswear company. (Photo by Kevin Hagen/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – MARCH 30: NCAA President Mark Emmert speaks with the media during a press conference for the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium on March 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – MARCH 30: NCAA President Mark Emmert speaks with the media during a press conference for the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium on March 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images) /

NCAA enforcement of rules

Part of the reason all of this is happening is because of the lack of leadership the NCAA has displayed. The big institution seems at times paralyzed in their assessments and others pure incompetence.

The NCAA can’t even investigate North Carolina’s academic scandal in a timely fashion, but they sure do know the content of athletes YouTube pages and rule them ineligible for over 100 bucks.

They’ve been accused of favoritism towards the bigger schools, arcane rules that make little to no sense, and struggle to enforce basic rules and properly punish those who violate them.

But while Tuesday is a dark day for collegiate ethics, this is the opportunity the NCAA has been looking for to stop the erosion of confidence many of us have in them. Thing is, they’ve been given the biggest test of their lives and the FBI has allowed them to steal their answers.

The FBI looked confident, even sometimes cocky about how solid a case they have. They even called out potential defendants, warning them about what’s going to happen next. The NCAA doesn’t have to do any investigations themselves, they just have to come down with the right consequences.

The ball is soon going to be in Bob Emmert’s court. How he and the NCAA respond is going to determine both their legacy and our confidence in them. When corruption is involved, heads must roll. Something drastic needs to happen to send a message to all of college basketball.

Next: Everything we know about the FBI investigation so far

If done right, then we may have hope that the sport can be cleaned up and we can enjoy the game we all love. If not, then we might as well have an Ebay style auction for their services, since that’s what it’s starting to come to.

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