LSU Basketball: NCAA finds Will Wade responsible for impermissable benefits

Likely Punishment?

I have been on record as saying and will continue to say that schools and coaches are not going to stop doing this just by getting sanctions. The value of winning and getting to the NCAA tournament is to great. What is the worst the NCAA is going to do?  Vacate some wins and take some scholarships away most likely.

If they vacate the wins and one of them happens to be a National Championship, we all still know who won the game, and it won’t take away the feelings or the rings from the players. Cheating still provides too much incentive and the rewards outweigh the punishment by a great deal for many of these power schools. Until the NCAA can come up with a punishment that makes coaches and programs fear getting caught this is still going to happen.

It remains to be seen what the NCAA is going to do, but this situation is so much different, there are very few times that you can point to when a coach has this much of blatant disregard for the rules.

Along with the blatant disregard for the rules is the general apathy that both Wade and the LSU administration have shown towards the entire process, basically making a mockery of the NCAA is likely not going to bode well for the program. As mentioned this is the chance for the NCAA to write so many wrongs regarding the punishment of the big schools. Many are hoping they get it right this time.

The NCAA is likely not going to give the death penalty to any of these schools. They made a vow after SMU was given the death penalty for the Craig James and Eric Dickerson incident, that it would never happen again. However, if anything elicited that response it would be this.

Do I think the Tigers get the Death Penalty? No. What I do think happens is the usual many vacated wins, a significant show cause if not ban for Will Wade as a head coach in the NCAA, and the university is likely to get hit with a lot of lack of institutional control penalties so a reduction of scholarships and an NCAA tournament ban is likely. However, with everything with the NCAA moving at a snail’s pace don’t expect any resolution on this quickly.

I am going to withhold any opinion on the status of Coach Wade and his job status at LSU. If he can avoid a lengthy show cause they likely will keep him there as wins are just too important. However, if the show cause comes and it is lengthy then LSU is going to have no choice but to let Wade go and find a new coach.