NCAA needs Harbaugh
Great Coaches are a Must-Have
The NCAA needs Jim Harbaugh, and maybe they should tread lightly here. Now, hear me out, I’m actually an Ohio State and Purdue fan. I grew up in Ohio and graduated as a Boilermaker. This isn’t some “Michigan honk”, as the kids say, spouting off here. I’d simply like for the NCAA for once to use, um, logic. Maybe they could avoid what they did to Jim Tressel, and force a great leader to never coach again at the college level for what are essentially dumb and antiquated rules.
The rule in question, as we reported, is NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, which states that off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents in the same season is strictly prohibited. Well, why? What could possibly be the purpose of this rule, when every damn Power 5 stadium has 500 cameras and is over-advertised and broadcasted from every angle? If Michigan wanted signs, they’d have them one way or another. All over the internet, I’m reading, “Every team does this.” Well, here we go again. The NCAA has noticeably gone after teams that start to dominate. Bobby Bowden knew this. He once said (paraphrase) that if you win enough, the NCAA will investigate you and find something wrong.
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Dumb Rules are Dumb Rules
While scouting in person seems like an odd enough rule, let’s look at some other ridiculous NCAA rules of the past. How about Boise State football player Antoine Turner, who was homeless? Fans offered assistance, and the NCAA said that would be an infraction.
Or what about former UConn men’s hoops player Shabazz Napier talked about how he sometimes went to bed starving, the NCAA finally eased up on their stance about players eating food—which should have happened decades ago. But for years, free meals were considered “special benefits.” Really? Let them starve, the kings say from their throne. Or in 2010 when a Georgia assistant was smiling in a picture with a recruit. Apparently an infraction. What about the NCAA’s restriction on how many pages your media guide can be?
Oh, the list goes on and on. Hell, it took government intervention to make sure players got a few pennies out of the old, unathletic hands of the NCAA elite. So what makes this supposed rule Michigan broke any more meaningful? The NCAA has proven, time and again, that many of their rules are…well, stupid.
Harbaugh is one of a Few
Dumb rules aside, we’re also talking about a legendary coach. Sorry fellow Buckeye and Boilermaker fans. Harbaugh’s name is synonymous with college football. And it’s what contributes to the charm of the sport in itself. Old school, name recognition coaches make college football better. Woody, Bowden, Saban, and more. Is it worth running another great name off the sport, to uphold a rule that doesn’t even make sense? It’s not like Michigan snuck into the locker room and stole the handbook. They sent an intern to gather information they could’ve gathered watching the game on tv anyway. What is the rule accomplishing?
And isn’t the NCAA’s purpose to mold young athletes into productive, educated adults? What better way to do that than by providing them with experienced, educated, and proven leaders? Do you think Harbaugh needs the NCAA, or does the NCAA need Harbaugh? More specifically, the athletes need Harbaugh. Jim Tressel used to have every single upperclassman read books during the season on leadership, honor, service, and responsibility. Something the “institution” should applaud. Instead, they banned him from the sport. I guess when the billions of dollars start flowing, your purpose changes.
Harbaugh is the same type of leader. He’s molding his guys into being honest, hard-working, dependable adults. And because he “broke” some idiotic rule the NCAA arbitrarily made up, the players and the University will likely pay a hefty price. Not only vacating wins but losing a man who dedicated his life to the college game. He returned to the college game cause he loves the educational setting, after reaching a mountain top in the NFL. And once again, the NCAA will push another great educator, coach, and role model away.
Shame on the NCAA….shame.
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