Does the NCAA Care about Academic Fraud?

If you are a top college athlete make sure that you don’t take any extra money from boosters, or your ass will be booted out of school faster than you can molest a coed at a frat party. Now, if you need a little extra help on test day, from say, an illegal copy of a test. Now, that is understandable. School is hard, and while we are going to get slap on the wrist, and suspended a game or two, your scholarship is safe. This seems to be the tacit message the NCAA is sending to athletes theses days.

In two recent extreme cases of NCAA violations, one involving academic fraud on an epidemic level and one involving illegal recruiting, the NCAA seems to care about dollars more than education. First, we have Florida State. Over sixty players were involved in a case of academic fraud that attracted marginal attention from the NCAA, and will likely not have long term implications on either the football program or the athletic department. In fact, FSU selectively decided when to suspend players, and did so in a way that would have the least impact on the program.

Secondly, Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson violates some minor and recruiting violations and is soundly criticized by the NCAA and the media, resulting in almost immediate firing during a promising season.

One wonders if this case analysis is a microcosm for the greater dealings of the NCAA. Is academic fraud a back page story, while recruiting violations are front page news? What’s more important for the NCAA, programs that develop strong student athletes, or making sure competitive balance in recruiting ensures increased revenue?

Original story from The Higher Ed Watch Blog