I am going down there to assist them.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by THE DREAMER:
I pray Bama State won't get the DP.

I would neva take an athletics compliance position at an HBCU. N-E-V-A.

COMMENTARY: Fans of troubled programs should not throw stones
By Josh Moon • jmoon@gannett.com • May 11, 2008

Montgomery Advertiser

For the last several days there has been no shortage of people taking shots at Alabama State University's athletic department. And why not? After all, ASU made itself a pretty easy target when it slapped 668 bull's-eyes on its back.


After the accusation of all those violations, there's little denying that the school administration has some problems. There have been some serious lapses in oversight.

It could be argued, given the multiple instances of almost every type of violation, that the administration placed no value on rules compliance. The compliance department was understaffed and under-trained. And numerous coaches -- from Ron Dickerson to Charlie Coe -- had their pleas for improvements ignored by university higher-ups.

All of that is bad. Very bad.

There's no excuse for any of it.

But honestly, Alabama and Auburn fans, put a sock in the self-righteous posturing, please. The mere idea that these two groups of fans would be so outspoken and so seemingly incensed over NCAA violations is, well, rather comical.

I mean, let's keep in mind that these two programs have been found guilty of spending thousands upon thousands of dollars on football players. One is the most penalized program ever and the other is the most severely penalized program in more than a decade.

Yet, here are these same fans recommending ASU be shut down, or at the very least, have its athletic department disbanded.

It's hypocrisy at its finest.

The worst part is that these indignant fans seem to have no understanding of the NCAA rules enforcement process (which is odd, given how many times these two schools have been through it).

Everyone is focused on that 668 number. And to be fair, it is rather high. But at the same time, if we started totaling up the actual number of violations in any of the UA or AU cases, I think the final number of individual violations would shock people.

In Alabama's most recent case, for example, there was mention of numerous long-distance phone calls a player made for free. If we score that the same way as ASU's case, the number of violations could reach just as high. Because each time that player placed a call, it was a violation.

In AU's case in the early 1990s, a couple of ineligible players were allowed to practice and compete in games for most of the year. That's two players, dozens of practices, 10 or 11 games and a few workouts. With each game, practice and workout counting as a violation, the numbers pile up quickly. Just as they did for ASU.

But here's the big story in regard to ASU's violations: Most of them weren't intentional.

Look at the NCAA documents from any past AU or UA case and you'll find that the majority of the infractions listed were intentional attempts to break the rules in order to gain a competitive advantage. In ASU's case, though, you mostly find mistakes that were made by an under-funded and understaffed compliance department.

That means something.

It doesn't make everything OK. It doesn't mean ASU shouldn't be punished for its problems. It doesn't mean the school's athletic department is in tip-top shape.

It just means that the people who are employed in that athletic department aren't evil, rule-breaking villains. They weren't trying to cheat to win games. They weren't ignoring rules. They were simply overworked and under-trained and some things -- OK, a lot of things -- fell through the cracks.

All of that said, I don't think ASU fans should be clipping out this column and taping it to the fridge. After all, there are still 40 improper grade changes to be answered for. There are still several recruiting violations to be addressed. And there is a mountain of evidence showing the administration ignored the pleas of coaches and past demands from the NCAA to upgrade the university compliance office.

The fact that ASU's regulatory system is a joke isn't up for debate.

I'm just saying Auburn and Alabama fans, and SEC fans in general, shouldn't be laughing.

Josh Moon is a sportswriter for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached at jmoon@gannett.com or at 240-0191.

In your voice
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tiger36022 wrote:

lecturing fans of other schools is missing the point. We took our drubbing in the eye of public opinion and now its ASU's turn. Trying to shift the spotlight to other schools is avoiding the fact that ASU had almost 700 rule violations. This is so many times worse than anything suffered by the other programs, its beyond comparison. This isn't the first time either that ASU has been found guilty of numerous rule violations. I guess it would make the Hornet fans feel better for a white columnist to wag his finger at the predominantly white instituions in the state but I think Moon is only acting in his own self interest. Plain and simple, the is the worst case of an AD out of control. All I see is excuses for why they did it. They knew what they were doing and this is the result. The 40 grade changes are beyond compare. I will laugh as long as I want to. Others laughed at AU and then at UA and now it is ASU's turn. Quit being their white protector and call a spade a spade.
5/11/2008 8:35:18 lecturing fans of other schools is missing the point. We took our drubbing in the eye of public opinion and now its ASU's turn. Trying to shift the spotlight to other schools is avoiding the fact that ASU had almost 700 rule violations. This is so many times worse than anything suffered by the other programs, its beyond comparison. This isn't the first time either that ASU has been found guilty of numerous rule violations. I guess it would make the Hornet fans feel better for a white columnist to wag his finger at the predominantly white instituions in the state but I think Moon is only acting in his own self interest. Plain and simple, the is the worst case of an AD out of control. All I see is excuses for why they did it. They knew what they were doing and this is the result. The 40 grade changes are beyond compare. I will laugh as long as I want to. Others laughed at AU and then at UA and now it is ASU's turn. Quit being their white protector and call a spade a spade. tiger36022

Josh Moon has been critical, but always seems fair and I believe he wants what is best for ASU.

Moon makes a very good point about why are the violations committed with the same individuals easch time they cross the line of play hit the headline and those headlines weren't so for Alabama and Auburn.

quote:

Originally posted by FAMU CLIFF:
Josh Moon has been critical, but always seems fair and I believe he wants what is best for ASU.

I don't think Moon has been fair to Bama State. He has an agenda. The guy is way too close to LC Coles to be objective. Let him tell it, LC has done nothing anywhere. All this stuff just happens to be a coincidence that LC was head coach at TSU and ASU at the times all the mess went down. Bama State has its issues, but the blame should be placed on them coaches that are gone, as well. I don't believe for one second that LC and staff had no clue that grades were changed for their teams benefit without their knowledge. IMO, they took advantage of a situation where there was no checks and balances. Nobody was looking over their shoulders, and if they were, they didn't know what they were looking at.

quote:

Originally posted by robber:

quote:

Originally posted by FAMU CLIFF:
Josh Moon has been critical, but always seems fair and I believe he wants what is best for ASU.

I don't think Moon has been fair to Bama State. He has an agenda. The guy is way too close to LC Coles to be objective. Let him tell it, LC has done nothing anywhere. All this stuff just happens to be a coincidence that LC was head coach at TSU and ASU at the times all the mess went down. Bama State has its issues, but the blame should be placed on them coaches that are gone, as well. I don't believe for one second that LC and staff had no clue that grades were changed for their teams benefit without their knowledge. IMO, they took advantage of a situation where there was no checks and balances. Nobody was looking over their shoulders, and if they were, they didn't know what they were looking at.

Food for thought.

quote:

Originally posted by mo'betta rattler:
Food for thought.

At the last SWAC Media Day that LC Coles attended, I was with a few friends at the affair, waiting for the luncheon to start. Coaches were doing interviews for various news stations. Moon walks up to us JSU'ers and just starts defending Coles and slammnig Bama State. Unsolicited. We didn't know him from a can of paint. But he felt compelled to share his views with us. At the time, I thought it interesting and enlightening. Once LC was let go, Josh let go on Bama State. Article after article after article painting LC as an innocent victim, while demonizing Bama State. Now, I understand that ASU has plenty of blame to bear, but what Moon is doing is overkill.

JM, could have wrote the first article, just like ESPN did, but he choose to make a splash with the number of instances instead of the number or violations. Yes I'm glad we have a beat writer, but sometimes it's difficult to read most of the stuff he writes, you can always tell when someone from ASU would not give him an interview, he would just lash out in the paper.....Most State fans are use to him now, and just get their information from word of mouth, private message boards and our athletic website......

ESPN's article.......

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=3385983