ShareThisThe easiest thing NCAA President Mark Emmert can do is to give the University of Miami the death penalty. That takes no courage at all.
He would be universally praised as a leader. He could give an eloquent speech about "this is the beginning of a new day in college athletics." Emmert could go on and on, "this sends a strong signal to all our member institutions...."
And it would solve nothing.
Did giving SMU the death penalty in 1987 solve anything? No. It did not clean up college athletics one bit. It just buried a school's football program (and to a large extent its entire athletic department) for 20 years. SMU's demise was also credited as being the beginning of the end for the Southwest Conference.
Don't underestimate what could happen to the Atlantic Coast Conference as a whole if Miami becomes SMU.
Emmert released a statement recently that read in part, "If the assertions are true, the alleged conduct at the University of Miami is an illustration of the need for serious and fundamental change in many critical aspects of college sports." Who can argue with that? But as we've seen all too often recently, there is serious and fundamental change and then there is smoke and mirrors while calling it serious and fundamental change.
If Emmert really wants to clean up college athletics, he won't just punish Miami. He'll punish the people whose job it is to play by the rules and/or see to it that their program does as well. Not just the nine players and a handful of coaches/support staff who still remain at Miami. That's also the easy way out. Go after who was there from 2002-2010.
Paul Dee was athletic director until 2008. Kirby Hocutt was his replacement until this spring. Dee now works for the NCAA (oops!). Hocutt is the AD at Texas Tech. If the NCAA concludes that they are in any way responsible or negligent for this mess, they are gone.
Same with the coaches. Larry Coker, Randy Shannon, Frank Haith and some assistants all have some explaining to do. If the NCAA doesn't like their answers, fire them or prevent them from working in college sports in the future.
That would send a message. Gone would be the days of coaches doing whatever it takes to win and leaving town right before the NCAA catches up with them. Every coach and AD will know that your past can ruin you.
Emmert may not have much recourse against the former players but he could lay down the law from this point forward: "Any student-athlete who accepts a gift will automatically lose their eligibility and their college careers will be over."
That would send another message.
Then Emmert can continue the crusade to have the state's severely punish the Nevin Shapiros and unscrupulous agents of the world.
Bottom line: Depending on who you are, if you cheat you'll lose your job, scholarship or go to jail.
It bears repeating that while Miami is a mess, the current athletic director, football coach and basketball coach had absolutely nothing to do with it. Why bury them and the school they represent when they did nothing wrong? Go after the people who are responsible while making Miami forfeit all that was gained while breaking the rules.
Emmert can take the easy way out and bury the Canes.
Or he can achieve his stated goal of serious and fundamental change in college sports.
The problem for Miami is that he could justifiably do both.
(David Moulton is a sports radio talk show host. His column is written for the Naples Daily News in Florida.)
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