The idea that the NCAA sanctions mean lost scholarships is a false one.  The
NCAA never told Maine that they could not offer the same number of
scholarships as they did before, only that a few of the people who receive
these scholarships may not play hockey.  There is nothing stopping Maine from
taking exactly the same dollars and giving a scholarship to someone who is
academically qualified to go to school, even if he (or she) has never seen a
puck.  Now, we all know that this isn't going to happen (though it might be a
good PR move for the school), but that's Maine's decision.  Saying that the
NCAA is responsible for there being fewer opportunities to go to school, in a
case like this (as opposed to their lobbying for how large amounts of money
will be spent by nominally educational institutions to build athletic
facilities) is incorrect.
 
J. Michael Neal
 
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