John Forsyth wondered:
 
>But speaking of the NC$$, why is it that they never informed Mike that
>he only had two seasons of eligibility to begin with?  A letter
>two or three years ago saying that Mike had only two years left
>would have been helpful, and certainly a letter last spring informing
>him that he had no more eligibility could have been sent.  I was
>under the impression that the NC$$ was supposed to monitor the progress
>of student-athletes, and I think that if they see something wrong, it
>would be better for them to notify schools and players in time for the
>problem to be fixed than to wait until the school has committed an
>infraction, and the athlete is caught in the middle.
 
John assumes -- there's that bad word again :) -- that the NCAA is
responsible for eligibility compliance.  That's incorrect.  There are lots
of things which the association could do better, (I have a VERY long
list!), but the responsibility for rules compliance falls squarely on each
institutional member, not the association.  Take a look at the NCAA
Constitution, Aticle 2, secs. 2.1.1 and 2.7.  Mike's case is unfortunate,
but given the state of rules compliance administration at UMaine until this
year, it's hardly surprising.  In any event, it was clearly UMaine's
responsibility to have informed him that he had only two years'
eligibility.
 
A restatement of something I've said before:  the NCAA is not some
monolithic corporation, but an association of member colleges &
universities.  It's the members who make the rules and who are responsible
for complying with the rules they make.
 
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Dr. Stephen E. Roth                        BITNET:            ROTH@CANISIUS
Dean of Student Services                 INTERNET:  [log in to unmask]
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