Re. Patrice Tardiff
 
I generally take a more kindly attitude toward the NCAA than most of you
on the list--in the SEC especially we need their rules--but here's a case
where the NCAA, by waffling or avoiding the problem, effectively permits
problems such as this one to arise.
 
When you have five years of academics in which to use four years of
eligibility, there will be responsible, motivated students who take a
degree in four years but have a year of eligibility remaining. Like Tardiff.
Congratulations to students like this.
 
To use that fourth year of eligibility as a post-grad, a player must either
be accepted into a graduate program (like Tardiff, as Wayne reports) or
undertake a second undergraduate major, taking a full-time undergrad load,
aiming for a transcript that indicates, when the work is completed, a double
major.
 
But who knows how serious the post-grad player really is. Is he just killing
time or working primarily toward an offer from the pros? The NCAA does not
seem to look closely at the academic work of players of this status. It does
not seem to press compliance officers to look closely. I *thought*, until I
read the previous posts on this subject, that the NCAA let the institution
decide its own minimum hours for full-time graduate level enrollment. In the
case of Accountancy at Maine that appears to be six hours, and Tardiff met
this requirement. Thanks for correcting me about the eight hour minimum. But
to my point, there seems to be room to fiddle this post-grad eligibility
requirement. I have been wanting to tell this story:
 
    Here at South Carolina we played a big offensive lineman all season, from
beginning to end, who sounds like a Patrice Tardiff case. Except that no-one
would think of questioning his eligibility or of asking the Gamecocks to
forfeit any games. To me, his case sounds like *more* of an abuse, and what
I hear is that the less-than-adequate NCAA rules respecting post-grad players
are to blame.
 
    The guy graduates in May but has a season of eligibility remaining. He
enrolls in the minimum number of courses required to pursue a second under-
graduate major. He enrolls in a division of the university well-versed in
ensuring that scholarship-athlete students remain academically eligible.
I do not know how many classes he attended, but the word around the Roost
(the athletes' special dorm) is that his enrollment was a joke. A week after
the season ends he withdraws without penalty from three of the courses (and
takes a "no record" in the fourth on his transcript). He withdraws a month
and a half *after* the last date on which you can withdraw without penalty.
He could only have accomplished this through an appeal, on which the
appropriate committee in that division of the university must sign off. I have
not asked to see the paper-work (indicating the basis for withdrawing) because
I choose to fight other battles rather than this one. But this case is a
laugher. And the compliance officer is happy and in the clear because he
has done his job: he has checked the transcript record on the computer, and it
checks out. He is not to blame if some some of my "academic" colleagues gave
this player a free ride. (And why not? He already had his degree!!)
 
    Sorry for the length of this post. Over the season I have had my doubts
about Maine's athletics management, but in the case of Tardiff I find myself
sympathizing. This, I propose, is an area to be cleaned up, and I look to
the NCAA for some appropriate action. Maine should not be unfairly requested
to forfeit those games, when the behavior of other schools, including my own,
leaves something to be desired and goes unchecked.
 
    Kevin  (grateful that I'm about to rotate off the faculty athletics
            advisory committee--"advisory", there's a joke)