Tony Buffa writes: > At this point, I must respectfully disagree with Dick Tuthill. None of > this stuff is small potatoes IMHO. This is the kind of stuff that drags > down all of intercollegiate athletics. It is the kind of story that makes > the academic side of the campus totally unsympathetic to the "pampered" > athletic dept. It may be small potatoes in terms of dollar amounts, but > it is a big problem that needs to be dealt with and I think Maine has, at > least on the surface, done a good job. Some thoughts on what has been reported and discussed here: 1. From reading what has been posted, there was no one bombshell, but those small potatoes do add up. 2. Wisconsin had a similar violation (to one of the Maine violations) a few years ago when a booster was giving "below market value" room and board to two players. In that case, the athletic department messed up in dealing with it -- Coach Sauer thought the associate athletic director was dealing with, and he wasn't (I'm not sure who he thought was dealing with it). The Athletic Department admitted the error and imposed penalties. One of the penalties (self-imposed, I think) was reducing the scholarship/stipend money for the team the next year by the amount the players (who had since graduated) were undercharged (they were asked to repay it too, but I don't know if they did). The NCAA also "vacated" (I think that was the word they used) the Badger's runner-up finish in the tournament for that year. What Sauer said at the time is that he "discourages" players from living with boosters, but since there are no housing rules for regular students, there are no housing rules for athletes either, so he can't ban it. I don't know if any of the current players are boarding with boosters, but I am confident that any such arrangements are being watched closely. 3. The most damaging item it seems (from the reports I have seen) is Walsh (and others) violating explicit directions on "integrity" issues -- to not take money from the boosters during his earlier suspension, and to not have any contact with witnesses (is that the right word?) being interviewed as part of the investigation. If I remember correctly, one of the things that got Brad Butow fired from Colorado College was taking advantage of a loophole in the NCAA rules that the Athletic Director explicity told him not to do. 4. The NCAA will almost certainly add something to the self-imposed penalties. They almost always do. I remember reading an article somewhere once about the law firm that Maine hired to investigate this case (I am 99% sure it is the same firm). This is one of their specialties; and the NCAA compliance/investigations people know them well, and respect their work. Usually this firm insists on a very complete investigation and stiff self-imposed penalties, as seems to be the case here. Happy Holidays and good luck to everyone and their teams... (except of course when they play Wisconsin!), --david -------- david parter [log in to unmask] university of wisconsin -- madison voice: 608-262-0608/262-2389 computer sciences department fax: 608-262-6626 HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.