The next chapter is about to be written concerning the saga of the Ohio State University football team and their rule-breaking money making program.
In an steadily unfolding tale of greed, deceit and politics, the NCAA is about to announce new penalties against the Big Ten school for infractions that have been uncovered over the past 10 months. They ought to go even further and announce penalities against itself, or least against those who have made those ridiculous rulings over the past few months.
Last fall it got out that some of the most outstanding of the Buckeye players have been accepting gifts and privileges in direct violation of NCAA rules and regulations.
After determining that there was plenty of evidence to support the charges, the NCAA decided to declare the tainted players ineligible for five games.
In a unprecedented move that dismayed observers, the NCAA decided to allow the players who had just been convicted of violating basic NCAA rules of conduct, the honor of playing against Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl and hold off on the punishment until the next season.
Arkansas lost a narrow decision to Ohio State in the bowl game, with the supposedly ineligible players doing most of the damage. Their quarterback was one of those to be penalized but has since he left the college so he won’t pay any price for his wrongdoings. The word is that the NCAA will now declare all 12 of Ohio States victories “vacant.”
What that means is that whoever lost to Ohio State last year will have that loss made permanent, meaning that all the games in which Ohio State won, both teams will now be official losers.
So, officially, in the 2010 Sugar Bowl, Arkansas and Ohio State both lost and nobody won. Knowing that Ohio State had ineligible players but letting them play probably was a money making decision for the NCAA as there were fears that the television ratings for the game might suffer if Ohio State didn’t have all their stars. This in face of the fact that the Buckeyes were guilty of putting the accumulation of money ahead of rules.
In the old days, whenever a team used ineligible players to win a game, the cheating team would be given the loss and the other team the win. Thisnew way is neither fair or popular.
If the NCAA continues to place their desire for money over their respect for their own rules, how can they sanction athletes for doing the same.
Defending state champions have rocky week
Shiloh’s final season in 4A may not be one of their better years if the 7 on 7 tournaments of July have any validity.
On Shiloh’s home field, the hosts lost four of the six contests they participated in. The two wins they came up with were over Mountain Home, a 1-9 team in 2010, not known for passing acumen, and over Tulsa Christian, a private academy with about 50 studentsin their high school, both boys and girls.
For the uninitiated, 7 on 7 football has become a popular phenomena with high school football programs.
It is a passing only affair, which allows teams to practice their receiver routes in competition. Teams that depend on the pass get the chance to get their timing down in the summer which is a great help when the fall season arrives. Gaining yards by running the ball is not allowed.
The most telling of the losses was the victory of 3A Charleston over Shiloh.
This was Charleston’s first year in 7 on 7 and while they have been a state power for several years in 3A, they have earned their success with a ground attack. The Charleston coach was interviewed before the tournament began and he expected to probably lose all their games but that he thought playing in July would be good for his players anyway.
The overall winner of that tournament was Bentonville High School, the defending 7A champion. With their quarterback, Dallas Hardison, putting on a show throwing the ball along with having what some believe will be the top running back in Arkansas in 2011, Terris Wallace, Bentonville looks like a strong candidate to retain their state title.
Maxpreps, the CBS affiliated high school sports media company, recently ranked the top five current football sports dynasties in Arkansas. They ranked Bentonville number No. 1, with Springdale Har-Ber in second. Shiloh was chosen third followed by Fort Smith Southside (fourth) and Little Rock Pulaski Academy (fifth).
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Editor’s note: John McGee is the art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, coaches elementary track and writes a regular sports column for The Times. He can be contacted through The Times at prtnews@ nwaonline.com.
Sports, Pages 8 on 07/13/2011