NCAA sinks to new low: Boise St. not allowed to attend recruit's funeral

A player who verbally committed to Boise State was killed in a car crash with his brother. According to NCAA rules, the school was not allowed to acknowledge the death at all, nor were coaches allowed to contact the family to express condolences or send flowers.

NCAA claims that the school should have asked for a waiver, but the school's assistant AD counters that they contacted the WAC compliance director, who had just come from the NCAA, and the comp director said a waiver wouldn't apply:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Boise-State-shalt-not-grieve-over-late-recruit-;_ylt=AvudPiJdA_eRDG8OYa3eUudjVJJ4?urn=ncaaf-260154

The NCAA claims that the rule is there because, allegedly, coaches might meet other prospective recruits at the funeral. Are they frickin' kidding? Do they honestly think a coach is going to try to recruit a kid at a funeral?

The same stupid organization that apparently, is willing to allow a coach to moonlight for a professional team is worried that a coach may have some slight advantage by calling a dead recruit's parents to express condolences?

I know Congress has plenty of shit that they should be doing, but I really wish some of those good ol' boys and gals will start waking up and realize that the sweet, innocent organization that helps set the rules for their beloved alma maters is a bunch of anal retentive cretins.

 

Chazz Reinhold would do it anyway.

 

Anyone doubt that there are coaches out there who would recruit at funerals?

 

I could see Lane Kiffin doing it...
Kiffin: Mrs. Jones, I'm terribly sorry for your loss. Joey was a fine young man.
Mrs. Jones: Thank you, coach. He was very fond of you.
Kiffin: Sooooo ... you got any more sons? We need an outside linebacker.

 

Lane Kiffin has no clue what you are talking about.






That's what athletic hostesses are for.

 

This story also reminds me of one an old editor used to tell. There was a kid from an area school who had committed to a D-I school but died in a car wreck before he signed. The editor called the coach at the D-I school for a comment, and the coach declined because it would've been an NCAA violation. I guess it was this same rule, that commenting on a potential recruit might influence their decision.
The editor explained that it couldn't influence this kid's decision since, you know, he was dead.
The coach still refused.

 

The problem is, as much as Congress should poke a stick at the NCAA's nest, no one in America want them to do so. Personally, if Congress can deal with BP, economy, umemployment, etc., then they have time to see to it that the NCAA and the professional sports leagues in this country get their fucking act in line and use common sense.

Enough of this "don't they have more important things to do" bullshit excuse. It doesn't work anymore.

 

kiffin was the first person i thought of who would do it. Of course, there are plenty of others.

 

The simplest and best thing Congress could do is abolish the NCAA and create an agency that would withhold all U.S. funds from colleges if they didn't do what the agency says. Also, shoot about 100 administrators and coaches as an example to the others.

 

The NCAA is only a reflection of its members. Its members approve of these rules. So if you want to talk about changing the rules, don't just come down on the NCAA itself -- come down on the schools that pay its dues.

 

I'd be down with requiring the resignation of every U.S. college president as a condition of their schools receiving funds from the U.S.

 

Boise State should do what they need to do anyway and see if the NCAA has the guts to publicly give them a violation for it.

The NCAA would get pilloried for it and rightfully so.