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

I agree with Bubbler. If I'm the head coach I personally go and show I cared about your kid for more than just football reasons.

 

Game
Set
Match

 

Of course, that would be grandstanding, too. More of a "See, we care about your kid!!!" message to future recruits.

Or does anyone think the Boise State staff really has an emotional attachment to a high school kid who would not be on campus until the fall of 2011?

They can prove me wrong, of course. Just hold that scholarship open as a gesture of respect. Like an empty locker in a clubhouse for someone who died.

 

Even if they aren't allowed to go to the funeral, they should still be allowed to at least make a call to the parents/guardian and/or send flowers.

No, the school doesn't have a huge emotional attachment yet, but the parents do have one. They, along with the kid, chose that school and that staff for whatever reason.

 

Apparently, only half the story - Boise State declined to get a waiver:

http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/24109/ncaa-says-boise-st-could-have-gotten-waiver

 

I'm shocked ... shocked ... that people would take a gratitious shot at the NCAA without really checking all the facts.

It is not a perfect organization. For example, it should always give the benefit of the doubt to the student/athlete in eligibility concerns, etc., instead of the exact opposite. But it is also not the devil incarnate, as some would believe.

And has been said earlier on this thread, virtually every apparently-stupid NCAA rule involving recruiting is in response to some slimeball coach or school's attempt to circumvent the rules.

And I wonder how many of the Boise State coaching staff showed up at the funerals of the three innocent people killed in a traffic accident several years ago caused by a BSU football player street-racing another driver?

 

Takings shots at the NCAA is useless. It's not as if the organization itself makes rules without any recourse. Blame college presidents.

 

I just think of Paul Newman wedging his card into the widow's fingers in "The Verdict."

 

But in the original story I posted, Boise State's assistant AD said that he did contact the WAC's director of compliance, who had just previously worked for the NCAA. The WAC guy told them that the waiver wouldn't be given because the player hadn't signed the NLOI yet. Boise State, instead of going over the guy's head to confirm the rule with the NCAA, chose to believe the guy.

Bad on their part, but again, if there are so many rules that end up conflicting with each other, maybe it's time for the NCAA to call a major meeting and start fresh. But of course, they wouldn't do that, because they then would have to confront several issues that they've been keeping their heads in the sand about (i.e., athlete rights and money issues).

And if the NCAA has a precise rule regarding visits to funerals, condolence calls, etc., then it really should be shame on them for even having that rule. These are allegedly supposed to be smart people. They need some common sense.

 

I think he said that the previous precedents would not necessarily apply. That does not mean the waiver request would not be granted.

So instead of applying for the waiver anyway (and possibly establishing a new precedent), Boise just said "Eh, fuck it."

NCAA never said no, because Boise didn't give them the chance to say no.

 

A Boise St. spokesman told the Idaho Statesman that the reason why Boise St. didn't ask the NCAA for the waiver was confusion on the timetable for when a waiver would be granted:

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/08/05/1292318/bsu-to-seek-waiver-in-emil-smith.html


"There was definitely confusion on our part. If we knew that we would have gotten an immediate response, we would have acted differently," spokesman Max Corbet said. "... We didn't pursue it. Hindsight being 20-20, we probably should have done it."

Basically, they thought the NCAA would dilly-dally until it was too late. Given the NCAA's past reputation, can't say I blame them.