The statue has already come down and the writing seems to be on the wall that major NCAA penalties are on the way.
Matt Hinton at CBS outlines some of the -- admittedly lacking -- precedent for a move like this, and that is being generous. The fact of the matter is the NCAA is about to levy fines, bowl bans, and scholarship reductions without performing a full NCAA level investigation.
Now, to be clear, I still believe that this isn't within the NCAA's sphere of judgment, but the most troubling aspect could be the way in which the NCAA has moved past its normal protocol for handing down punishments. While this is certainly a non-traditional NCAA issue, throwing aside the normal order of investigation and punishment opens up the possibility that in the future the NCAA could act in the same expedited manner.
The NCAA has plenty of problems and shortcomings, but throwing aside due process for a reactionary set of heavy handed punishments that do nothing to address the original issue is dangerous for the organization going forward.
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Michigan named favorite to win Big Ten title by media; Denard Robinson runner-up for offensive MVP - An informal poll taken among 24 Big Ten beat writers was heavily weighted in Michigan's favor as the Wolverines got 11 of the 24 votes for conference title winner and 16 of 24 votes as Leaders division winner.
Way Too Early Basketball Expectations-o-Meter: Tim Hardaway Jr. - Holdin' the Rope takes a look at what we can expect from Tim Hardaway Jr. this season. Come for the Pokemon analogies, stay for the stellar basketball analysis.
(Speaking of Holdin' the Rope, check out the comments from Carl Grapentine on Fouad's post about the Michigan PA announcer.)
Regents approve Schembechler renovation, athletic marquee - After living across the street from the eyesore that was Schembechler hall for a year, I can say with confidence that these improvements are badly needed. The marquee, however, seems somewhat superfluous and misplaced.
Ticker: Poynter Review says Penn State analysis not all Matt Millen's fault | Other Sports
But Fry and McBride also took Millen off the hook somewhat, writing that "we think ESPN's producers should bear a substantial part of the blame for what went wrong." They go on to say Millen shouldn't have been put in that position, since he's "too close to the subject to offer clear-eyed analysis." And he was thrown on the air with very little time to digest the lengthy report and not enough help from the ESPN support staff.
It is hard to put too much blame on Matt Millen considering the situation he was put in. I'm usually not one to cut Millen any slack -- it comes with the territory when you suffered through his time running the Lions -- but you can't blame a commenter when he is put in over his head in an emotionally charged situation that he is entirely too personally connected to.
How Would Mike Leach Do As A Guide On The Oregon Trail? We Find Out - Yes, this happened.
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And now a wrap up of SEC Media days:
Alabama Stars at Larger-Than-Life SEC Media Days
Befitting a league that has produced the past six national champions, the media days have morphed into an event beyond their original intent. Sure, there are still questions asked about zone blitzes and ligament tears, but those are merely the backdrop. The main event is something far more singular, and often absurd.
SEC Media Days 2012, Day 3: An Ornery Cat Named Nick Saban
The awkwardness is everywhere when you have this many people focused on a single subject. Nick Saban clearly would rather be doing literally anything else, even as he thanks the media for doing our job with the implicit whatever that is tacked to the end. It is in invisible ink, written at the end of his sentence, and it hangs in the air next to his head whenever he says it. Nick Saban clearly hates every second of this, and always has. He would rather be back in the film room eating oatmeal creme pies or walking down the hallways of the Alabama football conference just waiting for someone to look him directly in the eye. Every year, the Nick Saban Press Conference Experience is like putting a sweater on an ornery cat, draggin it along the floor on a leash, and then making it pose for festive holiday pictures with bright flashes and no treats to coax it along.
We just used "it" as the personal pronoun for the best football coach in the country, and my goodness it felt completely right.