This publication has said a lot recently about what it means to be a student-athlete and the scrutiny that entails.
Does picking up your books matter when you know you can make millions of dollars outside of the classroom – oftentimes without any type of degree? Should these students be paid due to the amount of work they invest in school athletics?
In light of events recently uncovered at the University of Louisville, more questions have been added to the mix and more scrutiny surrounds the world of college athletics.
The Cardinals’ basketball program is under investigation after news broke two weeks ago that a graduate assistant had arranged for strippers to attend parties with players and recruits in attendance at a dorm predominantly populated by the basketball team. According to former recruits, this was a common occurrence for Louisville basketball.
Issues across college campuses regarding student-athlete misconduct are prolific.
Just two weeks ago, UCLA football’s own Adam Searl was arrested on charges of rape. Just two days ago, Bruin defensive back Ishmael Adams was charged with misdemeanor battery stemming from an altercation with an Uber driver in August.
This week’s scandal is the second of Louisville coach Rick Pitino’s coaching tenure, the first being allegations of sexual assault lodged against the coach himself.
UMass basketball player Marcus Camby underwent a similar scandal when he accepted strippers from an agent in 1996. In 1989, the Oklahoma Sooners football team had three players arrested on rape charges and two others involved in a shooting – all in the team’s on-campus dorms.
In both these incidents, coaches were blamed for not acting sooner to discipline and protect their athletes.
During the 2012 college football offseason, a total of 150 players were arrested or involved in run-ins with law enforcement. Once again, no one was guiding these young men to make better choices.
In many of the cases listed above, coaches played a crucial role in facilitating or covering up their athletes’ missteps. These coaches are direct representatives of their respective universities but also of the NCAA as a whole, and the league needs to take responsibility to that effect.
Athlete misconduct is far from an isolated issue. It spans decades and state lines, affecting elite universities as well as lower-ranked competitors. Despite all these instances, the NCAA has done little to prevent future episodes.
It’s time for the NCAA to take responsibility for its players. No campus is immune to these problems and much more should be done to prevent it. While each campus hosts their own sexual assault workshops and mentors their student-athletes on their own terms, not enough is being done on a national level.
Following the Oklahoma transgressions, the organization outlawed athletes exclusively living together in dorms across all college campuses. In most other episodes, blanket reforms were rare as the NCAA instead chose to punish schools and players on a case-by-case basis, instating post-season bans and erasing team records.
Leaving it up to individual colleges and individuals isn’t working. The NCAA has to make sweeping changes in athlete education in order to prevent these issues, as well as creating stricter rules to punish those programs who transgress.
