NCAA - Hands Down Another Ruling for Memphis Along With Their Hypocrisy

[Brian Shannon]

Well the day after Memphis gets the news that their 2007-2008 season was to be striped, the NCAA announced that Elliot Williams is eligible to play next season. Williams you might remember transferred from Duke after last season. Williams left and wanted to go back to his hometown because of his mother being diagnosed with Cancer. Williams had initially picked the Bluedevils over Memphis, Tennessee and Virgina. The NCAA usually grants a player in Williams situation so this isn't a surprise that the NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly the NCAA Clearing House) granted Elliot immediate eligibility.

So let's jump forward 2 years in our trusty time machine to see how the Williams case worked out for Memphis:

July 25th 2011 -
Today the NCAA handed down their ruling on Memphis's Elliot Williams. The Tigers will have to vacate their 27 wins including their run to the Sweet Sixteen. The forfeiture means that Memphis will have to return the $120,000 earned from their performance in the NCAA Tourney. Coach Josh Pastner said the school planed to appeal based on the fact the NCAA had cleared him to play back in August of 2009.

A spokesman for the NCAA said "While we realize Mr. Williams was initially cleared to play by our Eligibility Center. The committee met this year and we felt like we got that one wrong, so we changed our ruling." He went on to say "While this is unfortunate, Memphis should have realized that this was a possibility."

That is how I feel about the whole Rose ordeal. Today John Clay linked up an article from Terry Holland, director of athletics at East Carolina University, that only reinforced my thoughts. The NCAA has egg on their face for clearing Rose and now they can't stand to look like fools so Memphis is going to pay. Not to mention that the system is wrong (broke) and doesn't seem to work. The NCAA HAS to get a better system to avoid these things OR just accept that once they are cleared by them they are good.

Those who think Calipari had a hand in this are blind. Do you really think that Cal would risk his career by getting some kid to take a test for Rose? Come on now. Rose came to him and said I took the test. Later the SAT folks and the NCAA all said yep he did and cleared him to play. I realize that the NCAA came to them with some questions later but they had already cleared him and didn't say hold him out. Is there a coach out there who wouldn't play ANY kid that the NCAA cleared?

So how can they come back 2 years later and say Memphis your in the wrong? I'll tell you how, because they are big bullies. I started to say they are corrupt but that might be too much. However they are the judge, jury and executioner all in one. They pick and choose what evidence they want to see regardless of if it could hold up in a court of law. It also is beginning to look like they play favorites.

Really NCAA you reached a decision on Memphis this quick? How about OJ Mayo? It was early May that we found out Timmy gave him $1000 bucks. Of course it was the year before when his one of his former 'handlers' told the world that Mayo had been on the take for years. Yet a few weeks AFTER this news we hear about Memphis. Some how Memphis is figured out already and still nothing in regards to USC.

Should we be surprised? After all the NCAA still has yet to rule on Reggie Bush. Even after things were uncovered at the end of an 8 month investigation. See with Reggie you are talking about a runner up to the BCS championship plus a Heisman winner. It appears the NCAA is going to turn a blind eye to the over $100,000 in benefits to Reggie and the $1,00 (we know of) to Mayo but by golly we are going to NAIL Memphis for $300,000 and take away 38 wins.

I would say that in those cases of taking money would be a tad bit more troubling than someone fooling everyone for a brief enough time to get on a team. Playing favorites is what the NCAA is all about. With the TONS of rules and the ease the the NCAA hands down rulings you can't tell me that EVERY school doesn't make a mistake. All those guys toe the line of right and wrong in the eyes of the NCAA. It is just too hard not to. The difference for Memphis is they aren't "Friends of the Family".

Don NCAA seems to look the other way for USC and Duke as well. We all remember Corey Maggette don't we? If not check out his story here. Maggette took money there is NO question about that. He took it before playing basketball. He is IMMEDIATELY ineligible and if the NCAA folks cleared him then they should TAKE IT BACK. What is different about that and Marcus Camby? Besides taking place before he went to school rather than at the end of the year...nothing. What is the difference in Rose other than money? NOTHING!!!! In all these cases they shouldn't have been able to play yet they did. So do something about the one that is tied in with a court case if your going to do something about the other 2 that aren't!!

Yet they will sit on this, like Reggie and as it appears Mayo too. Want more proof that the NCAA sits on certain things and jumps all over others? How about the Darrell Arther case. You remember him don't you? Sure he was in the SAME GAME Rose was. So what is going on with him? Oh just a little question about his eligibility too. In this article the superintendent from Arthur's schools says this:

"Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said he is no longer convinced that Darrell Arthur — a star player for South Oak Cliff in 2005 and now a forward for Kansas' national championship team — had enough credits to attend college. "

Both this article and the other one report that an outside agency reopened the investigation. My question is why not the NCAA? Should that be enough info for them to strip Kansas of their season? OH well you can't do that because they won it all. If you strip both the winner and loser of the title game who then do you award the title to? The team that lost by the least to the 2 ineligible teams?

Up shot is this. The NCAA picks on decides who they want to investigates and who they don't. Sorry Memphis you fell into the disliked category. Kansas, Duke and USC go ahead and do what you want to, seems you got friends in high places.