NCAA President Mark
Emmert would like to erase all the tawdry tales
from his first full year in office.
On Thursday, Emmert asked university leaders to
help him turn the page on a disastrous 2011 that
included a child sex abuse scandal at Penn State
that overshadowed NCAA violations at a handful
of major football programs.
Emmert wants to restore some of college sports'
core principles -- choosing education over money,
amateurism over professionalism and abiding by
the rules rather than ignoring them.
"What we have to do is work together to act on
those values, to let the world know which fork in
the road we've taken so we don't have the same
story line this year that we had last year," he told
about 2,000 delegates at the annual convention,
just a few blocks from the NCAA headquarters. "I
know we can do it. We can do it in 2012."
For roughly 30 minutes, Emmert again expressed
frustration with the rash of infractions charges,
alleged ethical breaches and possible criminal
conduct in 2011.
And Emmert made it perfectly clear how upset he
was by striking a far different tone Thursday than
he did in his first state of the association address
last year in San Antonio, Texas.
There, Emmert paraded "model" student-athletes
across the stage, a production that even included
eventual Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.
This time, speaking sternly and with few laugh
lines, Emmert broadly recounted some of the
most damaging phrases he'd heard: College sports
is about winning at all costs, it's all about the
money, everybody cheats and the term student-
athlete is an oxymoron.
Then, just a few blocks from the NCAA
headquarters, Emmert uttered words rarely heard
in these quarters — in some cases, the critics were
right.
"I've heard people say that there are no ethics and
no integrity in college sports and the whole
system is broken. But here's the really bad news.
There's truth in some of those criticisms," Emmert
said. "What parts of those stories are true?
Sometimes we have seen behaviors that don't
match our values. We do have some people that
want to win at all costs. We have some student-
athletes that don't care about getting an education
and some that simply don't get the education they
deserve. The worst thing to me is that they
completely overshadow all of the good things that
are going on in intercollegiate athletics."
The push for change has already begun.
In October, the Division I Board of Directors
approved rules giving conferences the option of
paying an additional $2,000 toward athletes' living
expenses and multi-year scholarships that could
end the practice of coaches stripping away
financial aid based solely on athletic performance.
Both rules have become targets of override
measures, and the board is scheduled to consider
modifications Saturday. Emmert expects both
rules to withstand the challenges, though the
stipend could face some modifications.
The NCAA also has approved tougher academic
standards, which could lead to postseason
ineligibility. Under the new guidelines, last year's
men's basketball national champion Connecticut
would have missed the tournament and also is
likely to miss the tourney next year.
Some say the academic reforms still are not tough
enough.
"I don't believe the academic reforms are anything
more than a P.R. move because there are too
many loopholes in it," said Ohio University
professor David Ridpath, past president of an
NCAA watchdog called The Drake Group.
On Wednesday, the Legislative Council also
passed a proposal that would tighten the definition
of an agent to include third parties. That would
eliminate the loophole that allowed Cam Newton to
retain his eligibility even after the NCAA determined
Newton's father attempted to shop his son's
services.
The rule could be approved Saturday.
"I think it's a great start," he said. "It will go to the
board, and I think they'll put in place, and we'll see
if we get the change we want. If not, we'll change
it."
It's only a start.
On Friday, the NCAA has carved out a three-hour
session to brief delegates about tougher penalties
for infractions, a three-tiered new penalty
structure, a quicker enforcement process and the
rewriting of the massive 400-plus page rulebook.
Regardless of the changes sure to come in 2012,
Emmert and others within the organization
understand this process can only work if
university presidents and athletic directors are on
board.
"I don't think it has to be sold," enforcement
director Julie Roe Lach said. "What I've seen and
heard is that there is a collective momentum that
we've got to do something. I think the time is ripe
for change, and not only is it ripe for a change,
there's a need for change."
What can Emmert do?
He wants to make integrity chic again in college
sports.
"We need to clarify who is in charge," he said.
"University presidents and boards need to be fully
in charge. Athletic departments need to be in
charge of maximizing revenue. But it's about more
than that. If you are part of university
environment, your conduct has to be the same as
anyone else at that college. Student-athletes have
to be able to take advantage of the educational
opportunities, and they have to play by the rules.
That's not too much to ask, I don't think. And
supporters have to understand that just because
you're a fan doesn't mean you're in charge."
Emmert also awarded the organization's President
Gerald R. Ford Award to Tennessee women's
basketball coach Pat Summit, who could not
attend Thursday because her team was playing at
Kentucky.
Joan Cronan, Tennessee's women's athletic
director, accepted the award on Summitt's behalf
following a short video recounting the Hall of
Fame coach's contributions to the game.
"I am truly humbled to receive an award named
after a man who led this country as the 38th
president," Summitt said at the end of the video.
"As a head coach, I have a daily responsibility to
make sure our Lady Vol players are students first
and athletes second and I do that every day in
words and in actions. I tell them they are at
Tennessee to earn a degree. I love teaching the
game and I love teaching life skills. I accompany
that with the phrase that the gym is my
classroom, and along the way we've been
fortunate enough to win a few games, too."
