I have known college atheletes who did not show up for class and still passed the class. Who stole textbooks and sold them for cash. And that's just what I saw as a student with little connection to the inside other than knowing a couple of the atheletes personally.
The entire system is sick because it exists in a state of deliberate denial. We need three levels of college atheletics - pro (paid above the table), semi-pro (scholarship and training table/bennies) and truly amatuer (maybe scholarship only or no scholarship). The first step to cleaning this up is to admit that those three levels alread exist and the professional aspect of college athletics therefore exists in the shadows - and it cannot be properly policed until it is out in the sunlight. The same shadows of looking the other way over petty corruption are those that allowed the Sandusky matter to fester for so long in the dark. The only reason the Penn State board took action is because this finally came out into the open. But the other corruption will continue to fester.
How do they appoint as interim coach a guy who has been there for 33 years? He knew nothing about any of this..never heard a rumor?..oh pleeze
The problem here, one that we as conservatives ought to recognize right off, is the Cult of Personality. (Can someone insert one of those little trademark thingies here?)
In this case, the cult of JoePa who happens to be a senile relic of a football coach, being propped up in the press box a la Weekend at Ernie's while younger men in their 70's profit from the rape of young boys.
If it were an endemic problem to college sports, wouldn't we be seeing the same scandal at (fillinthenameofsomeoneelsesschoolormaybeyourschooltoo)?
Frankly it gives cashing in with some signed memorabilia or getting cut a little slack in calculus a bit different perspective, don't you think?