I don’t get this coddling of athletes.
I saw it more in HS than college, but it seems to be pretty widespread.
If they’re going to be put on pedestals for their ability to play a game well (as they often are), then their grades and behavior should at least equal that of their peers.
If they can excel athletically only when their grades and behavior take a back seat, is it really excellence? Does it really deserve the financial, moral and other support that sports programs receive?
It’s pretty widespread at all the other big football universities. I taught at the University of Tennessee a number of years ago (during the “glory” days of Peyton Manning and Tee Martin, under Phil Fulmer) and saw it firsthand there too.