Souhan chimes in:
NCAA blows decision on Gophers' Marcus Carr
It can be difficult to remember why the NCAA exists. So I checked. I went to NCAA.org, and the mission statement is right there, in white type on orange background:
“Creating a pathway to lifelong success.’’
What could be better than that, other than a reverse mortgage that gives you whiter teeth in 30 days?
The problem is that the NCAA’s pathway to lifelong success is a lot like highway travel in the era of nonstop construction in the Twin Cities. You may think taking 35W North will get you to your destination, because that’s what it was designed to do. You would be wrong.
After this week, even the world’s most sophisticated GPS would be confused by the NCAA’s pathway.
The NCAA has always been a broken, hypocritical organization. What’s amazing is that it has never reformed itself, never made progress toward getting at least the small, obvious decisions right.
Who benefits from Carr sitting out a season?
No one.
Who is hurt by Carr being forced to sit out a season?
The Minnesota basketball program and Carr.
What did Minnesota do to deserve this?
Nothing.
What did Carr do to deserve this?
Nothing.
What is achieved by forcing Carr to sit out a season?
Nothing.
Making a random example of Carr, who has the same résumé as many athletes who were allowed to compete after transferring, does not set a precedent that will keep athletes from transferring in the future.
Nor should it. Athletes should be able to transfer freely, no matter how you view them.
If they are truly viewed as students first — which has always been the NCAA’s winking stance — they should be able to transfer like any other students.
http://www.startribune.com/ncaa-blows-decision-on-gophers-marcus-carr/500648251/
Go Gophers!!