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Character Issues Aren’t NCAA’s Fault
Published by MoonDog on May 28, 2008
A few weeks ago Florida head coach Urban Meyer was speaking to a group of Gator boosters in Miami when a recent off the field incident involving Jamar Hornsby was brought up. Hornsby was kicked off the Gator squad after he turned himself in to authorities where he will face charges of credit card theft and fraudulent use of a credit card.
Hornsby is alleged to have used the credit card of Florida student Ashley Slonina – who was killed in an October motorcycle accident along with Gators’ player Michael Guilford. As a result of this and other off the field incidents among Gator football players, Meyer suggested recruiting restrictions are making it harder for college coaches to judge the character of their recruits.
Meyer said, “The NCAA is pulling us off the recruiting process, I’m not allowed to go out (to visit players) anymore. I’m not allowed to text message. I’m trying to find out as best I can. You just keep re-evaluating.”
“If you just look around and see some of the things that are going on, it’s amazing. It’s concerning. It’s alarming. So we take a great deal of time and effort in trying to educate guys, work with them and recruit character. Are we perfect? Absolutely not.”
Meyer acknowledged the Hornsby incident made him think, “You have to reevaluate how you’re doing.”
I’m not smelling what Meyer is cooking. College coaches know more about prospects than ever before and it goes well beyond the easily obtainable information.
While Meyer may not be able to visit players or text message them, NCAA rules do allow video conference calls with recruits. Either Meyer isn’t video conferencing with players or he failed to mention it to make his lack of personal contact with prospects justified.
For Meyer or any coach to suggest recruiting restrictions have handcuffed his efforts in learning of a prospects character is nothing more than a very lame excuse.
The coaches in some cases aren’t terribly concerned until it’s time to be concerned. That is to say, with so much pressure being placed upon coaches to recruit top-level talent to their programs, the athletic potential can outweigh a coach’s better judgment.
I don’t want to single out Meyer and the Gator program because the problem has become rampant in men’s college athletics. Character issues can be directly related, among many contributing factors, to poor parenting, an even poorer grammar and secondary school educational system and a lack of personal accountability.
I’m not defending the NCAA either, however, while the rules governing the recruitment of a player are cumbersome, they do not hinder a coach’s ability to ascertain whether a particular player may potentially be a problem.
In 2004 the Miami (FL) Hurricanes successfully recruited five-star LB Willie Williams, a player that had been arrested 11 times between 2000 and 2004. In September of 2007, Williams was kicked off the Hurricanes team after he was charged with possession of marijuana, felony tampering with physical evidence and driving without a license.
Hurricane Athletic Director Tom Jurich signed off on the scholarship offer knowing Williams had a lengthy criminal background. Despite knowing these facts, the Hurricanes did what many college programs are doing today.
I realize there is immense pressure on coach’s to produce winning programs and graduate their players. I honestly believe that pressure is unjustified because in the end, it’s just a game.
But it’s a game that has evolved into a huge business, with millions of dollars in TV and bowl revenues at stake. With so much money corrupting the process and the competition to sign the nation’s top recruits incredibly fierce, it’s no wonder these off the field incidents have become more common over the past five years.
But none of that dismisses the facts, and those facts are each coach has a responsibility to recruit a player based not only on their athletic ability, but their personal standing as well.
If a school doesn’t delve into a prospect’s background and essentially turns a blind eye to red flags, that school gets what it deserves. You can’t blame the NCAA for not knowing a prospect has had off the field problems because the information is readily available and it’s the coach’s job to find out.
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lawvol on Thu, 29th May 2008 15:00
On the Yardbarker ticker today — well done.
Nice piece. I like it when people call it what it is — character among athletes is sorely lacking these days. That’s why I like Chirs Lofton so much.
MoonDog on Thu, 29th May 2008 15:35
Thanks dude. It just happened to involve a Gator but Meyer seemed to rationalize why one of these kids slipped through the cracks. They know a kid might be a problem child when they recruit them. Everything he had to say on the subject was BS.
10-4 on Lofton – he’s an example every college athlete, or anyone for that matter, can look up to.
GoPurple on Sat, 31st May 2008 17:11
Young men of character are getting harder to find these days. Sad. Really sad.