NCAA wrong on Masoli ruling
I had another blog set for this morning but the news changed everything. And that’s good. So here we go:
The NCAA is wrong on the Jeremiah Masoli ruling. Here’s why.
The NCAA has refused to grant former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli a waiver to be eligible to play at Ole Miss this season. Ole Miss has appealed the ruling but it is unlikely that the appeal will be successful. I reached out to Coach Houston Nutt this morning and I would have to say that he is not optimistic.
Here is what I see: You can make an ethical argument over whether or not Masoli, who was kicked off the Oregon team, should be allowed to play right away at Ole Miss. The fact is he got a second chance from Oregon coach Chip Kelly and he blew it. So if you want to take the position that Ole Miss should not have taken the kid in the first place, I respect that point of view.
But this is not an ethical argument. It is a legal argument. There is a system in place that allows athletes who have graduated with eligibility remaining to transfer and become eligible immediately at another school. You simply have to fulfill the requirements, which Masoli did.
Ole Miss will make the argument that the rules do not require the athlete to be in good standing with a team, but with the university where he last attended. Masoli graduated from Oregon so therefore he was in good standing with the school.
The NCAA rule says something about the transfer being for academic reasons. But the requirement states that the transferring student must enroll in a graduate program not available at his former institution. Masoli did that.
Again, you can make the argument that Ole Miss should not have a taken the kid. I’ve got no problem with that.
But I’m not comfortable with the NCAA being able to arbitrarily say that this kid has a legitimate reason to transfer and that kid does not. They should not have that kind of discretionary power.
There has to be a system and a set of rules. You either follow the rules or you don’t. If you follow the rules then the result should be predictable. If not, then you should get rid of the rule.
Your thoughts?
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503 comments Add your comment
Honey
September 1st, 2010
11:37 am
NCAA did exactly the right thing. Every case should be evaluated on its own merit. Clearly, Masoli did not enroll at Ole Miss in the Parks and Recreation Masters because that was his lifelong dream. He messed up with his stealing laptops, got suspended by his coach for the next season. He had plans all along to stay at Oregon because he worked out all spring with the team. Only until he got caught with the hooch and got dismissed totally did he got looking for another team to play on. The guy actually hired a PR firm to hone his image. Ha! So those of you who are crying what a disgrace this is….. do you think this thug should be “rewarded”? Do you really think the NCAA messed up with their ruling, which was put in place to honor true academics? They made the correct ruling.
LHardingDawg
September 1st, 2010
11:41 am
I wonder if “stupid mutts” is a home grown idiot. Probably.
As far as Masoli is concerned, if he would have enrolled in the graduate program by the deadline, which was April 1st., instead of August 1st., I believe he would be able to play.
gdawginkalamazoo
September 1st, 2010
11:41 am
I guess “in good standing” is driving around smoking dope and breaking traffic laws while on probation with your football team.
Gen Neyland
September 1st, 2010
11:42 am
Snipet borrowed from writer Alex Callos regarding Mettenberger :
” Whether or not he deserves a second chance is up for debate, but the fact is he is certain to receive one. When he chooses a team, Mettenberger will have to sit out another season due to NCAA transfer rules. He will then have three years of eligibility remaining and a wealth of potential.”
Same and similar to Masoli ruling..?
MSREB
September 1st, 2010
11:45 am
For those on this board who agree with the NCAA not granting the waiver, you need to remember, this is a legal issue and not a “feelings” issue. Whether or not you feel Masoli is getting too many chances, is a thug, is working a loophole, or you just don’t like him, is irrelevant! The fact is, the rule he applied under is not a loophole – it’s a valid rule. He met ALL the criteria for transfer under the rule and that’s that. The fact that the NCAA is interpreting a rule differently now because the decision may not be popular is flat out wrong. Numerous kids have taken advantage of this rule to continue playing, the only difference is they were not “high profile” players with a criminal past (which is not a factor under the rule). You can’t say that a rule only applies when it is popular with the masses! Govern fairly or throw out the rulebook and declare yourself (NCAA) a dictatorship!
coachKR
September 1st, 2010
11:47 am
Agree with Tony. NCAA allowed the 2 Tech linemen to enroll at Georgia State for the same reason, but won’t allow Masoli??? Can’t have it both ways. Masoli may be a bad kid, but he deserves the same chances as everyone else according to NCAA’s own rules.
gt
September 1st, 2010
11:48 am
THE NCAA IS PURE SCUM. NEED TO BE DESTROYED AND REPLACED.THE KIDS DO NOT MATTER, NOR DO THE SCHOOLS. ONLY THEIR EGO. THEY PROBABLY WAITED THIS LATE JUST TO SCREW OLE MISS UP, TO SHOW THEM WHO IS BOSS.UGA WAS NEVER IN TROUBLEW WITH THE NCAA, AND NEITHER WAS OKLAHOMA, UNTIL THEY SUED THE NCAA TO ALLOW CABLE TV BROADCASTS OF FOOTBALL, THUS DESTROYING THEIR TOTAL POWER . WITHIN 2 YEARS BOTH SCHOOLS HAD BEEN PUT ON PROBATION.THEY STILL HAVEN’T TOLD SCHOOLS ABOUT THE VERDICT CONCERNING THIS MIAMI TRIP STUFF.
EVERY FOOTBALL FAN IN THIS COUNTRY SHOULD P[ETITION COLLEGE PRESIDENTS TO START AN ASSOCIATION THAT HAS SOME MORALS, BUT THEN DO THE PRESIDENTS HAVE ANY?
1eyedJack
September 1st, 2010
11:50 am
NCAA…Please! Please! Straighten this mess out before Congress decides to get involved!
Chris
September 1st, 2010
11:53 am
Karma’a a bitch.
Delbert D.
September 1st, 2010
11:55 am
There is no loophole. Oregon does not offer the Parks and Recreation Management Masters degree. I don’t know how many schools in the Northwest, North or Northeast offer that degree, but there are a few in the South and Southeast that do.
dbc
September 1st, 2010
11:57 am
Ole Miss should have never gone after this kid in the first place, and Houston Nutt is a scumbag. And sorry, but there’s so much that is discretionary in college football today, this argument to me doesn’t hold water. When a ref makes a discretionary call that alters the outcome of a football game, right or wrong, the ruling stands (see the A.J. Green call last year vs. LSU.) So a kid like A.J. who does everything the right way get’s the shaft, and now we’re supposed to feel sorry for a criminal? I don’t feel one bit sorry for Masoli. Karma’s a b!tch…
G8R GRAD
September 1st, 2010
11:59 am
Now, now, gt.
Let’s try to use our “inside” voice, okay?
DP
September 1st, 2010
12:01 pm
MSREB, the Ole Miss grad school website says very clearly that the deadline for applications to the Parks and Recreation graduate program is April 1. It even says “last minute applications are strongly discouraged.” Masoli missed the application deadline by about 4 months. I don’t know if that factored into the NCAA’s ruling, but if Ole Miss couldn’t document other students who were waved into graduate programs months past the application deadlines I think it is justification enough.
http://www.olemiss.edu/gradschool/application_deadlines.php
Delbert D.
September 1st, 2010
12:02 pm
92 colleges offer the degree (BS or MS not specified). Info from MatchCollege.com.
Delbert D.
September 1st, 2010
12:05 pm
coachKR – It seems to be the date of application that is the issue. Both Georgia Tech players applied to Georgia State in the Spring, before they graduated from Georgia Tech.
scott
September 1st, 2010
12:06 pm
You’re right, Tony. The “slippery slope” as someone noted, is not allowing someone to transfer under these circumstances. The slippery slope is the NCAA not following the rules THEY have in place. They are legally in the wrong, based on all the stories I’ve read. It’s not even, as many have called it, a loophole. He meets all the criteria to get this transfer waiver… again from everything I’ve seen. NCAA is not a moral enforcer. He wasn’t in any trouble with the NCAA. They can’t just say “That ain’t right.” Especially when everything seems to meet their criteria. For those that don’t get that, it’s very simple and common legal protocol.
BuckheadBulldog
September 1st, 2010
12:07 pm
I have to admit, I wouldn’t want to face Masoli if I didn’t have to, so I understand other teams celebrating his denied waiver. I just hate the NCAA God complex and have to think I’d be really upset if it happened to UGA. These comment boards are usually a place for negativity, but I have to agree with Ole Miss on this one. If the NCAA can act however they want, what’s to keep them from doing it in any situation?
HugoStiglitz
September 1st, 2010
12:10 pm
Why would the date of the application matter in a case like this? Does the NCAA really try to enforce application deadlines at the school it represents? Isnt that an academic matter for the school itself? Masoli definately wouldnt be the first student or student athlete to get an exception on an application deadline.
Mark "Crimson Crier" Ingram
September 1st, 2010
12:10 pm
Looks like the NCAA is following in the “selective enforcement and interpretation of law” that the progressive Iman Obama administration has practiced for the last 20 months.
Jackson
September 1st, 2010
12:11 pm
I wasn’t in favor of letting Masoli on our football team, but I’m not Houston Nutt so that doesn’t really matter. With that said, I do not agree with the way the NCAA handled the case at all. They can say that he was trying to avoid disciplinary action from Oregon which may very well be true, but they should keep the same standard for everyone. Kenneth Cooper transferred and was granted eligibility to play at UAB after being dismissed from LA Tech. How is that for a good dose of hypocrisy? Also if the NCAA wanted to say that the transfers should only be granted for academic reasons I would be 100% okay with that, but if I remember correctly Greg Paulus was openly shopping for a football program after graduating from Duke. There goes that excuse…
Again, I didn’t agree with taking him on in the first place, but we did and he had all of the requirements needed. There was no grey area until yesterday…
Greg
September 1st, 2010
12:11 pm
If you are correct in interpreting the rule, which I am sure you are, then Masoli should sue.
Sal
September 1st, 2010
12:12 pm
I can’t believe that Mark Richt didn’t go after this thug.
scott
September 1st, 2010
12:12 pm
Just read the application deadline post. THAT is a reason. So that makes sense, because it would be some kind of special benefit. Unless there can be instances of similar concessions. If there are, and this is the reason for the denial, Ole Miss will find their evidence.
Brett Flournoy
September 1st, 2010
12:12 pm
Oh please. How thinly veiled can you get? He would have stayed at Oregon, then selected a graduate degree at Ole Miss solely to fit the criteria – Parks and Recreation. He may as well be a pro. This isn’t student athleticism. He is perfectly entitled to play next year (shouldn’t be), within the rules. Same school that was signing almost 40 in every class, causing the rules to have to be fixed. Ole Miss alums should be up in arms over this behavior.
Old Dawg
September 1st, 2010
12:12 pm
I’m not a big fan of Jeremiah Masoli. He had his chances at Oregon and he was dismissed from the team and university.
That being said, Ole Miss followed the NCAA rules to the letter and now the rules have changed for this specific instance. Quite frankly, the NCAA needs to determine whether it is an organization that regulate college athletics or also works as judge and jury.
It can’t be both.
bb
September 1st, 2010
12:12 pm
I would have to agree that the NCAA made the wrong decision here. What is the message they are sending? They are breaking their own rule to send a message about breaking team rules???? If he meets the letter of the rule, he should be allowed to play – if he can find someone willing to play him (which he did).
Frankly, I thought the NCAA was suppose to be about making sure the atheletes graduate (i.e. get the education they are on scholarship to get), which Masoli did. This sends the message that it is more about the football than the education (which of course we all knew anyway).
MoMo
September 1st, 2010
12:13 pm
txfood
September 1st, 2010
8:25 am
Tony, if his appeal is rejected, will Ole Miss still honor his scholarship? I wonder how ethical Ole Miss really is.
(A) – He has NO scholarship. He WALKED ON. Get the facts right before you post.
I hate the NCAA
September 1st, 2010
12:14 pm
NCAA killing by business plan.
w.masoliforHEISTman.com
dbc
September 1st, 2010
12:15 pm
“In its decision, the [NCAA] staff noted that the student-athlete was unable to participate at the University of Oregon based on his dismissal from the team, which is contrary to the intent of the waiver,” the NCAA said in a statement. “The waiver exists to provide relief to student-athletes who transfer for academic reasons to pursue graduate studies, not to avoid disciplinary measures at the previous university.”
If the kid is serious about turning over a new leaf, let him sit for a year and prove it.
Homer Simpson
September 1st, 2010
12:16 pm
If the NCAA blocked every criminal from playing, nobody in the SEC wouldn be able to field a complete team.
PS Barnyard’s a bigger homer the me.
Hunker Down
September 1st, 2010
12:19 pm
The question I would need to know and ask is what reason has the NCAA given as to why the kid is being denied? If by ruling they are within parameters of their own code then I am good with the decision. However, if they are not and cannot justify then I would say the kid should be ble to play.
Lot of rhetoric last week regarding them and the recruiting process of allowing teams to oversign athletes. Seems to me the NCAA should take notice of the alledged manipulations of some coaches and try to curtail this activity and leave Coach Nutt alone if he wishes to try to play a guy that has a history of being in trouble.
Ray Jay in Fl. Branch
September 1st, 2010
12:20 pm
You’re right Tony. He graduated, he got accepted into grad school. The rules say he can do that. It happens all the time. This is not about how much we may like him or not.
By the way, I have actually made more than one mistake in my life and I’m a good guy.
It’s that simple. Changing the rules when you feel like it is dead wrong, like it or not.
Is there any truth to the rumor I heard that Nick Saban was raising caine behind the scenes for this outcome??
Homer Simpson
September 1st, 2010
12:22 pm
msufan
? It’s not to late for him to get his graduate degree; which is what this rule is made for.
Stevo
September 1st, 2010
12:22 pm
All I hear here is Masoli is victim or not victim…When it’s Nutt who is directing him through the loop holes !!! Now the NCAA is going to have to find another way to close a loop hole Nutt has exploited.
DP
September 1st, 2010
12:22 pm
By the way, the NFL has no interest in Masoli as a QB. The NCAA says he can play in 2011. So if his desire to pursue a graduate degree in Parks and Recreation isn’t a sham, he can spend the year in graduate school, learn the offense in spring and fall practice and play more effectively in 2011, and complete his graduate degree. What’s the problem with that, other than the fact that Ole Miss is thin at QB this year?
Greg Lawrence
September 1st, 2010
12:23 pm
He transferred to avoid the punishment of being suspended for the year. That has to be taken into consideration. I think the NCAA got it right. He was using a rule to avoid punishment and that is not right. It is very clear that this is the case and the NCAA finally did the right thing. He can still play next year at Ole Miss if he wants to. He just has to sit out this year.
dawg fan's=WINDOW LICKER'S
September 1st, 2010
12:24 pm
@HOMER,BE GLAD THIS BLOG DOESN’T HAVE A IDIOT SENSOR B/C T.B. WOULDN’T HAVE A JOB & YOU WOULD HAVE A LIFE!!!
tb344
September 1st, 2010
12:27 pm
Isn’t Ole Miss’s graduate program that he’s enrolled in only a 1 year program? So if he redshirts this year he won’t be able to play next year will he?
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/eslm/collateral/pdf/PRM-Master%20of%20Arts%20in%20PRM.pdf
Chris
September 1st, 2010
12:28 pm
As much as I disagree with Tony, I have to say he’s right in this case. He’s not backing up Masoli and his actions. Tony’s backing up the ruling of a “student-athlete”. He’s no different than Gilbert, the OT who graduated from Tech, transferred to GA State and has 2 years of eligibility left. Gilbert enrolled in grad school. There were a few other players from other schools who did the same. Remember the point guard from Duke who went to Syracuse? Same situation. Again, it’s not the actions of the student-athlete, but the rules that are set in place…
G8R GRAD
September 1st, 2010
12:28 pm
On a brighter note, the Gators on this blog might appreciate this story:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college/gators/os-bianchi-john-brantley-dad-20100831,0,5605035.column
Pale Horse
September 1st, 2010
12:28 pm
The Masoli charge is garbage. He followed the rules to the letter.
The NCAA is full of #### and are defiantly putting over time in for this ####!!!
MoMo
September 1st, 2010
12:28 pm
According to some sanctimonious commets here, how can you be a “thug” and graduate in THREE years? Really? You guys DO know he has not even used a RS year in which most (who do grad in 3, really 4 total) use when they do essentially finish and play as grads. This guy is obviously disciplined enough to finish his studies in timely fashion, and yet his mis steps over shadow that.
Please…name another player of high profile (who many of you deem as a “thug”) that could boast not only graduating, but doing it in 3 years? The NCAA is a governing body of athletics. Masoli could have very well used his RS this year at Oregon after being dismissed (they were not revoking his scholarship, which happens often…as in the case of Masolis teammate – Jamere Holland, who transferred there from USC.
How about former SC backer Jordan Campbell, who was free and clear to transfer anywhere and the kid was BARELY in good standing and constantly disciplined by Carolls staff (on and off team for rules violations)?
The “spirit” of the rule? Really? Stop guys who are barely eligible (like Campbell) to transfer to another school with regard to an NCAA investigation that is 6 years to late. This situation is BIGGER than Masoli.
The NCAA is undermanned, and undertstaffed…yet attempting to regulate 110 plus division 1 football schools, 200 or so more that play D-1 basketball and the same amount with respect to baseball players.
The NCAA is attempting to send a message with their harsh line of delivering this 4-5 days before the opener. My only hope is that this system they employ would be done away with soas to not attempt to embody the “collegiate student athlete” crappola.
They have a vendetta, and with their probing of USC and various SEC schools….they are attempting to pump fear into AD’s and institutions. They know good and well through thier relations with university AD’s the message they could have communicated prior (as to chances these are granted and not) instead of allowing the deceit to continue…only to drop a bomb days before the opener.
Rbackfan
September 1st, 2010
12:34 pm
There is nothing wrong with the decision. The NCAA is run by humans, not computers. Thats the beauty of it. If it was run simply by black and white such as computers, players and coaches could find all these loopholes to get a competitive advantage. You can’t tell me it was for academic reasons. The guy was in heisman talk with a team that was in NC contention talk as well. He got booted for his poor decisions and went to a team that was nowhere near the caliber of Oregon. It is not like the NCAA took away his future. They simply said you have to sit out a year which technically should be better for Ole Miss so he has a chance to adjust to Ole Miss and the SEC, just like Mallet had to do at Arkansas. If they allowed him to play, it would open flood gates for all troubled players to pull shenanigans. The rule clearly states that “sometimes” a waiver is given which indicates that they are well within the guidelines.
Rowdy
September 1st, 2010
12:34 pm
My main disagreement with those that either support Masoli or disagree with the NCAA’s decision is that they keep refering to him as a “kid”, as Tony did in his article. He is 22 years old. Period. He is old enough to suffer the consequences of his actions and as a result I have no sympthay for him.
MoMo
September 1st, 2010
12:36 pm
Chris
September 1st, 2010
12:28 pm
As much as I disagree with Tony, I have to say he’s right in this case. He’s not backing up Masoli and his actions. Tony’s backing up the ruling of a “student-athlete”. He’s no different than Gilbert, the OT who graduated from Tech, transferred to GA State and has 2 years of eligibility left. Gilbert enrolled in grad school. There were a few other players from other schools who did the same. Remember the point guard from Duke who went to Syracuse? Same situation. Again, it’s not the actions of the student-athlete, but the rules that are set in place…
(A) – EXACTLY. What was the “spirit” of the rule there? It’s weak…the letter was used the SAME way when Paulus transferred from Duke and went to Syracuse as a grad. JUST to play FB. He probed big time universities to gage their interest in him….only to pick Syracuse because of teh probability of instant PT.
Masoli according to the letter has done the EXACT same. The fact is, he was not kicked out of school (academic influence of NCAA standing)…and was in good standing at the university (academic).
If he were in bad standing as a student, and good standing on the team…it wouldn’t matter. There would be no need for the convo. The NCAA’s basis in the letter is ACADEMIA. He was in good standing at Oregon (being kicked off the team doesnt matter) as a student, and the NCAA has it wrong here. They used up this time soas to hinder the time for any legal retort should the appeal be denied.
Tide Rising
September 1st, 2010
12:37 pm
Danny Sheridan quote- ” The NCAA is a corrupt and highly politicized organization that would not be able to stand up to public or congressional scrutiny”.
Regardless of your feelings about Masoli being a thug your feelings are irrelevant. Rules are rules and MSREB post at 11:45 hit the nail on the head. It is a valid rule, Masoli fulfilled the requirements, his troubled past has ZERO relevance to this, and the NCAA needs to follow its own rules if it is to have any credibility.
Also, as Jackson noted in his 12:11 post Kenneth Cooper transferred to UAB after being dismissed from LA. Tech and was granted immediate eligibility. High profile former Duke B-ball star Greg Paulus was openly shopping for a football program after he graduated from Duke. Why was he granted eligibility?
Just cause you don’t like Masoli doesn’t mean you should be able to brazenly break your own rules as you go along. And I ask again- If an organization can’t even follow its own rules and bylaws then what good is it?
David Granger
September 1st, 2010
12:38 pm
Like most, I’m a bit torn. I think the fairest course of action would be:
1. The NCAA should reinstate Masoli’s eligibility.
2. Houston Nutt should impose a VERY strict “No Tolerance” policy on Masoli.
3. The NCAA should add a conditional to it’s graduate transfer rule that, in order to be eligible immediately at a new school, the player must not be ineligible at the previous one. There should be a “fast track” appeal on this, so a coach couldn’t just arbitrarily declare a player “ineligible” to keep him from transferring.
TideWarrior
September 1st, 2010
12:42 pm
They got this right. First it is called a waiver because the rule is he can not do it, but if he meets certian requirements they can waiver the rule. No where in their books those it say they have to. Also bending the rules to make it work is not right. As pointed out he graduated Oregon and to be eligible as a student athlete to play one must be enrolled in classes. He was already enrolled in a graduate program at Oregon so he could play there this fall. It is not like they did not have a program he wanted and left to find one. They had one he liked well enough to enroll there before he got kicked off the team. He decided after he got kicked off the team to change his program for he could play else where. It was all about football and nothing more. He had plenty of chances and blew them. So he is out and deserves to be.
chris
September 1st, 2010
12:44 pm
I think sometimes the NCAA makes up rules as they go along or whenever they need a situation to fit. I think they are wrong in this instance.
HOWEVER…..the kid has nobody to blame but himself. He has been given multiple chances and blown them. So while I think the NCAA is wrong, the kid still needs to look in the mirror and say “This is on me”.
ShaunC
September 1st, 2010
12:47 pm
It’s a no brainer. This was a blatant attempt to use a rule, grounded in not penalizing a kid because his area of study is not offered, to circumvent punishment. Legally, arguments are made every day in courts regarding legislative intent. And these shenanigans are not what the NCAA was trying to facilitate by creating this exception.