Paul Johnson: Ex-college stars should be punished for actions
Willis McGahee said goodbye to Miami years ago but if Paul Johnson had his way, players who took illegal benefits would pay a price.
If the claims of convicted felon Nevin Shapiro are to be believed, he gave money, cars and assorted impermissible benefits to 72 Miami football players and other athletes over a nine-year period (2002-10). The Hurricanes are expected to be hit with NCAA probation as a result of this.
But what happens to all of those former Miami players? Nothing. That’s why Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson believes there needs to be some type of legislation that follows an athlete and acts as a deterrent for those taking illegal benefits.
“In my mind it’s not going to change until you do something to the people who are involved in [receiving things],” Johnson said. “You can maybe smear their name, but what happens to them? They still get to sign big contracts. The guys who are left to get punished are the guys who didn’t know what was going on.”
This is a little bit of a sensitive topic at Tech. The Jackets were put on probation and forfeited their 2009 ACC championship (pending appeal) because the NCAA believed Tech obstructed the investigation into whether former players Demaryius Thomas and Morgan Burnett received extra benefits. It never actually was proven either player took something. But ultimately the program paid the price for an investigation stemming from the perceived actions of the two players.
The NFL recently made an example of former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor for five games prior to the supplemental draft, which is believed to be a carryover from the five games he would’ve missed at OSU. But in general, getting NFL and NBA teams to sign off on disciplinary actions for illegal actions committed in college will be be difficult.
Miami has declared eight players, including quarterback Jacory Harris, ineligible for the Sept. 5 opener against Maryland. There’s a chance the NCAA may reinstate some players. But Johnson’s issue is with programs paying a price for departed players. In the case of Miami, former stars Devin Hester, Willis McGahee and Antrel Rolle were among the players Shapiro claims to have given gifts to while they were there.
Johnson again: “If I’m a guy who comes up and I didn’t have a whole lot, I didn’t have a lot of money or possessions, you can see why kids say, ‘Well, they’re going to give me $2,000 and I needed the money. I had a kid or I had this or that.’ Unless there’s some deterrent, [why not]? If this goes back to 2002, nothing’s going to happen to those players. It’s going to happen to 80 percent of the kids who were there and didn’t know anything about it.”
He also believes that any coaches or administrators aware of improper benefits should pay a price but believes that’s usually not the case.
“As a head coach you’re ultimately responsible for everything that goes on, but at the same time how realistic is that?” he said. “You can watch to see what kind of car they drive or this, that or the other. But all you can really do is teach them what’s right and what’s wrong and ultimately you just have to hope what they do is right.”
Do you agree with Johnson? Should punishments follow former college stars into the pros?
By Jeff Schultz
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158 comments Add your comment
James
August 29th, 2011
7:32 pm
Strange that coach Johnson didnt mention punishment for coaches who cheat and are or look the other way when player’s palms are being greased.I think the punishment the NFL dished out to Terrelle Pryor will eventually be challenged and overturned in court.I’m not really sure what the answer is here.
@ And then reality
August 29th, 2011
7:35 pm
Sorry but you are wrong. Football players cannot hold jobs or sell stuff like a regular student or any other student on non athlethic scholarship. http://www.allbuffs.com/content.php/362-Scholarships-Stipends-and-Part-Time-Jobs-for-Student-Athletes
wxwax
August 29th, 2011
8:03 pm
There’s a simple solution to the problem.
Just do what the Olympics do. Like college football, the Olympics score hundreds of millions in television money. Like college football, the Olympics don’t pay their athletes.
But unlike college football, the Olympics allow their athletes to earn outside income.
Just remove the rule making outside income illegal, and look how many problems vanish. Nobody is hurt. The top athletes would earn an income commensurate with their importance and public appeal. It would all be clean and above board.
Half the problems plaguing college football removed in an instant. All that would remain are recruiting scandals.
bill
August 29th, 2011
8:10 pm
Hey And then the reality is….
I understand it and saw it first hand, as have many others. How about you?
Also, all I offered were a couple of suggestions, not a complete fix. It’s a complex problem, for sure.
Your quote “preserve the integrity of the amateur nature of college athletics” made me fall out of my chair, laughing! Good Lord, You really do need to open your eyes! This isn’t 1940!
Here’s the reality:
Between Bowl games, TV contracts, merchandising sales and wealthy alums,(among other items) everyone, especially the schools, are making an absolute killing EXCEPT for the actual players, who get paltry monthly stipends.
I’ve been in situations after games (I’m a former player) where a teammate couldn’t even take a date to a Pizza Hut because a large portion of their montly stipends went home to help with bills there.
No one’s fault, I know, but this athlete is sacrificing FOR THE SCHOOL and is barely getting laundry money.
A chance at “free” education is not enough for a lot of these players that are already busted up in their early 20’s, with barely marketable skills because they have been “passed through” in school because of their ability to stay eligible. To think that it is is to be 100% naive.
All I’m saying is, for the 98% that will NEVER sniff any kind of professional contract, who would it hurt to at least give these guys a rightful wage for services rendered?
Of course, there are a lot of “fans” who hate the NFL, but LOVE College Football because the game is purer! Nope, they just don’t like to see the players actually getting paid.
will
August 29th, 2011
8:14 pm
Dumb idea – the NCAA has made up some rules these rules are not laws of the US so why should taxpayers concern themselves with this? And forgive me if I missed it but the NCAA is not a minor league for the NFL (at least not on paper – we all know it really is). I would think that there could be a case made that any actions meted out by the NFL in relation to NCAA infractions would likely be litigated by the involved players and probably won by them. Anyone ever hear of Curt Flood and what he did for baseball – the NCAA needs a Curt Flood
.
Delbert D.
August 29th, 2011
8:15 pm
I got confused somewhere between “stippen” and “amature” in reading these posts.
Delbert D.
August 29th, 2011
8:21 pm
Drop the pretenses, Part 1: Require all schools to offer a Physical Education degree with no math, no English and no history requirements. Only classes that make you sweat, breathe hard and feel pain are required.
z
August 29th, 2011
9:07 pm
Really, Paul? You want to write you own Constitution and legal system? Figures, as sports in today’s society bears no resemblance to reality.
supsalemgr
August 29th, 2011
9:12 pm
We are talking about violation of NCAA rules and not laws. While I feel the players should be held accountable there are no laws now that address the issue. So we have circled back around to the schools. The coaches and the schools must be more diligent in their review of “active” supporters. Then lay down the law to players who are found to associate with these “scumbags” who seek vicarious pleasure through their access.
Charles Lindsley
August 29th, 2011
9:19 pm
Enter your comments here
dawgfan
August 29th, 2011
9:28 pm
The NFL has BIGGER FISH TO FRY than college cheaters.
Thanks. I’ll be here all week.
Charles Lindsley
August 29th, 2011
9:29 pm
Here is an idea: When these kids sign a letter of intent out of high school, also make them sign a contract stating that they will abide by the rules. The contract covers their years of eligibility. If later they’ve been found to have broken the rules while in college, they owe a fine to the college and the NCAA money depending on the severity of the infraction.
Also I think these student athletes do need some kind of stipend. The schools are making a ton of money from them. Make it a gradual allotment: $75 /month /freshmen and/or redshirt year; $100/month/sophomore year; $150/month/junior year and $200/month/senior year.
hind tit
August 29th, 2011
9:42 pm
Have it in writing when a player signs a letter of intent if a school gets punished for a player receiving gifts or money they will be held acountable for what the said school loses due to their stupidity. Also hand them a list, and make them sign it, what they can and cannot except. It time these people are punished instead of the school that don’t even know what’s going on. It’s time for other coaches to get on board with PJ.
kevdawg101
August 29th, 2011
9:50 pm
CPJ is right on!
Don't Care
August 29th, 2011
10:08 pm
@Charles,
Uh, these kids young men get a fully paid scholarship, tutors, room and board. I was on scholarship and it only paid for my matriculation and nothing more ( I had to work two jobs and had student loans). Please spare me the whole “millions of dollars” so atheletes should be paid BS.
They are STUDENT atheletes – if they don’t like it, get a job at McDonalds and wait about 3 years – then see how likely they are to sign those big contracts in the NFL.
sports
August 29th, 2011
11:10 pm
talk about a hypocrite…with what those yellow blowflys were trying to get away with, and now their on probation…AGAIN!
Winks
August 29th, 2011
11:28 pm
Enforceable? What’s to stop a program from suing a former player for causing the program harm? Civil suit. Who enforces that? Don’t need law enforcement to sue. If the player is still in school, it’s easy; suspend him or boot him outta school.
Nate ArchiBALL
August 30th, 2011
12:41 am
Aren’t NCAA athletic scholarships for one year only renewable each year by the school? If you don’t pan out athletically that scholarship is taken away. What are the rules on players having employment while on an athletic scholarship? Athletic dorms, athletic cafeterias……. Comparing student athletes to regular students is like comparing apples to oranges.
Tuesday morning buffet | Get The Picture
August 30th, 2011
6:58 am
[...] Paul Johnson thinks there ought to be a law that punishes college athletes for taking improper benefits, even after they’ve left college. (In related news, Paul Johnson is an asshat.) [...]
fine
August 30th, 2011
7:32 am
maybe if paul learned how to go for a fg or punt, tech could win more
Hal
August 30th, 2011
7:49 am
If they are not enrolled at the school the NCAA should not persue it. It’s a waste of time plus it’s not fair to the current players. In short they got away with it this time but we are watching you closely should be the result.(probation) That does not go for the the coaches who knew . The penalty should follow then to their next job.
tiger7_88
August 30th, 2011
8:24 am
How about we let punishments follow coaches around? So when Mr. Self Righteous Paul Johnson takes a new job, the penalties that Ga Tech is currently under follow him to his new school.
Wouldn’t that be fair, Paul Johnson?
Jazzyga
August 30th, 2011
8:51 am
I agree they should be made to pay their scholarship back with penalities. At the end of the day the players new to the program and coming to play for the colleges are the ones who suffer, not the player that took the money, cars and jewelry. Something needs to change; have them sign a NCAA contract stipulating the penalities if proven that they took gifts during college.
Denise
August 30th, 2011
9:25 am
I think the players who violated and who are now reaping big rewards in he NFL should repay their scholarship money to the University
JR
August 30th, 2011
9:52 am
why didn’t you put the ga boise game in the contest? instead you put these games with 30-40 point spreads against crap opponents like ok tulsa and chattanooga nebraska. and why not byu at ole miss and northwestern bs??? whoever picked the games for week 1 sucks
dawg tired
August 30th, 2011
9:59 am
Coach,
If your AD knew how to follow NCAA directions, you would still have an ACC title.
CWG
August 30th, 2011
10:07 am
It’s actually pretty simple. You put a stipulation in their LOI / scholarship that generally states that “If the student athelte is found to have received improper benefits and the finding results in loss of revenue by the school the athlete can be held responsible for financial losses of the school.”
So, USC could now go and get 10’s of millions from Reggie Bush b/c they are ineligible for bowl games and post season play costing that school millions. Bush could care less, he got his in college and is now getting it in the league. Had him and his family known that accepting a few hundred grand could cost them 10’s of millions they may have thought twice and lived in poverty for another 2-3 years.
superDawg
August 30th, 2011
10:18 am
gt is guilty of NCAA violations concerning academically ineligable athletes,hindering NCAA investigations and just down right cheating.I say heavy fines and whining are in order here.
Contractor
August 30th, 2011
10:19 am
I’m a Georgia fan, but I absolutely love the way Paul Johnson is. He is hard nosed, and a man that lives his life the right way. You don’t get the opportunity to coach at Navy if you don’t live by a higher standard and great character.
You legislate this by fining a player $100,000-$500,000 if they are subsequently found guilty on infractions and are playing in the NFL. Coach is exactly right that these guys skurt by on the punishment by going pro and not facing any punishment, while young 18 year old recruits pay the price. These guys could care less what is said about them, cause they are still signing endorsements and HUGE checks. Their egos are so big by that time anywhere that they’ll go out and spend $50,000 at the bar and laugh it off, spitting back in the face of the NCAA. You think Reggie Bush is all broken up about what happened to USC because of him, or if Terrel Pryor cares what’s going on at Ohio State? NO, they are sitting on the sideline learning new play books and signing on the dotted line making millions.
superDawg
August 30th, 2011
10:20 am
If you get caught make up excuses,that is the gt way.
macrotech
August 30th, 2011
10:32 am
And superDung has yelped…academically ineligible athletes? We haven’t played a game, yet. HOW is this possible?! OH! That’s right…I guess it could be put in the same category that the ncaa used against Tech when they got their feelings hurt. No student/athletes were found to be in the wrong, but…punish the institution anyway! As for cheating…care to clarify?
macrotech
August 30th, 2011
10:33 am
Contractor, you’re a Damn Good Dawg
HARRY from CANTON,OH.
August 30th, 2011
10:58 am
I think all who receive an ‘Athletic’ Scholarship Grant’ should be required to sign a legal and binding statement that if they disobey or break NCAA rules which results in a penalty to the player,team or school, and / or removal from the team, they be required to ‘pay back’ any and all scholarship monies and benefits received regardless of time frame involved.
macrotech
August 30th, 2011
10:59 am
Harry, I concur!
Dr. Phil
August 30th, 2011
11:10 am
If universities raised their admission standards for scholarship athletes to the admission level for regular students, these infractions would decline. Most of the players taking bribes have their eyes on the NFL and have no interest in the educational opportunity offered them. Banning coaches who cheat would help too.
Belcher
August 30th, 2011
11:20 am
CUT THE CRAP!! IT’S ALL ABOUT MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Johnson on Sims, Perkins and his first job | Georgia Tech
August 30th, 2011
11:23 am
[...] Here’s the link to the notebook, which has all the lineup changes and a few other notes. You also should read Jeff Schultz’s post about what Johnson said about how he would stop the rash of NCAA rules violations. [...]
dekalb fan
August 30th, 2011
11:25 am
The NCAA tries to legislate to much. Some situations they should leave alone. Let’s say that I am a business owner that also voluntarily coaches High School Football. A player I coach receives a scholarship, if I decide to help that kid out it is a violation. That is ridicolous because I have known the kid since High School and have a prior relationship with him. If I become a season ticket holder so I can watch the kid play his home college games, I then become a Booster and he can’t communicate with me. That is absurd. NCAA let the kids play and authorize a stipend. As long as there are fans, the athletes are going to benefit.
Dirty Dawg
August 30th, 2011
11:39 am
I don’t know if ‘radlydawg’ is one of us or not, but he’s absolutely right about Coach Johnson and that ‘jarvis’ guy. There has to be consequences (to borrow a term from Allen Harper, ‘Dire consequences.’) for bad behavior…and whoever said anything about involving Congress – at least I didn’t see that and don’t believe it’s necessary.
What about clauses in their athletic scholarship agreements? Something to the effect that if you ‘transgress’ in certain areas you pay the price, and that includes accepting illegal ‘gifts’…and that it should include a ’statute of limitations’ of say seven years so that if something comes to light later, they still are on the hook.
Another thing I’ve felt is needed…that when student athletes are dismissed from a member NCAA, or at the least a Conference, institution for cause – say like theft, or cheating, or sexual assault, or something – that said miscreant ‘not’ be allowed to enroll in another member institution for, at a minimum, two years. This business of being a sorry, no-account, lout and gettin’ kicked to the curb for crappy behavior…then being able to ‘play around’ for a quarter or two at some JC then get recruited, and maybe paid, to enroll someplace just as big and high-profile (and maybe even win a NC or a Heisman), is no punishment at all. In fact, it’s an easy way out for some and it should be discouraged…in the extreme – and that means you too Mettenberger.
D.J. Mase
August 30th, 2011
2:30 pm
Hard for the staff to watch 80 guys…Time is occupied a lot during the season, but they can’t keep up with everybody…If ur not on first or second string, they may not know u exist….. I didn’t really know my college coach til 2 qb’s went down in the same game….. When the oc called my name to go in as a true freshmen, . coach could only call me ” hey son”.
A person
August 30th, 2011
4:07 pm
The NCAA rightfully has no enforcement power (outside of altering records from when they were in college) once the athlete leaves the college. You can argue that the school lost money on this, but that’s between the school and the player, and the school can bring a suit for lost revenue, but the NCAA doesn’t lose money here. The NCAA has no legal power over someone not at a university, they only regulate amateur sports by college players. The NFL has no business regulating what their professional players have done in the past, they are people playing football to make a living under the NFL rules for professional players, not amateur players playing just for the fun of it while they work for their college degree.
You can argue that it’s not fair to punish incoming freshmen for the actions of those who have left, but nothing is making the NCAA do that, they are choosing to. They regulate college amateur sports, not people who make a living with their trade. You can also argue that it seems like they are getting a free pass if they leave and join the NFL, but guess what, if I get kicked out of college as a computer science major, and Microsoft decides to hire me, that is between me and my new employer, my school can’t block the hiring saying “but he didn’t pass our requirements.” Sure it would be harder for me to get hired, but if by chance I do, then there is nothing wrong with that. Similarly, if the NFL (an employer), wants to hire a student that their college didn’t want, more power to them, why should a college, or college association, have any say in that?
LATRELL
August 30th, 2011
4:50 pm
if this shapiro guy was handing out weekly pay checks to these players i could understand the uproar but being invited to a party, and how much money are we talking? does any of these natural born haters really know? if there were prostitutes they should be in jail too..i don’t hear this uproar against the LSU players that were in ARRESTED and CHARGED!!!..It’s all about the U
ptjackets
August 30th, 2011
5:30 pm
Why can’t the school sue in civil court for damages? I mean If a kid hurt a school and the school knew nothing about it why can’t the school sue the kid after they get in the NFL? Now of course it won’t work if the school was on the take as well. Just a thought!
superDawg
August 30th, 2011
5:40 pm
macriod does 17 ring a bell with your beehind.It was not an oversight on behalf of your tek staff it was down right hide and seek.
geb4l1fe
August 30th, 2011
5:57 pm
First, they need to go after coaches and administrators retroactively. There are coaches and administrators involved in many of these cases that have moved on and are serving in a similar capacity elsewhere. Key difference is that they still fall under the “jurisdiction” of the NCAA unlike former student athletes who no longer have any dealings with the NCAA. Reaching out and punishing NFL players would just perpetuate the myth that NCAA is just a free minor league for the NFL. On that note, what punishment is levied on the former student athlete that is now a manager at Office Max? Or do we just want to punish those who are doing better than we are? Also, I do not think that increased stipends or any other kind of increased compensation will solve this issue. The prevailing issue is not under-privileged kids trying to make ends meet. Many of these guys are just trying to get what may or may not be coming to them early.
TJ
August 30th, 2011
7:20 pm
I’m all for having athletes agree to pay back their scholarships if they accept extra benefits. This is a contract between them and the school. Simple accountability. At least they know what they will owe should they be caught.
Dawg fan backs Tech
August 30th, 2011
7:32 pm
Amen coach. I bleed red and black but your position is the gospel brother!
MAC. TECH FAN
August 30th, 2011
7:54 pm
Have all athletes sign a sworn statement with consequencies of violatios.
FullMetalJacket
August 30th, 2011
7:58 pm
Coach Johnson is right on track. And paying players isn’t the answer. Pryor and company weren’t taking hamburger money or movie tickets or even free formula for their babymomma’s kids, they are buying tattoos, driving sports cars, wearing $1000 suits and bling, and generally acting like the spoiled “soon to be rich” kids that they are. Punish the perpetrators, which includes the source of the money and the recipients. And either get the NFL on board or refuse the NFL any access or connection to the NCAA (neither will happen.)
FullMetalJacket
August 30th, 2011
8:03 pm
And it is completely ludicrous that the college “exploits” the players. They get scholarships, which are worth as much education as the player is willing to get, and just like the regular kids on scholarships, they have to maintain certain standards to keep those scholarships. Also, as any academic knows, if a kid on scholarship (or especially grad students on fellowships) discover a new process or create a profitable product during the course of their scholarship, then THE SCHOOL gets all the proceeds for that! Just like when a player or team make the school big bucks for playing a game well.