The NCAA has had their share of debacles in the past. But what happened with the Charleston Southern University football team is a joke.
The NCAA suspended 32 Charleston Southern football players for spending financial aid intended on textbooks on other items, according to insidehighered.com. Fourteen of the players sat out the game at Florida State on Sept. 10.
The players spent the extra money they had on "terrible things," like notebooks and pencils. It wasn't even their idea either. A worker at the bookstore recommended that they get those other things with the extra money, so they wouldn't have to pay for those things out of their own pocket.
Imagine having to tell your friends and family that you can't play in the biggest and coolest stadium that you will ever play in because you bought pens and pencils? Personally, I would be bitter forever.
Playing against a team as good as Florida State is also a good chance for players to get potential NFL exposure. If a senior has a great game, NFL scouts could take notice and watch that player closely the rest of the season. But, the NCAA doesn't seem to care about that.
They care more about their image than they do about the players. They care more about making examples of programs like Charleston Southern to make a point. If this was Alabama, I doubt there are many suspensions.
I respect the NCAA for having rules, but you have to look at the big picture. Technically that financial aid money is only for textbooks. The players used it for things like notebooks. So yeah the rule was broken.
However, the players did not do anything bad. If they spent the money on something like a laptop, that is different. Buying things like notebooks and pencils is completely harmless. The NCAA should look at every situation differently.
In the end, the biggest losers out of this whole thing are the players. They were going to lose to Florida State no matter what. That doesn't mean the experience playing in Tallahassee and against a few future NFL players would not be great.
Every athlete wants to compete against the best. The NCAA, apparently, just did not feel the same.
Mike Smith is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. What is your opinion on this dispute? Let Mike know by emailing him at ms983012@ohio.edu.
