NCAA president wants efficiency in probes, policies
Although it may have always been present, the recent rash of NCAA investigations have opened a lot of people’s eyes to the scandal, dishonesty, and corruption that can, at times, undermine college athletics. And that’s fine for NCAA president Mark Emmert,
as long as those investigations are conducted with fairness and accuracy for all involved.
According a recent report released by the Associated Press on Friday 19 November, Emmert supports the pace at which some of the various allegations around college sports are being looked into and handled, so long as efficiency and truth aren’t subsequent casualties
of haste.
“I want our people to be as efficient and expedited in the way they manage these things as possible, but at the same time, you’ve got to get the facts right,” Emmert said Friday while taping a program for the Big Ten Network. “The burden of proof is higher
than what it is for somebody who’s writing in a blog.”
“You can write in a blog that, ‘Gee, I think everyone knows that if there’s smoke, there’s fire.’ Well, that’s a great thing to say,” he continued. “But we have a burden of proof to demonstrate what are the real facts before we take to an infractions committee,
a recommendation that says, ‘We think this has happened.’”
Although Emmert did not specifically allude to the ongoing investigation into whether or not the Auburn Tigers’ Heisman Trophy candidate, Cam Newton, received improper benefits, many of his comments were pertinent to the quarterback’s case.
“You’re dealing with young people’s careers and education. You’re dealing with institutional reputations,” Emmert said. “You’re dealing with a process that is, by its very nature, complicated.”
Furthermore, Emmert asserted that the NCAA’s toughest task might be the very enforcement of its policies because the governing body doesn’t hold the power to subpoena and, thus, “can’t compel anyone to testify” in the instance of alleged wrongdoing.
In what may have been his strongest point, Emmert illustrated the disparity between students and student-athletes with a simple analogy, suggesting that a regular student who studies architecture has the distinct advantage of seeking a summer internship in
their field.
“But if a student comes to us and says, ‘I want to be a professional athlete,’ we immediately say, ‘Well, you can’t talk to anybody in that profession.’ I’m not sure that makes a lot of sense,” Emmert concluded.
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