NCAA sanctions are nothing to joke about.
In the past 12 months we’ve watched Ohio State and the University of Miami face very dear consequences.
It’s now, unfortunately, our turn.
The allegations are real, and they are to not be taken lightly. Yet, the allegations presented by the NCAA Monday are far from a guilty verdict.
Hearings must still be held, and explanations will undoubtably be offered. While we’d like to say that we have the answers, we unfortunately don’t yet.
Regardless what happens, there is no doubt this is a black eye for the university.
If the allegations are true, student-athletes accepted more than $47,000 in impermissible benefits without university officials monitoring conduct.
Two rogue boosters ran wild, and while USC officials knew about the conduct, they didn’t do much to stop it or report the misgivings to the authorities that be.
These are not the kind of allegations that typically doom a program, but they are somewhat damning nonetheless.
You never want to be in the news for any potential wrongdoing.
Just the fact that allegations were handed down only further raises eyebrows about what recruiting practices we are and aren’t participating in.
This is only one side of the story. We’ve yet to hear what reasoning the university will provide, if any. This is a long and time-consuming process; don’t look for a resolution or verdict anytime soon.
For now, we’ll reserve our judgment until a later date, but no matter the result, we can’t help but feel the university just took a jarring blow straight to the face.