Quote Originally Posted by SmoothPancakes View Post
I'm guessing he's talking more about the high school kids, juniors and seniors. They see all this stuff going on and then they basically emulate it when they get to college. And I still totally disagree. You damn well can blame them for "following like fools". If they're that stupid to ignore all the trouble others are getting into and all the compliance seminars and orientations that athletes go through, then they damn well are to blame the most, if not completely. To lay the blame on the coaches and the administration, but not put a big amount of blame on the athletes as well, does nothing but facilitate this behavior.

If athletes want to keep doing this shit, boom, your ass is gone for the season, if not for good. Take Pryor for instance, he absolutely deserves to be kicked off the team and I hope he is. If he was anything younger than a senior, I'd say kick his ass off forever and not let him come back at all, even if he were to sit out an entire season or two. Hell, if I was Pryor, I wouldn't want to come back at all either. The entire Buckeye team is supremely pissed off at you right now for all the shit you have brought upon the team and the school, between Tressel resigning/getting run out, and the hell that is gonna be brought down upon Ohio State by the NCAA in the future.

If the NCAA and the administrations really want to get the point across to players to stop doing this crap, they need to put in a policy of "you get caught, you permanently lose your entire eligibility regardless", whether you're a senior or a freshman. None of this being suspended for a year or something like has been seen with some other players in the past. If you're willing to risk your entire college eligibility, well either you're a dumbass or more power to you. But it'll make some players think REAL DAMN HARD in the future if they want to take that chance.

If they really want to stop it give the players more of an incentive than a scholarship. They cant even get jobs to earn money due to practices and other BS NCAA rules. If I played football I would accept loaded handshakes as well, I was broke in college and I was able to work, so I can only imagine what they can/cant afford not being able to work, Pryor accepting cars and the like was just stupid and arrogant but you cant honestly believe that a scholarship is worth all the money they bring in for he schools?

The NCAA is nothing short of a pimp on these kids.