It doesn't look like the Georgia Men's Basketball team will see New Orleans this year, unless the players made it down to Mardi Gras last week to booze on Bourbon Street. And it turns out they might as well have.
In a despicable attempt to save face, the university withdrew the team from both the SEC and NCAA tournaments in the wake of academic fraud charges against two starting players.
Georgia's actions represent the latest chapter in a disgusting trend by major athletic programs: sacrificing players on the altar of school prosperity. The prevalent notion is that by saying they're really, really sorry, a school can lessen the sanctions and prevent action that could destroy a program's competitive prospects.
While the idea of self-discipline is nice in theory, the application has dismally failed to encourage fair play, and what's worse, has allowed many universities to save their own asses at the direct expense of the players'.
The situation in Georgia is a perfect example. Investigations show that two Bulldog starters may have been involved in academic fraud(a.k.a. receiving A's in a "class" taught by the head coach's son, a class they may not have "attended").
The school, bastion of academic integrity that it is, took quick action by declaring the team's season over. No postseason showcase of prospective NBA talent, no farewell to departing seniors, and no chance to capitalize on a stellar season that earned the Dawgs a Top 25 ranking.
Let me clarify that it was two members of the team taking advantages surely offered to all players, unless of course Harrick, Jr.'s class is so popular that those poor athletes couldn't get in.
This is in no way the responsibility of the entire team, and should certainly not bludgeon a season of hard work and dedication. Harrick, Jr. didn't pencil the Dawgs in for an AP No. 21 ranking. That was the work of the team.
Clearly the real guilty party here is the guy-behind-the-guy. Yet if Georgia is lucky, the NCAA will pull its punch (as it has before to teams who have "seen the light"). The athletics backers in their seersucker suits will go on circulating thousands of dollars through a dirty system built to generate financial success for the university and prestige for all involved.
But what about the players? The guys who are really getting screwed had nothing to with the offense, but will bear the load of the consequence. But hey, who ever said this was about the students and the players?
Georgia students and team members protested today, but to no avail. A judge turned down their appeal, and there is no indication that the administration or the NCAA will step in.
While it appears too late for Georgia's season, it is not too late for the NCAA to right its listing ship, and clarify for athletic programs that cheating still results in serious consequences. Tearing down championship banners of old and screwing over current players should not cut it from now on. A good start would be penciling "Nice Try" in the margin of Georgia's forthcoming letter of suspension.
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