OT: NCAA Rules OpEd Note

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I know everyone here likes an NCAA hypocrisy story.  From my Sunday New Haven Register from Sports Columnist Dave Soloman on a story in regards to Yale graduating Senior Mike McLeod.

"Saturday's Dan Orlovsky Foundation/Walter Camp Breakfast of Champions was a perfect illustration of the hypocrisy of the NCAA.  The sponsors thought Yale running back Mike McLeod would be a perfect guest speaker for the six (Connecticut) state football champions, player of the year and coach of the year.  But McLeod had to pull out when it was discovered that speaking to high school atheletes would constitute an NCAA violation.  Yet the 54 major college football teams can go to bowl games and be handed iPods, GPS Systems, watches, DVD players, Nintendo Wii systems, sunglasses, etc., etc. and that's all well and good with the NCAA."

[Tribby]

I know everyone here likes an NCAA hypocrisy story.  From my Sunday New Haven Register from Sports Columnist Dave Soloman on a story in regards to Yale graduating Senior Mike McLeod.

"Saturday's Dan Orlovsky Foundation/Walter Camp Breakfast of Champions was a perfect illustration of the hypocrisy of the NCAA.  The sponsors thought Yale running back Mike McLeod would be a perfect guest speaker for the six (Connecticut) state football champions, player of the year and coach of the year.  But McLeod had to pull out when it was discovered that speaking to high school atheletes would constitute an NCAA violation.  Yet the 54 major college football teams can go to bowl games and be handed iPods, GPS Systems, watches, DVD players, Nintendo Wii systems, sunglasses, etc., etc. and that's all well and good with the NCAA."

I'm not sure this is "hypocrisy" so much as a stupid interpretation of the rules. Presumably, the NCAA has rules governing the interaction of college athletes with high school athletes, just as it governs all aspects of recruiting. Certainly, this instance wasn't about recruiting but about honoring good student athletes. So it's a poor interpretation, but I don't see what it has to do with getting corporate gifts ...