DeSousa Out This year and next
- Thread starter Macloney
- Start date
The NCAA may start to flex their *balls* and do something. Unfortunately, they don't enforce equally, as per MizzU - UNC academic scandals, but at least they might go after one of the Blue Bloods.
The NCAA’s punishment of De Sousa could be just the beginning for Kansas
https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sam-mellinger/article226031420.html
"....
The bigger story here, though, is that many in and around college sports believe this is merely the first step in a bigger play against the Kansas men’s basketball program and Hall of Fame coach Bill Self.
De Sousa, in that way, may simply be collateral damage in a bigger power move.
“Right or wrong, there’s been smoke (around KU basketball) but they haven’t been able to get anything to stick. The FBI and the (Adidas) trial ... this is their best chance. That’s what I see.”
Notably, there is at least some optimism inside KU’s program that an appeal on De Sousa’s case could be successful...."
The NCAA’s punishment of De Sousa could be just the beginning for Kansas
https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sam-mellinger/article226031420.html
"....
The bigger story here, though, is that many in and around college sports believe this is merely the first step in a bigger play against the Kansas men’s basketball program and Hall of Fame coach Bill Self.
De Sousa, in that way, may simply be collateral damage in a bigger power move.
“Right or wrong, there’s been smoke (around KU basketball) but they haven’t been able to get anything to stick. The FBI and the (Adidas) trial ... this is their best chance. That’s what I see.”
Notably, there is at least some optimism inside KU’s program that an appeal on De Sousa’s case could be successful...."
This Ku/Adidas-like cheating doesn't stop until the schools (along with players) are punished for their actions. Vacate all the wins and championships in which DeSousa took part. Put Ku on NCAA, scholarship, and TV probation for a year, and it may end. Otherwise, nothing changes. Loons in Ku's fanbase today say: "F.... the NCAA, play Silvio." Missouri fans rant: "Break from the NCAA and form a P5 association." And their administrations support those responses. That's the kind of mindsets that have to be hammered institutionally.
PS: There's a paywall on reading your KCStar piece.
PS: There's a paywall on reading your KCStar piece.
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opps - I was able to open the article. Here's more:
"
The case centers around former Adidas representative T.J. Gassnola’s testimony that he paid $2,500 to De Sousa’s guardian. The NCAA specified that KU must declare Gassnola as a booster before a reinstatement case is heard.
It’s a critical distinction, because booster behavior triggers stiffer penalties. But Josephine Potuto, a Nebraska law professor and former chair of the NCAA infractions committee, said that KU could classify Gassnola as a booster for the sake of the appeal and decide to change later.
The appeal would be heard by people from universities and conferences, not NCAA staff. The argument from KU and De Sousa would be that the guideline leading to the punishment is unfair, or has been misapplied.
The general hope is that the suspension would be reduced and De Sousa made eligible for next season. Scott Tompsett, De Sousa’s lawyer, was more direct when discussing the appeal.
“The NCAA still has an opportunity to do the right thing for Silvio,” he said. “They should take it.”
NCAA enforcement is seen by many as a swinging pendulum, affected by recent cases, public opinion and self-worth. In separate conversations, three different sources who work in college athletics drew a connection between the punishments against De Sousa and Mizzou.
Mizzou was given a one-year bowl ban, recruiting restrictions, and a substantial fine among other punishments after it was discovered that a tutor completed some course work for 12 athletes. Mizzou was not found to have known about or encouraged the violations, and
cooperated fully with the investigation.
North Carolina is seen by many to have “gotten away with” an academic scandal that spanned more than a decade, and the details that came out in the Adidas trial embarrassed the NCAA.
Here comes the pendulum, then, swinging back toward the side of overly harsh punishments — Mizzou and Kansas are the first to pay. Again, that’s the perception from some.
“What seems to be occurring is a knee-jerk reaction to the FBI investigation,” Jackson said. “In an effort to quote ‘clean up college basketball,’ you essentially have an overreaction by the eligibility center staff, by the enforcement staff. They’ve lost perspective.
“Because how can you in good conscience take a player off the floor for two years who, according to everyone, had no knowledge and did not benefit in any way from what allegedly occurred?”
While Potuto said that labeling Gassnola as a booster would be a reversible decision and necessity to get the case going, Jackson saw it as potentially part of the groundwork for a bigger
"
The case centers around former Adidas representative T.J. Gassnola’s testimony that he paid $2,500 to De Sousa’s guardian. The NCAA specified that KU must declare Gassnola as a booster before a reinstatement case is heard.
It’s a critical distinction, because booster behavior triggers stiffer penalties. But Josephine Potuto, a Nebraska law professor and former chair of the NCAA infractions committee, said that KU could classify Gassnola as a booster for the sake of the appeal and decide to change later.
The appeal would be heard by people from universities and conferences, not NCAA staff. The argument from KU and De Sousa would be that the guideline leading to the punishment is unfair, or has been misapplied.
The general hope is that the suspension would be reduced and De Sousa made eligible for next season. Scott Tompsett, De Sousa’s lawyer, was more direct when discussing the appeal.
“The NCAA still has an opportunity to do the right thing for Silvio,” he said. “They should take it.”
NCAA enforcement is seen by many as a swinging pendulum, affected by recent cases, public opinion and self-worth. In separate conversations, three different sources who work in college athletics drew a connection between the punishments against De Sousa and Mizzou.
Mizzou was given a one-year bowl ban, recruiting restrictions, and a substantial fine among other punishments after it was discovered that a tutor completed some course work for 12 athletes. Mizzou was not found to have known about or encouraged the violations, and
cooperated fully with the investigation.
North Carolina is seen by many to have “gotten away with” an academic scandal that spanned more than a decade, and the details that came out in the Adidas trial embarrassed the NCAA.
Here comes the pendulum, then, swinging back toward the side of overly harsh punishments — Mizzou and Kansas are the first to pay. Again, that’s the perception from some.
“What seems to be occurring is a knee-jerk reaction to the FBI investigation,” Jackson said. “In an effort to quote ‘clean up college basketball,’ you essentially have an overreaction by the eligibility center staff, by the enforcement staff. They’ve lost perspective.
“Because how can you in good conscience take a player off the floor for two years who, according to everyone, had no knowledge and did not benefit in any way from what allegedly occurred?”
While Potuto said that labeling Gassnola as a booster would be a reversible decision and necessity to get the case going, Jackson saw it as potentially part of the groundwork for a bigger
Go2, thanks for the cut and paste. It's down to lawyerly debate now before a non-court of academic types. That has to favor Ku.
