College football violations: Is the Price of Winning Costing the Game?

Bruce Pearl, Reggie Bush, Cam Newton, Terrelle Pryor, all names involved with NCAA scandals. College athletic violations infiltrate the news on a regular basis. The most recent involving the man who made the sweater vest cool again, Ohio State head football Coach Jim Tressel. Tressel is the latest in a long line of violators, whether it be coaches or student-athletes.

Allegedly Tressel had knowledge of player violations and didn't disclose the information (in his news conference he didn't admit to any specifics). Then there's the issue of allowing the players in question to participate in this year's Sugar Bowl. Some felt the player's suspension should include the bowl game. Pryor and the others participated anyway and the Buckeyes finally recorded their first bowl win over an SEC opponent.

So here's the question, is it too hard to do the right thing? Contrary to popular belief it is not impossible. Take for instance BYU basketball player Brandon Davies, a young man who wasn't violating NCAA rules, but his own school honor code. It appears he turned himself in, with his school THIS close to a potential #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

He didn't wait for the news to break on Facebook, Twitter, or other media outlets, and we never saw him shirking responsibility. Instead he sat on the bench, supported the team and cut down the nets while in street clothes. Whether you agree with the BYU honor code or not, you have to admit that the school is not hypocritical, they practice what they preach regardless of the accolades on the line.

Even the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant chose integrity over potential victory when he benched superstar Joe Namath for the final two games of 1963. It wasn't a popular decision at the time, but Namath broke the rules.

Bryant showed more interest in teaching this young man character than in winning. He said, "I believe if you have rules, you abide by them. You can't make exceptions,"(Barra, 2005). Later, after admitting he deserved the consequences handed to him, Namath praised Bryant in saying he was "not only the smartest coach I ever knew, but the man who taught me the meaning of integrity."

Today's coaches and players would be wise to take a page out of Bryant's playbook.

Barra, A. (2005). The last coach: A life of Paul "Bear" Bryant. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company.