Again college athletes made news today…but they weren’t out doing service projects or donating to the poor like everyone expects. A study done by Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports revealed some very surprising findings. The people at SI and CBS did a background check on every player on the roster of the top 25 teams in college football. Since we always hear about how athletes are such upstanding citizens and all around great people, it was surprising to hear that 7% of the players sampled had criminal records. If I were to guess, I wouldn’t think any of those guys would be involved in that kind of stuff! We never hear of an athlete in trouble with the law.
The article went on to report that most of these coaches do not perform any sort of background check on recruits. Since that last paragraph is a load of BS, I think it’s high time to start them. According to the article, players come in to a program with charges ranging from assault and battery to sex crimes. Many of these players have multiple arrests. The funny thing is that many coaches don’t even know it. There were two programs that ran background checks of their recruits and those that don’t gave reasons as to why they don’t. They reasoned that they could get the necessary information from coaches and from interviews. Well obviously they don’t have the right questions. “Have you ever been arrested?” would be a good start.
I don’t believe these background checks should be the determining factor however. They could serve as a single factor in the recruiting equation. Coaches should make it a priority to get to know each and every player at a personal level. Not just athletic ability. Coaches need to find players’ true character.
I’m not saying that any athlete with a record should never be allowed to play. I’m not trying to judge, as I haven’t been a perfect citizen either. There are several success stories of players who turn their life around after going to college. Everyone makes mistakes; it’s those that learn from them that are truly successful. I am a firm believer in second chances and everyone should get one but it’s getting out of hand.
Taken straight from the NCAA website:
The Association – through its member institutions, conferences and national office staff – shares a belief in and commitment to:
• The collegiate model of athletics in which students participate as an avocation, balancing their academic, social and athletics experiences.
• The highest levels of integrity and sportsmanship.
• The pursuit of excellence in both academics and athletics.
• The supporting role that intercollegiate athletics plays in the higher education mission and in enhancing the sense of community and strengthening the identity of member institutions.
• An inclusive culture that fosters equitable participation for student-athletes and career opportunities for coaches and administrators from diverse backgrounds.
• Respect for institutional autonomy and philosophical differences.
• Presidential leadership of intercollegiate athletics at the campus, conference and national levels.
I don’t think the results of this report bring a positive light to the NCAA. They aren’t recruiting according to these standards. They are more concerned about athletic ability and if the player will help them on the field. Coaches are evaluated by their wins and losses-not by the percent of players that graduate.
Again, I don’t believe background checks will solve everything, but I think it will be a step in the right direction. They need to have more guidelines on who should be recruited to play. They need to get at the true character of the player. Who knows, maybe some day ESPN won’t be flooded with allegations and court cases.
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