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Commentary: NCAA gets it almost right

By RON COLBERT, UPI Sports Managing Editor
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- For once, the NCAA, which is famous for instituting bone-headed, overly strict penalties, got it right.

The NCAA, the so-called governing arm of collegiate athletics, has lifted the postseason ban on the men's basketball program at the University of Michigan. Based upon why the ban was in place at all, it was ludicrous anyway.

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There had been a seven-year investigation of former booster Ed Martin, who admitted to having paid large amounts of money in the 1990s to players in the program.

"This is one of the most egregious violations of NCAA laws in the history of the organization," Thomas Yeager, chairman of the NCAA Committee on Infractions, said at the time the ban was put into effect.

Michigan officials conceded guilt regarding Martin on Nov. 7, 2002, and announced several self-imposed penalties. Martin, who told investigators he paid former basketball players about $616,000, died of a heart attack in February.

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But Martin's indiscretions occurred 10 years ago, when the team's current players hadn't even reached puberty. The university appealed the ban, saying an additional year of a postseason ban would be excessively burdensome on current players who had no dealings with Martin and the former players.

And the committee had the nerve to issue some self-serving statement about how there had been a "unique level of cooperation" in the investigation process.

Even though the ban had been lifted, the school is still being penalized. It will lose four scholarships over a four-year period and serve four years of probation ending in November 2006.

Why?

Based upon the actions of school president Mary Sue Coleman, UM already had paid a steep price. Coleman announced self-imposed penalties, including two years of NCAA probation, returning $442,000 in NCAA tournament money, a one-year ban from postseason play, the forfeiture of 114 games including two Final Fours, and the removal of four championship banners from Crisler Arena.

The fact that the NCAA left the other penalties in place after the ban was lifted was, I think, piling on. To make matters worse, the committee canceled a scheduled teleconference to explain its decision. According to the Detroit Free Press, the committee "concluded that it is not appropriate to hold teleconferences, or to respond to media questions, regarding its decisions."

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That's like your parents telling you that they don't have to explain their actions to you even though they've blamed and punished you for something you didn't do.

Of course, there was surprise and relief in Ann Arbor as the team and coaches gathered together at Crisler Arena to hear the news.

"I was just shocked," co-captain J.C. Mathis told the paper. "I wasn't really too optimistic that the (two-year ban) would be overturned."

"Everyone was screaming and hugging," said senior Bernard Robinson Jr. "I haven't stopped smiling. Now we've added one more goal and it's very realistic: make the NCAA Tournament."

"I am thrilled for the young men on our team, and I believe they truly deserve this opportunity," said Coach Tom Amaker. "We all remain excited about the upcoming season and truly look forward to the challenges that lie ahead."

That's as it should be.

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