The Dark Stroup Rises

“Sending a Message” Could Unravel the NCAA

Guest post by Robert “Stroupinator” Stroup

[Editor’s note: in his continuing campaign to put me out of a job, Robert “Stroupinator” Stroup sends along a post today about NCAA justice and the concept of “sending a message.”]

This isn’t about Will Lyles.  In my opinion, he’s a victim, not a suspect, and as such, he’s not worth my time.  Instead, this thought – which I’ve been thinking for quite some time – is about the immediate future.  Something is going to come of this.  What it is, no one seems to know.  But for good reasons, everyone fears the worst, even given the confidence of a head coach.

For weeks, all anyone has heard is “the NCAA wants to send a message.”  And Oregon fans, seeing Washington and USC in their rearview mirror, immediately fight against those words.  They should.  This is not the first time a major program out west has been under investigation.  And as both USC and Washington were seemingly dismantled after sanctions, if history repeats, Oregon will be dismantled too.

The problem with that “message,” however, is the following set of words:

“We need some meaningful change, not incremental change.”

That was Larry Scott, some six days ago, talking about the NCAA.  It’s a loaded sentence.  In it, he’s advocated that the NCAA should endeavor for swift reform of college football and subconsciously warned that if it doesn’t happen, the Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12 may take the reigns themselves.

It is possible to reason that Scott has said, in those eight words, whacking Oregon does nothing for the NCAA.  And he would be right.  That is not to say that Oregon isn’t deserving of some repercussions: what Oregon did was highly questionable.  But if the NCAA wants complete reform, they would best be served by addressing the big dogs of college football down South rather than the small dogs in the West.  As Jerry Tarkanian once said, “The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky, they put Cleveland State on probation.” 

With all that’s happened, it’s time to whack Kentucky. 

 And whereas equating Cleveland State to USC, Oregon and Washington seems far-fetched, it’s equally as far-fetched to think the Pac-12 is the hotbed of corruption.  Only Bryan Fischer thinks that.  And everyone else sort of knows where that is, and it’s not in stadiums that only fill up a part of their stadium part of the time.   Instead, go to any website championing five straight national titles under a rigged playoff system.  That should at least give you a clue. 

 In short, it’s time for the NCAA charlatans to stop being useless, wake up from under their rock and figure it out.  It’s not that hard to see what’s in plain sight.  And as for Georgia?  Well, they had their chances EC Dawg.