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Florida State Shows a Lack of (Music) Appreciation for the NCAA
Over the past several months, Florida State University has been preparing to face the music in its latest athletic scandal. Now that the NCAA has made its ruling, FSU officials don’t seem to appreciate the tune. However, there is little doubt that many FSU athletes, with the proper academic counseling, could name that tune, although it might take more than three notes.
In late March of 2007, the story of academic fraud involving athletes and the Department of Athletic Academic Support Services (AASS) began to surface. The initial alarm came when a student athlete came forward and admitted that at the direction of a learning specialist in AASS, he took an online quiz for another athlete, and the learning specialist provided the answers to the quiz.
From here, the information moved up the chain of command on the academic side of the university, over to the athletic side of the university, up to the athletic director, and finally to the president’s office. As FSU’s internal investigation proceeded, it became apparent that this was not an isolated case. Many athletes had been provided answers to quizzes. Some had papers written for them in the online course, “Music of World Cultures.”
By mid-summer, 23 athletes with eligibility remaining were caught up in the fraud, and it was determined that each of them should lose 30 percent of their remaining athletic eligibility. At the end of 2007, the athletic director’s contract was not renewed, and three of his assistants had resigned. Several tutors and employees of AASS were also gone.
In February of 2008, FSU sent its investigative report to the NCAA, noting that FSU had taken putative actions on the case, placed the athletic department on two years probation, and reduced some scholarships in several sports. At this point, the NCAA took up the investigation.
Two weeks ago, the NCAA announced its findings: An academic advisor, a learning specialist, and a tutor had, over the course of three years, advised 61 athletes — 25 of them football players — to cheat in an online course. FSU will lose six scholarships in football over a three-year period, and the athletic program has been put on four years probation.
The university must now determine how many of the offending athletes in several sports participated in competition. When that is determined, any victories won will be vacated.
When you look at these penalties, they are remarkably mild. There is no loss of TV revenue, no loss of post-season competition. The loss of scholarships is minimal. This is a case that the NCAA termed “egregious,” “extremely serious,” and “intentional.” The violations were characterized as “widespread academic fraud perpetuated purposefully” by three AASS staff members.
If an ineligible player is used in an athletic competition, what is the standard penalty? In all cases I can think of, any win is changed to a loss. The “vacating” of the wins at FSU affects football, track and other sports. This could impact FSU’s national championships in track in 2006 and 2007. It could also involve as many as 14 wins by the FSU football team.
So what would you expect is the most talked about aspect of this entire affair? Are people at FSU, in Tallahassee, in Florida, outraged by this massive case of fraud? Have educational and state political leaders denounced the outrageous behavior that went on at FSU? The answer of course is a simple, but very loud, “No.”
What people are outraged about here in the Sunshine State is that the FSU football coach, Bobby Bowden, “Saint Bobby,” may lose as many as 14 wins — which means that Bowden’s quest to become the winningest coach in college football will go down the drain. At present, Saint Bobby is one game behind Saint Joseph, the Penn State octogenarian football coach. The two of them seem to be in some sort of death march to determine the winner. Over the past few years, it appeared that the one who lived longest would win this contest, with Bowden, 79, holding an actuarial edge. The NCAA has changed all that.
So the cry goes forth: “How could the NCAA do this to Bobby Bowden?” Of course, the NCAA is not doing this to Bobby Bowden, they are doing it to Florida State University, and there is no doubt FSU deserves what it is getting, and then some.
But Bobby didn’t know what was going on, the apologists say. Head coaches often don’t know, and that deniability is usually by design. In Bowden’s case, he probably didn’t know, as he seems to have become disconnected from the day-to-day football operations. His major functions seem to be appearing at alumni and booster golf tournaments, while giving interviews filled with folksy sound bites.
Two decades or so ago, FSU football was quite competitive nationally and could be found in the top 20 and even the top 10 rankings, but not quite at the top. At some point, FSU made the jump to the next level and consistently was among the top five teams in the nation. One of the changes associated with that jump was a lowering of admissions obstacles for very talented football students.
Unfortunately, when academically marginal students are admitted to a university, it becomes necessary to find courses they can pass. In addition, they must be provided with considerable academic support. The pressures in these high-powered programs are felt in the athletic department, but also throughout the university — especially in the academic support systems whose major task is to keep the athletes eligible.
FSU is not the first big time program to fall in front of this pressure, nor will it be the last. As long as the university is an appendage of the athletic/entertainment sector on campus, this will be case.
When caught, they must face the music, no matter whose ambitions are derailed.
*Lest anyone think these remarks come from someone at the University of Florida, let me point out that I am an alumnus of Florida State University and a card-carrying Gator Hater.
Posted at 10:03 PM | Permalink | | 
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March 24, 2009 at 2:17 am
So, Richard, for being alumni of Florida State, you sure are throwing out very terms and biases not uttered by true Florida State fans.
“Saint Bobby” is not a term we use, nor is the fact of Coach Bowden going to gain booster money and recruit new talent from the elite pool in the wake of this press-led witchhunt; not an easy task.
What you have wrote here only added fuel to the fire this mess has created. Though I strongly discourage cheating, and think that some things you don’t have to be intimately involved in to get caught up in, you make the same arguments those other donkeybutts make: That he should’ve known about some online quiz that his players were sure to tell him about in-between the two-a-days, the practices, and their other classes.
There was a disconnect, and rightly, the NCAA placed its strong arm down and fixed it. We are not arguing it was wrong. We are arguing the fact that we self-corrected and we self-reported, and yet you all are writing these stupid articles act like we swept it under the rug. It is NOT just about Bobby; its about Coaches Braman, Martin, Hamilton, and Semrau, amongst others who had a victory with a student who cheated the system. Its about the future of the program. Its NOT about the triple-jeopardy you by writing this have convicted us by and the talent we stand to lose by athletes scared of repercussion before they even attend.
Thanks again
SSG Robb Humphrey
March 24, 2009 at 1:07 pm
It wasn’t an athletic scandal you half-witted muckraking hack!
This was a wide-spread academic scandal that involved over 400 students (non-athletes and athletes) in one course, an on-line music class.
There is a reason you write articles for a no-name nothing website. I only found this website through a link from a Seminole fan. Complete jargon…
March 24, 2009 at 2:29 pm
You sir are an idiot. You claim to be an FSU alumni/fan..I don’t think you are.
March 24, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Yeah, there’s no way this author went to FSU. He sounds way too intelligent. If he went to FSU, the article would read more like the comments from the three brainiacs above mine….
I’m kidding, but Richard seems to have more perspective on the right priorities than the rest of the foaming-at-the-mouth fanbase. Sadly, I can’t say the same for President T.K…
March 24, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Hey, Humphrey, what does SSG stand for? Stooge student government? You certainly toe that whiny, crying simpleton line that the world now associates with your venerated cheater. You do realize this is Cheater Bowden’s third NCAA probation at Fake Scores U, don’t you? Maybe, when you’re done cuddling with political moron TK Braindead, you two can tell us exactly who should be punished for this filthy degradation of Florida’s public education system. I’m betting it’s UF’s fault, somehow.
Since you’re a nole, I’ll make it simple for you. SIXTY-ONE athletes in TEN sports. WIDESPREAD, SANCTIONED ACADEMIC FRAUD. It makes YOUR degree worth less! By the way, doo mass, you may want to avoid justifying this seminole sleazery by saying everyone was cheating. It makes people question the ‘integrity’ of ALL your students, including your Rhodes Scholars (snicker, snicker! FSU Rhodes Scholars! AS IF!). Try the Bowden defense - tuck your ‘manhood’ between your legs, flap your arms, and cluck! No one here but us chickens, boss! Hyuk! Hyuk!
March 24, 2009 at 8:27 pm
As a university professor for over 35 years, I totally agree with Richard: FSU got only a slap on the wrist for systemic fraud. Maybe the athletic departments and the coaches really didn’t know about the grandscale cheating, as difficult as it is to imagine, but there is no dispute that they benefited by it, and therefore as component parts of the university they need to suffer the consequences.
March 25, 2009 at 2:02 am
Well, you’re an idiot and anyone with a brain can see that your shock-job, half-truth rant is full of holes.
I have a real Ph D from FSU in the hard sciences as opposed to a history degree. I’m also a very proud Nole while you are definitely using your “alum” status to gain credibility and validity for this piece of crap.
First of all, you are not a proud Nole because you call yourself an alumnus but don’t call yourself a Seminole…big difference. There are gator fans that have Ph D’s from FSU…big whoop, does this somehow give you special credibility?…not in my book. I also know that you work at UCF and write on their sports beat…why don’t you lay out all your cards? You soapbox on honesty and integrity and don’t even disclose what could clearly point out ulterior motives.
Second, why write this drivel? Do you believe that “the truth needs to come out” or something? Apparently, you haven’t looked around as the media is slamming FSU right now. There is no other reason for this piece than to get your sucker punch in. Too bad you are not a very good puncher.
You mention the NCAA description of our penalties as “egregious”, “extremely serious”, and “intentional”. Did you forget to mention that the NCAA lauded our efforts to both self-report and act to amend this obviously unacceptable situation? Didn’t they teach you how to present both sides of an issue at Minnesota or Marquette where you are also an “alum”? Guess not….maybe you cheated in journalism at those schools.
You also said, “If an ineligible player is used in an athletic competition, what is the standard penalty? In all cases I can think of, any win is changed to a loss.”
WRONG. Apparently, you didn’t get the memo that Oklahoma won back its vacated wins from 2005 on appeal after playing “ineligible” players. Where are your other cases that establish this imaginary precedent you have pulled out of your magic hat?
You also leave out some very simple facts in your pursuit of shock value. ONE class. 3 employees. Is it right? no. Is it widespread? Hell no. One frickin class and a BS class at that. It happened to be a big class (online classes often are) but it is one meaningless gen req class and you act as though the entire university has fallen into a black hole.
Now I’m gonna get off on a tangent here but bear with me. If you really want to talk about academic fraud why don’t you talk about all the money universities suck out of students to fulfill general requirements that they will never use or need. Athletes took music appreciation because it filled a humanities requirement. It has no business in higher education. No music major worth a damn is going to put any stock in such a lousy course. No more than I would put stock in taking introductory biology (aka high school biology: the re-run). All of these stupid courses are taken in the spirit of “broadening student’s horizons” but that’s a PR line for we are going to take 2 years worth of fruitless tuition b/c we can. No wonder everyone goes to grad school nowadays. You waste half of your undergrad and your BS degree is just that BS.
My alma mater has never been very good at all that PR bullcrap that those yokels to the east tend to get (esp. with a journalism school that turns out a bunch of in-state hacks) but you certainly don’t help matters with your “piece” (I would say 2 cents but it isn’t even worth that).
March 25, 2009 at 5:36 am
CRIM-A-noles!!!!!!!!!!
March 25, 2009 at 6:15 am
Cheatin Bob (or should I call you King DoomAss)
SSG means Staff Sergeant of the United States Army, there bub, and it means I don’t take kindly being called a simpleton or being ridiculed when you’re being protected by me at night, so you should just shut your mouth and appreciate it…
…but I know you won’t so I’ll continue…
Since you mention it, it may not be Florida’s fault, but it dang sure may become your problem. Having a Rhodes Scholar in the State brings funds into the Florida school system, idiot, overall. So when your prize quarterback might win it this upcoming year, yes, Seminoles, Hurricanes, and Gators, Knights and Bulls ALL get some State funds toward the scholarship program. Higher scholarship money means higher demand and possibly a higher cap for your organization’s recruiting. So unintentionally as it probably was because of your intellect, you just sliced your own **** by ridiculing one of the country’s smartest men this year. He will do good things in this world, what have YOU DONE today to help society? Hmmm…?
Go dig a hole to the water table using your legs…in Army terms, that’s called Mountain Climbers, that’s what we make the dumb people do after they screw up…which you just did…
Robb Humphrey
SSG, USA
Deployed In Iraq
March 25, 2009 at 9:04 am
SHUT YOUR WHINY MOUTH AND TAKE YOUR MEDICINE.For gosh sakes if you had not cheated you would not be here.
March 25, 2009 at 10:55 am
First off - FSU suspended the players involved immediately - didn’t wait for someone to tell them to do it. They dug into the rest of the issues - 61 athletes and over 340 other students were involved. What happened to the 340 students - hopefully the credit was eliminated from their records - don’t know if that was done. As for the 61 athletes - if the credit was eliminated from their records - did that make them ineligible? Probably not - so why would FSU need to forfeit outcomes of the athletic events - the athletes were eligible even if they didn’t receive credit for the course! That is the real issue - did any people play and participate that were ineligible due to this one course being removed from their records.
The fact that the University took immediate action and ‘grounded ” the athletes as soon as the facts were presented should be reason enough to put closure to the issue.
And for the comments about FSU moving into the top part of the rankings was not because of lowered admission standards - it was due to appeal of playing for a solid staff of coaches - led by Coach Bowden. Oh by the way - 14 years in a row in the top 5 — nobody has ever come close to that accomplishment. Heck - Joe Pa doesn’t even have 14 top 5 finishes in his 40 years of coaching — much less 14 in a row.