12-09-2005, 05:59 PM
December 8, 2005
You probably won't need to sneak into one of Tubby Smith's practices to see Randolph Morris play for Kentucky this season.
The immediate reaction will be extreme to the news that the NCAA's reinstatement staff was suspending Morris for all of the 2005-06 season. It already is. Headlines already say he is done for the year. Way down below is the word that he can -- and will -- appeal to the NCAA's reinstatement committee, which is composed of representatives from member schools rather than the organization's workers.
It's not uncommon for the committee to reduce penalties imposed by NCAA staff. In fact, at least in high profile cases, it's probably uncommon for them not to do so.
The NCAA's eligibility process is complex, and the language involved often is difficult to decipher. Consider that a week ago, Morris was declared ineligible by the NCAA. Taken literally, that news meant he was finished. In reality, he was only "ineligible" for however long it would take for the reinstatement staff to consider and process his case.
I can't guarantee Morris' suspension will be reduced. Based on the amount of money the NCAA claims he racked up in expenses in the process of working out for NBA teams, a year isn't totally out of order. But it's probably more than it needs to be for the NCAA to prove its point, and it's certainly more than is in Morris' best interests.
Kentucky fans may be the nation's best, but they're also the best at panicking. My all-time favorite remains the caller to a post-game talk show who, following a January 1997 loss at Ole Miss, suggested forward Scott Padgett be "demoted to towel boy." That's the same Scott Padgett who three months later was part of a team that lost the NCAA championship game in overtime, who a year later was part of Kentucky's seventh national championship and two years later was selected in the first round of the NBA draft. My current advice is to relax. The NCAA does like to throw these high, hard pitches as a warning to those who would be as arrogant about its rules as Morris was in this case. The committees then are allowed to come come along and soften the damage. Save the outrage in case you need it.
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/vie...hp?t=42108
You probably won't need to sneak into one of Tubby Smith's practices to see Randolph Morris play for Kentucky this season.
The immediate reaction will be extreme to the news that the NCAA's reinstatement staff was suspending Morris for all of the 2005-06 season. It already is. Headlines already say he is done for the year. Way down below is the word that he can -- and will -- appeal to the NCAA's reinstatement committee, which is composed of representatives from member schools rather than the organization's workers.
It's not uncommon for the committee to reduce penalties imposed by NCAA staff. In fact, at least in high profile cases, it's probably uncommon for them not to do so.
The NCAA's eligibility process is complex, and the language involved often is difficult to decipher. Consider that a week ago, Morris was declared ineligible by the NCAA. Taken literally, that news meant he was finished. In reality, he was only "ineligible" for however long it would take for the reinstatement staff to consider and process his case.
I can't guarantee Morris' suspension will be reduced. Based on the amount of money the NCAA claims he racked up in expenses in the process of working out for NBA teams, a year isn't totally out of order. But it's probably more than it needs to be for the NCAA to prove its point, and it's certainly more than is in Morris' best interests.
Kentucky fans may be the nation's best, but they're also the best at panicking. My all-time favorite remains the caller to a post-game talk show who, following a January 1997 loss at Ole Miss, suggested forward Scott Padgett be "demoted to towel boy." That's the same Scott Padgett who three months later was part of a team that lost the NCAA championship game in overtime, who a year later was part of Kentucky's seventh national championship and two years later was selected in the first round of the NBA draft. My current advice is to relax. The NCAA does like to throw these high, hard pitches as a warning to those who would be as arrogant about its rules as Morris was in this case. The committees then are allowed to come come along and soften the damage. Save the outrage in case you need it.
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/vie...hp?t=42108