2008 Woodie Awards
Athletes pay for past mistakes
Erin Mustain
Issue date: 8/26/08 Section: Forum
They sweat. They pushed themselves. They fought with heart. They made history with their victories. They lost it all.
This is the story of Southeast's women's basketball team. It is a story that began with triumph and ended in tragedy.
After a 29-month investigation of the championship-winning team by the NCAA, it was determined that the women had violated several different NCAA bylaws. B.J. Smith, former team coach, resigned in December 2006 while the program was still under investigation.
The damage resulting from this investigation included the team's wins from the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons being struck from the record. This included its OVC titles and NCAA tournament appearance.
But does the punishment fit the crime? Is the punishment aimed at the wrongdoers or at the victims?
The NCAA committee found violations that could have been avoided had the coaches' exercised proper vigilance of their athletes. The coaches, not the athletes, are to blame in this matter, for coaches should be held responsible for the team. Also, the coaches should have known the NCAA bylaws better than the athletes.
The Southeast Missouri State University Public Infractions Report, released by the NCAA Committee on Infractions of June 19, stated all the team's violations found during the investigation. These violations included impermissible actions, such as how the managers transported the athletes; how prospects lived on campus prior to their first full-time enrollment and were invited to summer workouts. These are actions that the coaching staff should have stopped as soon as they were aware of the violation of the NCAA's rules.
One violation listed in the report did not even involve the athletes. According to the report, "A former assistant women's basketball coach, who at the time was a high school coach…was provided free admission to the tournament games and sat in the team bench area."
In addition to the coaching staff, the university as a whole is also at fault for being unaware of the violations that were taking place.
This is the story of Southeast's women's basketball team. It is a story that began with triumph and ended in tragedy.
After a 29-month investigation of the championship-winning team by the NCAA, it was determined that the women had violated several different NCAA bylaws. B.J. Smith, former team coach, resigned in December 2006 while the program was still under investigation.
The damage resulting from this investigation included the team's wins from the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons being struck from the record. This included its OVC titles and NCAA tournament appearance.
But does the punishment fit the crime? Is the punishment aimed at the wrongdoers or at the victims?
The NCAA committee found violations that could have been avoided had the coaches' exercised proper vigilance of their athletes. The coaches, not the athletes, are to blame in this matter, for coaches should be held responsible for the team. Also, the coaches should have known the NCAA bylaws better than the athletes.
The Southeast Missouri State University Public Infractions Report, released by the NCAA Committee on Infractions of June 19, stated all the team's violations found during the investigation. These violations included impermissible actions, such as how the managers transported the athletes; how prospects lived on campus prior to their first full-time enrollment and were invited to summer workouts. These are actions that the coaching staff should have stopped as soon as they were aware of the violation of the NCAA's rules.
One violation listed in the report did not even involve the athletes. According to the report, "A former assistant women's basketball coach, who at the time was a high school coach…was provided free admission to the tournament games and sat in the team bench area."
In addition to the coaching staff, the university as a whole is also at fault for being unaware of the violations that were taking place.
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