As usual, changes to NCAA rules go too far

Roll back the red carpet. Park those collegiate planes into
their hangars and start getting used to coach class seating like
the rest of us. That stretch limo picking you up at the airport?
Well, here’s a tip: It’s customary to tip $2 or $3 for
airport shuttles.

With the latest series of NCAA reforms, college recruits will
supposedly get treated like any other student. The reforms come on
the heels of criticism surrounding the recruiting process, namely
Colorado’s sex parties, Malik Hairston’s direct flight
into Eugene, Oregon, and Willie Williams’ recruiting diary
that detailed his visits to different colleges.

From the NCAA’s perspective, the reforms will even the
so-called playing field. Idaho can now compete with Florida, right?
Well, maybe if you prefer potatoes to oranges.

First, let’s start off with the problem. Williams rode on
a private plane where it was just him, the flight attendant and the
pilot. He ate a $250-plus dinner of lobster tails, steak and shrimp
scampi, and he stayed in the paradise suite of a five-star hotel
with his own jacuzzi.

But is this the typical student’s college life? I had more
people in my car on my trip to the Bay Area than Williams had on
his flight, I haven’t eaten four lobster tails in my life,
and let’s face it, my so-called jacuzzi is more the result of
me taking a bath after eating some beans.

But there are innocent victims here. The biggest problem has
been the use of the private planes, but the solution
shouldn’t be eliminating it entirely. Certain schools that
aren’t located near major airports suffer because recruits
have to fly in on commercial flights that only serve the big
cities.

For one, kids would have to leave sooner for recruiting trips,
or otherwise arrive late. Additionally, it hurts the schools that
the reforms were trying to help in the first place. To get to
Pullman to visit Washington State, a typical itinerary now might
entail landing in Seattle, taking a transfer flight to Spokane, and
then a drive down to Pullman.

So what’s the difference?

The difference is a school using a private plane to show off its
wealth, a la Florida, versus a school that uses it as a necessity,
a la Kansas State. It’s rather obvious if you’ve ever
flown into Pullman that Washington State isn’t trying to show
off its wealth. I mean, the airport is one large room, and if
you’re late, the airport closes by flicking the light switch
next to the door.

The smaller, more rural schools requested that they be allowed
to use private planes from those large airports, but the NCAA chose
to do away with it completely.

Now, the NCAA did do some good. There’s no need for kids
to stay in five-star hotels or order a meal that costs as much as a
month’s worth of groceries. Each school is also now required
to give a written recruiting policy, detailing a typical recruiting
visit, and is thus held accountable for what happens.

Schools also can’t give out personalized jerseys, nor can
they use scoreboard presentations to entice athletes. And there can
no longer be underage drinking, sex, drug use or gambling on these
recruiting visits. (Should these rules have been in place
earlier?)

Will it work?

Like everything the NCAA does, to a certain extent it will, but
it’s not enough.

Like Jurassic Park, the Colorados and Miamis of the world will
always find a way. Heck, if you can get away with underage sex,
then finding your way around a rule restricting where to eat for
dinner can’t be that hard to do.

UCLA stands to benefit from this move. The Bruins might not lose
out on recruits like Hairston simply because Oregon sends a private
plane their way. And it can’t hurt to force USC recruits to
stay in typical campus housing and to eat at typical campus
eateries.

Note to Trojan recruits: There’s a very good Wendy’s
there, with a broad 99-cent menu. Plus, they’re open
late.

But UCLA will also have to cut back. On a typical trip, recruits
would eat at Gladstone’s and stay at a hotel in Century City.
Both may now be deemed too luxurious by the NCAA’s
standards.

This, all in response to a recruiting diary by a football
recruit, who with his 11 arrests came close to matching his senior
year total of 18 sacks.

Which just goes to show ““ don’t mess with the
NCAA.

Tran needs money to Biggie size his next meal at
Wendy’s. E-mail him at [email protected] if you want to
lend him money.