Dumb and Dumber..

As we get ready to sit down this weekend and watch a game that has been proclaimed "the game of all games" for two weeks now, I can help but think of how seriously flawed the NCAA is.

Sure, I will watch when #1 LSU invades Bryant Denny Stadium to take on #2 Alabama. But all I will be able to think about is 8 different players. Three who play for LSU and five who play or used to play for Ohio State.

I know, we've all been beaten to death with the scandal that "rocked" Ohio State, especially us Buckeye fans. We know Terelle Pryor is gone, and so is Jim Tressel, and that Boom Herron and Devier Posey, two cogs in our offense, we're suspended for 5 games, all over about $2,500 worth of tattoos. (ironically a couple of days go NCAA prez Mark Emmert made it ok for schools to add $2,000 to each student-athlete's scholarship to cover "incidental costs")

But the real reason I will be watching the three LSU players (Tyrann Mathieu, Spencer Ware, and Tharold Simon) is because it is their first game back. They are returning to the field after being suspended for 1 game after testing positive for synthetic marijuana and violation the teams drug policy.

Where is the NCAA on this one????

Apparently trading your own stuff for tattoos is good for at least a 5 game suspension (even though former Georgia wide out A.J. Green was only suspended 4 for selling his jersey to an AGENT in 2010!) yet doing drugs during the season doesn't even warrant NCAA interest? The one game suspension was team imposed by coach Les Miles.

Now I'm sure everyone will think I'm just coming off as a homer, but, hello? Those three guys broke a law by taking illegal drugs (I'm not arguing for or against legalization here, simply stating as it stands today smoking pot is against the law), and the NCAA doesn't seem to care. But as soon as players start taking their own personal stuff, given to them by their institution or even the NCAA, and trading or selling it, they have a problem. Not to mention that for at least one of the players at LSU it was their "second offense" with the LSU substance abuse policy.

Now, I am not saying what the Ohio State players did was right, it is clearly a moral choice they were ok living with. And I'm not saying the way Jim Tressel handled it was the proper way to go about things. But, if the NCAA is going to continue to preside over college athletics, and continue to run these lengthy, costly investigations into players selling their jerseys, or receiving improper benefits then they need to be prepared to step in on instances like these, where players disregard the laws.

Ohio State had its season hijacked by the NCAA because 5 kids made a stupid decision, even though the stuff they traded was their own. LSU barely missed a beat when their three players were suspended for ONE measly game even though those kids made probably an even dumber decision.

The NCAA is balancing on a thin high wire, and if they are going to be the authority they want to be, then they need to handle everything that falls under their umbrella. Otherwise, their high wire act will come crashing down and bring a new era in college athletics. Who knows, maybe even a cleaner one.