The chances of someone turning on ESPN and not hearing about Florida States latest scandal/appeal dilemmas are slim to none. That person probably has better chances of finding enjoyment out of listening to Charlie Weis speak.

To save you the trouble, the latest appeal from Florida State University says that the football program should not be penalized in a way that cancels wins in the past two seasons. This harsh penalty would put a dent in the win total for legend Bobby Bowden, putting him out of the race with foe Joe Paterno. Needless to say, the NCAA spit on the appeal and said tough luck.

The chances of someone turning on ESPN and not hearing about Florida States latest scandal/appeal dilemmas are slim to none. That person probably has better chances of finding enjoyment out of listening to Charlie Weis speak.

To save you the trouble, the latest appeal from Florida State University says that the football program should not be penalized in a way that cancels wins in the past two seasons. This harsh penalty would put a dent in the win total for legend Bobby Bowden, putting him out of the race with foe Joe Paterno. Needless to say, the NCAA spit on the appeal and said tough luck.

I’m not quite sure what the NCAA is trying to prove by saying that the whole school, especially the number one source of income, should be penalized with such a severe penalty. Once the coaches found out about the cheating scandal that covered almost every sport, players were suspended, kicked off the team, and shown that their actions were unacceptable. The coaching staffs did not condone cheating in any way, shape or form. Thus, should the program have wins taken away?

Recruiting violations and felonies have more of a reason to discredit wins while those players are on the field. Now, let’s not kid ourselves, cheating happens everywhere, in every school, by the majority of athletes. FSU just got the short end of the stick this time.

You might be asking yourself, "Why do you have such a beautifully cropped photo of Reggie Bush in this article about FSU?" Well, the answer lies in my argument. Did Reggie Bush not receive benefits from USC? Doesn’t everyone? Shouldn’t USC be under the same gun that FSU is? Wins should be taken away from a program that knowingly had a paid athlete on the team. Last time I checked this wasn’t the NFL, I’m looking at you Mr. Bush with that nice house you gave your mother in college!

No, I’m not ignorant to the fact that FSU has had their share of problems with giving athletes things (Foot Locker). No, I’m not ignorant to the rule that was placed in the NCAA, named after an FSU Player (Deion Sanders Rule... you have to go to class now).

All I am saying is that the NCAA should not pick and choose when to enforce penalties. If FSU is going to have wins taken away, so should other major violators. (Penn State, USC to name a few.)

via dillonlowery.com