I just saw on ESPN that Reggie Bush may be stripped of his 2005 Heisman Trophy award due to receiving "improper benefits" while attending USC. Receiving these benefits made him ineligible to play for the 2005 season which means he should not have been a candidate for the Heisman Trophy.
ESPN.com new reads, "The NCAA ruled that Bush received lavish gifts from two fledgling sports marketers hoping to sign him. The men paid for everything from hotel stays and a rent-free home where Bush's family apparently lived to a limousine and a new suit when he accepted his Heisman in New York in December 2005."
The school (USC) has already received punishment for "lack of institutional control", being handed by the NCAA four years' probation, a two-year bowl ban and a reduction in football scholarships.
Here's my hypothetical question, what punishment did the sports marketers receive? (Nothing, I'm sure). We always hear about violations committed by the student athletes and/or coaches and they and the school pays the price but what about the sports agents who entice these young athletes with promises of money, fame and stardom? What is being done to keep them from tempting these athletes to break the rules, especially those from disadvantaged or poverty stricken backgrounds? I'm pretty sure it the athletes didn't sought out the agents so why are they and the schools the only ones being punished?
Do you think the NCAA should enforce the rules for all parties involved in these violations, including the sports agents? Do you think punishments enforced on the sports agents will make a difference? Will they stop or just find sneakier ways of breaking the rules?
Tell me your thoughts!
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