Alabama: A "Textbook" Example of Institutional Complacency

Yesterday, The University of Alabama's Football Program was placed on 3 years probation by the NCAA due to infractions which took place from 2005-07 in which Football players, as well as other student-athletes, were "receiving impermissible benefits through misuse of the university’s textbook distribution program in a manner not in accordance with NCAA Bylaws between the 2005‐06 academic year and October 17, 2007.", according to University officials.

According to the NCAA, the Football program has to forfeit as many as 21 wins dating back from 2005-07. This doesn't effect the current or future players of the Crimson Tide. What amazes me even more than the probation the Football Team was put on (does not involve missing post-season bowl games) and the 21 forfeits is that this scandal was going on throughout the Athletic Department. Student-athletes competing in as many as 16 sports were involved in the textbook scandal. 16 sports, correct me if I'm wrong, but that's ALL of Alabama's Varsity Sports except Cheer leading, if that's a Varsity sport, or M&W Cross Country, unless that's included in M&W Track & Field. Does Alabama have M&W Varsity Fencing?

Student-athletes in M&W Basketball, M&W Track & Field, Baseball, Softball, Women's' Soccer, Women's' Volleyball, Women's' Gymnastics, Football, M&W Golf, M&W Swimming, and M&W Tennis were participating in this scandal to obtain benefits through misuse of the University's Textbook Distribution Program. Will these other sports have to forfeit their wins from the 05-07 seasons? Will individual student-athletes who compete in Track & Field, Tennis, Gymnastics, or Swimming have to forfeit their wins, world records, NCAA records or "perfect 10s (oops, the perfect 10 doesn't exist anymore). Will the Basketball teams, Baseball, Women's Soccer Team and Golf teams have to forfeit their wins from the 05-07 era.

This is unbelievable. Aren't these student-athletes given free tuition and textbooks as part of their scholarships? Did regular students pay these student-athletes money to buy them textbooks? I don't see how this won't effect the other sports that had athletes involved in the scandal. What if the Women's' Gymnastics Team had won a National Championship in 2006 (Thank God for UGA's Gymdogs).

I don't know how they're going to do it, but the University has got to get a grip on this. It has gotten out of hand. This could have cost a sport a National Title had they won one in the 05-07 time period. I'm glad the University policed itself when they discovered the violations, but they will have to take drastic measures to make sure this doesn't happen again. If it does, it could cost the Crimson Tide a National Title, no matter what the sport. To read the Fact Sheet on this scandal, the reader can go to http://uanews.ua.edu/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/ua_ncaa_fact_sheet_061109.pdf.