Joel Hammond sees it as nothing more than a bully being a bully. No matter, receiver Mike Williams is not suiting up to defend USC's national title this season.
By Joel Hammond
210 west Writer [send email]
Even bullies, in any shape or size, have their rules. Whether that may be a daily penance of 50 cents for milk at lunch or some dude who's messing with their off-limits girl, rules, in bully-speak, are not made to be broken.
Imagine the NCAA, then, the biggest bully of 'em all, finally being able to take a stand after a couple of punk kids won a decision that allowed them to break two of said bully's most sacrosanct rules: student-athletes must be continuously progressing towards a degree, and contact with professional agents is strictly prohibited.
The progression of the saga has many parts.
Initially, one of those punks, Maurice Clarett of Ohio State gave up his amateur status, signed with an agent and sued the NFL to able to enter its draft prior to the league's window that requires athletes be three years out of high school.
Clarett had one season under his belt, only half of which was really any good. He helped lead a football-crazed town and school to a national championship, and initially, courts ruled in his favor. Clarett's initial victory in court enabled a far more gifted, talented and mature athlete, USC's stud wide receiver Mike Williams, to sign with an agent, drop out of school and prepare for April's draft.
Then, just prior to the draft, the ruling that allowed Clarett and Williams to enter the draft was overturned, leaving the pair in limbo -- Unable to play in the NFL and ineligible for amateur competition at the collegiate level.
Thursday, after a long, drawn-out investigation, the NCAA refused Williams' appeal for reinstatement just days before Saturday's season-opening game against Virginia Tech in Washington.Williams was gracious in his comments in the media after learning of the decision, making clear his sympathy for his top-ranked teammates and friends and family members who attempted to help him become eligible for the 2004 season.
When he declared for the draft after Clarett's victory, it seemed as though it was a victory for those athletes who, unlike Clarett, were physically and mentally ready for the rigors of life in the NFL and clearly out of college football's league. It turned out, though, that all Williams did was take the bait for one of the most ridiculous and self-serving decisions in the history of amateur athletics.
Clearly, the NCAA, as a governing body that must have student-athletes' best interests at heart, has rules in place pertaining to an athlete's amateur status that, in normal circumstances, cannot be overruled. Those rules, like a minimum number of credit hours in the previous semester and the strict abstention from contact with professional teams or agents, are simple enough by which to abide.
Let me reiterate: normal circumstances.
The Williams camp undoubtedly realizes it broke both of those most fundamental NCAA rules when the receiver declared for the draft, only after he was told he would be drafted, and signed with an agent.
But clearly, these were no normal circumstances. The same people who opened the door for Williams to realize his dream slammed the door in his face on the eve of the proverbial ball.These were extenuating the circumstances facing Williams and the NCAA, which, under new president Myles Brand and in the face of more and more scandals facing its member schools (read: Colorado, Larry Eustachy, Mike Price and others) have vowed to enforce its rules as close to the letter as possible.
Williams, USC lawyers and Coach Pete Carroll, though, have insisted Williams became eligible again when he completed six hours of summer school and paid back every dime to those who originally paid him.
Still, though, Williams was denied reinstatement, despite complying with the rules set in place by the NCAA.
Presumably, though, these facts didn't matter to a group of people who had a chance to prove that the best interests of the group it governs - student-athletes - are still at the heart of its decisions.
After all, bullies have pretty good memories.
This article is incorrect, in that it assumes that the NCAA is not ruling in favor of college athletes in its ruling against Mike Williams. In fact, the NCAA did what was the most difficult thing it could do, the right thing.
I am sick of hearing people say that the NCAA has no compassion for student-athletes. That is a bunch of bull. ALL of the NCAA's rules are meant to protect student athletes and protect the sanctity of ameteur athletics.
Let's be honest, Mike Williams did not have to sign with an agent. In fact, according to the NFL, they instructed him that he may still not be able to participate in the league if there was a reversal during the appeals process. He ended up still signing an agent, knowing full well that it was against NCAA rules.
And finally, Mike Williams should not be seen as a martyr, and the NCAA should not be seen as a bully. Williams is a kid that did not follow the rules that were obviously known by all involved, whether his circumstances were normal or not.