Duke vs. Memphis

Merry Lamley - Sports Commentary
Raleigh NC

After the huge shock (I am being sarcastic) of a John Calipari coached Memphis Tigers team being under the thumb of the NCAA regulators, what else can be said? Gary Parrish of CBS says Duke should lose their 1999 record as well. What is the difference? I guess, beyond calling Parrish a tool, the fact Derrick Rose cheated his way into his school while Corey Maggette took money (unbeknownst to anyone at Duke) before he ever attended.

The fact is that there was a concerted effort to get Rose into Memphis even though he was not up to par, education-wise. As for Meggette, he and his agent could sort things out. As far as Duke is concerned, there was no proven violations perpetrated while he was at the school. As a UNC fan, I don't want the Devils to have any more of an advantage than they can get. But fair is fair. Duke University did nothing wrong. On the same note, the Memphis Tigers do not deserve their punishment either. It is simpy not befitting. None of the hands involved are with the school anymore.

Here is my solution (not created by me completely, but revised). The coaches should be held responsible. If a coach feels comfortable enough to make his team out of cheats, then he should carry the resposibility. I say the NCAA bring down the axe on coaches, like Calipari, who bring in their latest thug to play a year and leave for the pros. Fine them. Take away their wins. Soon, such coaches will have a hard time finding a job, instead of being the highest paid of their era. The threat of losing any credibility and their money will surely clean things up a bit. The only problem, then, is dealing with schools the NCAA ignores for violations.