Morris: USC appears to soft-peddle penalties

ATTEMPTING TO predict how the NCAA Committee on Infractions will rule on any case of violations is a lot like trying to gauge which way the wind blows. So, it is a dicey proposition when an athletics program suggests punishment for violations to this committee.

An athletics program can come down hard on itself and hope the punishments are enough to satisfy the committee. Or, a program can soft-peddle the penalties and hope the committee will adhere to the requests.

It was clear this past week which avenue South Carolina took regarding three admitted “major and serious” violations by the football program. USC’s suggested self-imposed penalties appear to be so slight as to be virtually no penalties at all.

The NCAA committee has called a Feb. 17-18 meeting in Los Angeles with USC president Harris Pastides, athletics director Eric Hyman, football coach Steve Spurrier and assistant football coach G.A. Mangus to appear.

The NCAA claims each case is handled differently, so it is difficult to find precedent for how the committee will rule in USC’s case. Of more recent cases, violations by the Boise State football program appear to be similar to those committed by USC.

Boise State was cited for football staff members arranging inadmissible summer housing and transportation for 63 prospective athletes. In USC’s case, the athletics department admitted to athletes receiving $55,000 worth of extra benefits from representatives of the school’s athletics interest.

Much like USC, Boise State admitted guilt and built its case for leniency from the NCAA on the premise that no recruiting advantage was gained through violations. Boise State enacted self-imposed penalties to include the removal of several practices during the football preseason, a $5,000 fine and the dropping of two scholarships for the next season. In the wake of the allegations against the football, track and tennis programs, Boise State also dismissed its athletics director.

The NCAA ultimately added scholarship reductions of three per year through 2014 and placed Boise State on three years probation. The football team also was allowed fewer contact practices during spring training for three years. Mostly, Boise State was cited for the dreaded NCAA “lack of institutional control.”

Let’s take a closer look at the sanctions proposed to the NCAA by USC.

First, USC proposed trimming its football roster by one scholarship in 2012-13, three in 2013-14 and two in 2014-15. Most football coaches would agree that minimal loss of scholarships such as those proposed by USC have little or no effect on the program. So, this hardly constitutes a penalty of any great degree.

For using four ineligible football players during the 2009 season, USC proposed an $18,500 fine. With an $80 million budget for athletics, USC had better hope the NCAA committee does not see this miniscule fine as pandering.

Interesting that USC did not suggest the forfeiture of games for using ineligible players. The use of ineligible players — either knowingly or not — seems to have been a sticking point for the NCAA, which recently stripped Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden of 14 wins following an academic scandal that led to the use of ineligible players.

Ineligible players reportedly were used in USC’s opening four games of the 2009 season. If so, the NCAA could take away wins against N.C. State, Florida Atlantic and Mississippi. That is significant because one of Spurrier’s goals is to break the program record for wins by a coach. Rex Enright holds that record with 64. Spurrier has 54.

Finally, USC suggested a three-year probation period, which might be its only proposal with any teeth since the NCAA is likely to accept those terms with the stipulation that another violation of any kind over the next three years will bring substantial sanctions.

USC also informed the NCAA that it handled a few matters internally by demoting former compliance director Jennifer Stiles and by prohibiting Mangus from recruiting off campus in January.

Interestingly, Stiles remains employed in the compliance department and will be paid a healthy $73,000 annual salary. As far as the penalty to Mangus, it should be noted that January no longer is a heavy off-campus recruiting month because most prospective athletes commit to a school before then.

Hyman has said on occasion that when he meets with an athlete about the possibility of a suspension or penalty for wrongdoing, he looks first and foremost for remorse from the athlete. Leniency can be tied to that remorse.

We do not know if the NCAA considers contrition by athletics programs in rendering a final decision. We do know that by the looks of the self-imposed sanctions USC had better hope contrition is not a consideration.

USC appears to have showed little of that.