If Paula Cole were to take a look at sports today, I think her song would go something like, “where have all the ethics gone?”
Players and coaches in all sports are quickly becoming examples of what not to do, instead of showing the world what integrity looks like.
For example, Kelvin Sampson “resigned” on February 22 as head coach of Indiana’s storied basketball program after being charged with five major recruiting violations. What got him in so much trouble? Like Clinton and the blue dress, it was Sampson and the telephone.
The NCAA alleges that Sampson made illegal contact with recruits via telephone while he was still under recruiting restrictions due to a similar scandal while he was at Oklahoma. While with the Sooners, Sampson and his staff made 577 illegal phone calls. He lost his job there and was put on probation.
But instead of treating the phone like a disease and avoiding it after the debacle at Oklahoma, Sampson thought he could slip a few pills and be immune from the restrictions. No one would ever find out, right?
Wrong.
The NCAA did find out, and instead of coming clean, Sampson lied. But why? Unfortunately, in the world of sports these days, the better question is: why not?
While we like to think of our favorite sports figures as ideal role models, the truth is many are far from it. The norm has become to lie first and ask questions later. Just look at Nick Saban and Alabama at the end of the 2006 NFL season.
While coaching the Miami Dolphins, Nick Saban adamantly denied he was going to leave for Alabama. “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach,” he cried. That was in December. He became the Alabama head coach in January.
While you may believe these are just isolated incidents, to see more proof just look at the current steroids problem in baseball and the Spygate scandal in football. The truth is that lying and “violations” are becoming a trend; a trend that is starting to pervade all levels of sport.
Kevin Hart, a high school senior from Nevada, recently was part of one of the biggest dupes in recruiting history. Hart, who desperately wanted to play college football, created a lie that would have made the boy who cried wolf blush. On February 1, Hart called a press conference to tell the world that, after much thought, he decided to accept a scholarship offer from the University of California.
But there was just one problem—California never recruited him or offered him a football scholarship. Hart made the whole thing up. He lied. Just like Saban. Just like Sampson.
The point, I hope, is clearly seen: the leaders of tomorrow take their cues from the leaders of today. Coaches like Sampson and Saban are partly to blame for the actions of athletes like Hart. And until we start holding big name coaches and players to higher standards, we can’t be surprised when the Kevin Harts of the world accept phantom scholarships.
Players and coaches in all sports are quickly becoming examples of what not to do, instead of showing the world what integrity looks like.
For example, Kelvin Sampson “resigned” on February 22 as head coach of Indiana’s storied basketball program after being charged with five major recruiting violations. What got him in so much trouble? Like Clinton and the blue dress, it was Sampson and the telephone.
The NCAA alleges that Sampson made illegal contact with recruits via telephone while he was still under recruiting restrictions due to a similar scandal while he was at Oklahoma. While with the Sooners, Sampson and his staff made 577 illegal phone calls. He lost his job there and was put on probation.
But instead of treating the phone like a disease and avoiding it after the debacle at Oklahoma, Sampson thought he could slip a few pills and be immune from the restrictions. No one would ever find out, right?
Wrong.
The NCAA did find out, and instead of coming clean, Sampson lied. But why? Unfortunately, in the world of sports these days, the better question is: why not?
While we like to think of our favorite sports figures as ideal role models, the truth is many are far from it. The norm has become to lie first and ask questions later. Just look at Nick Saban and Alabama at the end of the 2006 NFL season.
While coaching the Miami Dolphins, Nick Saban adamantly denied he was going to leave for Alabama. “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach,” he cried. That was in December. He became the Alabama head coach in January.
While you may believe these are just isolated incidents, to see more proof just look at the current steroids problem in baseball and the Spygate scandal in football. The truth is that lying and “violations” are becoming a trend; a trend that is starting to pervade all levels of sport.
Kevin Hart, a high school senior from Nevada, recently was part of one of the biggest dupes in recruiting history. Hart, who desperately wanted to play college football, created a lie that would have made the boy who cried wolf blush. On February 1, Hart called a press conference to tell the world that, after much thought, he decided to accept a scholarship offer from the University of California.
But there was just one problem—California never recruited him or offered him a football scholarship. Hart made the whole thing up. He lied. Just like Saban. Just like Sampson.
The point, I hope, is clearly seen: the leaders of tomorrow take their cues from the leaders of today. Coaches like Sampson and Saban are partly to blame for the actions of athletes like Hart. And until we start holding big name coaches and players to higher standards, we can’t be surprised when the Kevin Harts of the world accept phantom scholarships.
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