That the NCAA investigation of the University of Miami has dragged on beyond any reasonable timeframe is beyond dispute. Students who entered the school as freshmen when the investigation began are seniors now, with no formal findings having been issued by the NCAA. The Penn State investigation took less time. The investigation and trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg took less time. And yet, there is no sign that the NCAA will be making formal findings anytime soon.
However, the Palm Beach Post’s Greg Stoda theorizes that the NCAA’s backtracking on the penalties to Penn State’s football program may be a clue that the worst may be behind the Hurricanes. The NCAA admitted that it overreached with the PennState sanctions, and ended up restoring scholarships. In the case of the University of Miami, the NCAA has admitted that it botched the investigation by hiring Shapiro’s attorney to assist. Meanwhile, their case against Miami rests almost entirely on the testimony of convicted felon Nevin Shapiro.
As for punishment, the school has already forfeited two bowl appearances, and one ACC championship game appearance. ACC Commissioner John Swofford stated that “I don’t know of a school that has taken themselves out of bowls for two straight years, including a possible BCS game….Nothing shocks me [with the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions], but I’d be surprised and disappointed by any additional penalties.”
There is merit to this argument. It is difficult to imagine that the NCAA would want to be seen as lenient toward a school that knowingly harbored a serial pedophile and harsh towards one that cooperated with their investigation and has already self-imposed severe penalties.
On the other hand, the NCAA has shown a remarkable tendency toward tone-deafness, so perhaps as Mr. Swofford states, we should not be surprised by anything.