NCAA is allowing the University of Kansas to not only pay for the funeral of Thomas Robinson's mother, but to also potentially move his now orphaned nine year old sister to Lawrence. This is a very sad story and situation to even consider a nine year old girl having to go through, I am glad that the NCAA made the right decision in this case. RIP Mrs. Robinson, you as well as your children will always be a loved member of the Jayhawk family.


http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6061997

 

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Three points:

1. This is a nice gesture and I have no moral problems with it. It is the right thing for someone to do to take care of the little girl.

2. Having said that, it just continues to erode any semblance of impropriety the NCAA has. Just as they did with Cam Newton and Terrell Pryor. ku will not be paying for any other students funerals in the same circumstances, and I damn sure would be suing them if I was a student and lost a family member. If ku does this for one student, they better be prepared for the fallout. Most students have to drop out of school or arrange many life altering plans because its their family and life throws curve balls. Just because this guy plays basketball makes him special?

3. Additionally, they are letting boosters now pay Robinson money openly. Allowing ku to set up a scholarship fund for the girl is like handing the keys to the hen house to the wolves. This is ku, where they have an active FBI investigation into the legality of their 'funds' and money raising activities (especially among the basketball team). Also, now boosters can 'donate' to this girls fund and she can help out her family as well?? give me a break! Booster: I'm gonna donate to you 50 grand little girl, go buy your older brother a car so he can give you rides to school. ok now? wink wink

NCAA is a joke of an institution and halfway down that slippery slope to losing all credibility.

Back to point 1, I am glad the little girl will have her life a bit easier.

 

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Just for a point of reference, you know the NCAA handed down infractions to Utah back around 2000 when Rick Majerus (sp?) bought a cheeseburger for a player who just had a parent die. Kid lost his mother and so coach buys him a cheeseburger. BAM! Infraction!

Not sure how this is relevant to the ku case but it sure seems like about the same situation...

 

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Yeah that cheeseburger thing was really a horrible mess by the NCAA. There was no harm what so ever with that, it was completely rediculous for the NCAA to hand out a sanction over that. I also thought of the point about every student having the entitlement to having the university pay for their parents funeral and for their orphaned sibling to live while they are in college. I thought about it from a different angle, this money is first probably coming from the athletics side and not the acedemic side. And secondly, normal students like me do not well, make hundreds of thousands of dollars for the university. The basketball team makes millions for the university, and I am sure that the Kansas replica jersey's which have Robinsons number on them make the university plenty of money. So if say both of my parents and my sister were to die in a horrible car crash and I was left to take care of my six year old niece, it would be nice for them to make the same kind of arrangements, but in all honesty they would have no real obligation to do so because I do not bring in any money to the university. (Unless you want to technically consider the fact that I am the reason three people I know will be attending class at KU over the next two years, but even if you do include that it is still chump change compared to what a basketball player makes for the university). That would be like me making an arguement that because KU has scholarship athletes, I should be entitled to have a scholarship as well. You have to approach this from the athletics side, and not the acedemic side.

 

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Its not really an argument though. I want to stress that I really have no moral problems with this. I certainly don't trust ku not to abuse this somehow - if there is a loophole out there they will abuse it! - But it is a very nice gesture.

But if you want to really use that type of argument, without the students at ku, there would be no athletics department in the first place. After all, it is a university first and foremost. I also don't know the fees, but I bet that over the 4 years you go there (or a normal student) they pay about $40k. That is a total guess though and you know that figure better than I do.

No question the basketball team brings in millions to the athletic department. Basketball players bring in basically no money for the school directly (possibly pays for books) because of their scholarships. That replica jersey might be his number for now, but 4 years ago it was another students jersey since they can't put names on them (I don't actually know his number - just making a point). ku games were sold out long before he got there and once he is gone they will keep being sold out so he in essence is just another cog in the machine.


Basically you are saying that because he is rich (basketball player) he should not be subject to the same laws as everyone else (normal students). He is somehow above the law and ku should treat him differently. I have a problem with that when it comes to applying laws and rules or handing out free money - everyone should have to abide by the same rules. (I know, surprise coming from a moderator. ) Athletes have additional rules to abide by from the NCAA as opposed to normal students and their reward for that is free education, gets some fame by being on TV, and a path to a professional career. Basically, normal students don't have those additional rules, but with that no one would be clamoring to pay for Joe Schmoe's little sisters funeral.

I still hate the NCAA though.

 

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I think the more interesting thing to see is how they would have reacted if this happened to a football player. Football is a money revenue generating sport, but around here it is a second class citizen. It would be very interesting to see how they would have reacted to this situation if he has been a football star and not a basketball star. Basketball players around here on campus are special. I see people get up from a table and stand in a completely full room just so a basketball player can have a seat. They are treated like gods around here. To say these players do not generate much money is insane though. Replace all these talented players KU has with scrubs and see how quickly the always sold out Allen Fieldhouse becomes the always has tickets available fieldhouse. The players are the product here at KU, and they university realizes that, and they are doing everything they can to protect that product. The fact of the matter is normal students like me are a dime a dozen, but stud superstar NBA potential basketball players are not. It should not be a surprise he is getting this special treatment, and honestly this would probably be the case with any college.

 

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