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NCAA recruitment process needs regulation, not strippers

SPORTS BKC-FINAL 175 MCT
Russ Smith (2) of the Louisville Cardinals celebrates with staff member and former player Andre McGee, after defeating Michigan, 82-76, in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, Monday, April 8, 2013. (Harry E. Walker/MCT)

Colleges and athletic staffs will do anything to encourage top recruits to join collegiate teams. Two days ago, a story broke about the accounts of wild strip parties paid for by a University of Louisville graduate assistant coach. 

Now, everyone is riled up about it and are denouncing the Louisville Cardinals staff members for their actions. It's terrible that these events occurred and truthfully, strippers should never have been involved in the recruiting process. However, the criticism needs to go to the entire recruitment process itself.

Year after year, these scandals arise and the question resurfaces regarding the integrity of college recruiting. For instance, a few years ago the University of Miami caught flak for staff and players describing actions and parties similar to Louisville's current scandal. The money colleges make from these talented young athletes is too corrupting for the NCAA to not have more oversight in the recruitment process.

Instead of pointing fingers at individual colleges when they get caught, we need to seek reform for the college recruiting process. First and foremost, the recruiters need to be monitored and must be restricted to certain types of recruiting events such as team dinners, on-campus tours and innocent activities of that nature. Strippers, alcohol and gifts should never be involved in the recruiting process.

Furthermore, recruits and recruiters ought to be interviewed by an NCAA official on a regular basis to ensure the recruitment process is going safely and according to the rules. If a situation arises where the recruit describes malpractice by recruiters, then the college responsible must be sanctioned heavily.

Colleges around the country will continue to skirt the law during the recruitment process for years to come unless reform takes place. They just want the best squad so they can sell foam fingers and tickets. The NCAA needs to have a larger role in order to prevent illegal recruiting tactics such as the events that transpired in Louisville. 

Former graduate assistant coach, Andre McGee, should be ashamed for his actions. Providing young adults to strippers and paying for them to have sex with dancers is revolting given that the recruits barely reached manhood. If he wants to  engage in those activities on his own time then that is fine. But paying for young talented men to do so during college visits while possibly exposing them to STDs should earn him jail-time for this atrocity.

What if the recruit caught HIV or some other deadly infection from these strippers? I know I would sue that man out of his house for subjecting my kid to these despicable strip parties.

The NCAA needs to play a bigger role in the recruitment process or else recruits will continue to be subjected to illegal and potentially dangerous situations like the events that occurred at Louisville. Let us reform the recruitment process to create an enjoyable and innocent environment for the recruits to choose which college best suits their interests. 

The focus of the recruiters should be on proving why their college will be the best environment for the athlete's talents to cultivate while also receiving an invaluable degree.

Related Links:

Football recruiters shouldn't go after teenagers

Baseball waits for NCAA decision on appeals


Reach the columnist at Graham.Paul@asu.edu or follow @GrahamASUpress on Twitter.

Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.

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