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NCAA Dez It Again

Dez BryantOn display this past weekend were some fantastic World Series baseball games, intense NFL matchups, and it was topped off on Saturday by college football games like UF vs. UGA and USC vs. Oregon.  And then there was #3 Texas blowing out #14 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma.  All the usuals played…Colt McCoy, Jordan Shipley, Zac Robinson…but Dez Bryant was not there.  The standout wide-receiver for OK State was originally ruled ineligible for a single game while the NCAA pondered what type of penalty it would finally hand out.

Last week, the single game penalty turned into a year-long ban.  The NCAA suspended Bryant for the rest of the 2009 season and any bowl game that OK State might play in.  Oklahoma State appealed the suspension, which seems rather harsh based on the situation (unless there are facts that have been withheld to the public).  We may find out the result of that appeal as early as tomorrow.

It sure seems as if OK State gets picked on a lot by the NCAA.  Remember Andy Oliver?  He played at the same institution before signing with a professional team in the 2009 draft.

The NCAA flexes its muscle again.  Are you impressed?  If Bryant would have solicited advice of an attorney, would the NCAA have pulled an Andy Oliver and tried to say that he was ineligible for that too?

Shouldn’t the NCAA be the advocate for its student-athletes above everything else?  I perceive the institution in a different light.  Its actions lead me to question its purpose at times.  With Brandon Jennings performing at a high level in the NBA (yes, it is a very small sample to look at) after saying no to college and playing a year overseas, shouldn’t the NCAA try to do more to show that it cares about its players.  Suspending them for a season without giving solid justification, makes me think that athletes will want to get in and out (or never in) of college as fast as possible.

Again, if the penalty is merely in response to Dez lying to NCAA officials, then I think it is excessive.  If there are facts unknown to me and the rest of the general public, then that is another story.  OK State was 4-0 without Bryant…until last weekend.  41-14.  Season over.  Reminiscent of last year’s College World Series.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner created Sports Agent Blog as a New Year's Resolution on December 31, 2005. Originally titled, "I Want To Be A Sports Agent," the website was founded with the intention of causing Heitner to learn more about the profession that he wanted to join, meet reputable individuals in the space and force himself to stay on top of the latest news and trends.

Heitner now runs Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., which is a law firm with many practice areas, including sports law and contract law. Heitner has represented numerous athletes and sports agents as legal counsel. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington from 2011-2014, where he created and taught a course titled, Sport Agency Management, which included subjects ranging from NCAA regulations to athlete agent certification and the rules governing the profession. Heitner serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches a Sports Law class that includes case law surrounding athlete agents and the NCAA rules.

One reply on “NCAA Dez It Again”

I find it odd that John Wall was suspended one game for taking improper benefits from a registered agent, while Dez Bryant is suspended one calender year for associating with Deion Sanders (well, at least that’s all we know). Doesn’t make much sense to me.

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