Column: Corruption in college sports

Sara Mettlen
Staff Writer
Feb. 26, 2004, Page 6

When did college sports become breeding ground for scandals?
In the past, collegiate athletes were held to high standards. Not only did they excel in the classroom, they had physical abilities that most were not blessed with. Stepping onto the court or field took them to an almost god-like status among other students and those who watched them play.
Now come headlines riddled with controversy. Katie Hnida, former University of Colorado kicker, said in a “Sports Illustrated” interview that she was raped by a teammate while at Colorado. To compound matters, allegations of recruiting tactics that include alcohol, strippers and escort services are looming over the Colorado football program.
Reports came out in January, stating that a trial date for Carlton Dotson had been set for March 22. Dotson is charged with the murder of his former Baylor University basketball teammate Patrick Dennehy Jr. Matters were made worse for Baylor when an assistant coach came forward saying that Dave Bliss tried to portray Dennehy as a drug dealer.
Those instances are just the tip of the iceberg. Larry Eustachey, former Iowa State basketball coach, resigned after pictures surfaced of him drinking and kissing coeds after a game. Mike Price was fired as Alabama head football coach before even coaching a game because of spending a night on the town that included a trip to a topless bar. It seems no one can be trusted anymore.
The problem is obvious, but solutions are not as clear. One way to keep players out of trouble is to stress success in the classroom. Colorado basketball player Michel Morandais passed only one class in the fall semester, but is still allowed to play. Iowa State has a 21-year-old freshman on the basketball team.
He spent four years at a prep school to get his grades high enough to enter college, but still has four years of college eligibility left.
Rather than letting players be just athletes, make them be student-athletes. Enforce minimum grade point averages, require them to pass a certain number of hours, and make them attend classes.
A second way to deal with the problem is to improve leadership on the teams.
Coaches need to have more substance than just their winning percentage. Eustachy, Price and Bliss did not set good examples for their players.
The day after reports of Hnida’s rape accusations came out, Colorado football coach Gary Barnett said Hnida was “terrible” and couldn’t kick the ball through the uprights.
Keep in mind that Hnida was the first woman to ever score points in a Division I-A college football game. College athletes should be held to high standards, but the coaches should be held to even higher standards.
The problem is large and it will take time for any changes to come into effect, especially positive change. The first step to fixing the problem is recognizing it, however, and through coverage of scandals like the Hnida rape accusations, the public is beginning to see the problem.