College football's governing body
informed Oklahoma this week that their compliance kinda messed up in about as many words.
The NCAA alleges Oklahoma failed to adequately monitor the employment of several athletes, including some football players who worked during the academic year.
Well no freaking duh. Either the NCAA was just being thorough or it moves about as fast as a glacier. The story broke in August and it's now February.
Either way, Oklahoma and everyone else in college football already realizes the nature of the alleged violation. Oklahoma responded swiftly in booting quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn off the team after it was learned they were involved in a cash for fake work scheme at a nearby auto dealership.
How much of this is Oklahoma's actual fault is anybody's guess but the Sooners did respond quickly and that has to be given some weight at their hearing before the NCAA in April. I'm more apt to blame the players, as Bomar was twice arrested during his short Sooner stay for underage drinking, once while at an NBA game.
All of this and more is what is troublesome about college football's offseason. What passes for news this week is mostly a series of allegations against big time programs for recruiting improprieties and the rehasing of old gaffes whose expiration date passed long ago.
When's spring ball? Please tell me it's tomorrow somewhere, anywhere. Is there a college football team in Alaska we can follow for a few weeks? Can USC or Florida assemble a skeleton squad and barnstorm? Where is the real news? Aaaaargh.
In the wake of saucy recruiting allegations against USC, Florida coach Urban Meyer nearly had the whistle blown on him this week.
