Gary Brown
College Sports Matchups
August 11, 1009
When you have been in the public eye for as long as Bobby Bowden, it is hard to fake it. He must be a good man. He is surrounded by a family that seems to adore him, stories abound regarding his dedication to serving within his church and people who know him have a difficult time finding something bad to say about him. Given these points, and so many others, it is important that his goodness and decency as a man be considered fact in any discussion regarding Florida State football and Bowden.
He can coach football. This is also an undisputable fact. With 382 career wins Bowden is in a rare class of coaches from any sport, anytime. When he arrived at Florida State the program was in a dismal state, having won only four games in the prior three seasons. Since that time he has posted one losing season, and from 1987-2000 the Seminoles were ranked in the Top Five nationally at the end of each season. In his other head coaching stops he was also a success. His Samford record was 31-6, and at West Virginia he compiled a 42-26 record. Bowden is a Hall of Fame coach and his legacy will be remembered as long as college football is played.
Here are some facts that are not as pretty though. The ones that brought the unfair glare of the NCAA to Tallahassee. Unfair because there is cheating in so many corners of college football the NCAA selectively ignores, and while the infractions committed by Florida State are serious, they were self-reported when discovered and the school immediately imposed meaningful sanctions that included suspensions and scholarship sanctions. So what are the facts of the case? Twenty-five football players cheated in class with the assistance of staff from Florida State’s academic support team between the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007.
The last fact, to this point, is from the NCAA. Florida State must forfeit the games the players appeared in. There are other details in the NCAA ruling, but for today those are the ones that matter in this discussion. Why? The outcome has potential to impact the history of the game as it relates to the leader board for all-time coaching wins. So, the question is very simple. Should the NCAA penalties stand? The answer, while many want to make it complicated, is simple as well. Yes.
While we may not like the answer, it is the correct one. Why? Look at the facts without the man involved. Some team, somewhere in time lines up a group of players who cheated in class to retain their eligibility to play. Not only did these players cheat, they also had people helping them who had been put in place by the school to make sure they received appropriate academic assistance. If this occurred in a place where we did not like the head coach, where there was not a record possibly on the line, where the career of a living legend from coaching stood to have his legacy tarnished would we think the penalty was unjust?
Florida State won games using players that should have not been on the field. The other teams, to the best of our knowledge, played the game with players who were doing their coursework the right way. When you cheat there are penalties. That is life. Would you want an official to hold a flag if Tim Tebow scored a touchdown that was aided by a clear holding violation in a game against your team? Why then do you think the NCAA should not drop one in this case?
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