Coast to coast, at big schools and small, from university presidents to student-athletes, everybody seems to be in on the action. Most colleges are still on summer vacation, but headline writers haven't lacked for material.
Heard the one about the basketball coach in Texas who tried to cover up his own sins by framing a dead kid from his program?
How about the kid who might be the best tailback in the nation claiming thieves took enough audio and video equipment out of a car he was TEST-DRIVING (emphasis mine) to outfit Master P's home theater?
Or how about the teaching assistant from the same school -- clue: it rhymes with "Buy Your Fate" -- who said the star running back and some teammates got crib sheets from tutors and traded answers?
Brand has heard them all, and watched the footage from the latest "Coaches Gone Wild" video. To put it mildly, he's fed up.
What's made it even tougher to hold his tongue is how the tsunami of bad news drowned out any mention of the strides the NCAA made in academic reform and forcing university presidents to take responsibility for the leaking ships they're steering.
"I'm just appalled by what's going on right now in college sports. We have high profile coaches clearly misbehaving and being bad actors and the usual number of student-athletes (in trouble) has even increased," Brand said.
"The NCAA cannot control individual behavior, that's up to the individuals. But when we have a crime wave, we have to take action. The NCAA will work harder and more diligently."
During a telephone interview Thursday from Indianapolis headquarters, Brand candidly acknowledged just about every problem that's crossed his desk since taking the reins at the NCAA.
The former Indiana University president has done most of his work behind the scenes so far, but that might change. He is no stranger to bold words or actions, either. Three years ago, Brand put Bob Knight on a zero-tolerance diet and then banished the red-sweatered menace from Bloomington as soon as he fell off the wagon again. Brand sees some of that same arrogance around today.
"The way some coaches are acting, they seem to feel they're above normal considerations and morality, and that's highly unacceptable," he said. "Perhaps they believe their market value gives them permission not to follow the rules of morality and that's just false."
~ Full Story From the AP Here ~
Heard the one about the basketball coach in Texas who tried to cover up his own sins by framing a dead kid from his program?
How about the kid who might be the best tailback in the nation claiming thieves took enough audio and video equipment out of a car he was TEST-DRIVING (emphasis mine) to outfit Master P's home theater?
Or how about the teaching assistant from the same school -- clue: it rhymes with "Buy Your Fate" -- who said the star running back and some teammates got crib sheets from tutors and traded answers?
Brand has heard them all, and watched the footage from the latest "Coaches Gone Wild" video. To put it mildly, he's fed up.
What's made it even tougher to hold his tongue is how the tsunami of bad news drowned out any mention of the strides the NCAA made in academic reform and forcing university presidents to take responsibility for the leaking ships they're steering.
"I'm just appalled by what's going on right now in college sports. We have high profile coaches clearly misbehaving and being bad actors and the usual number of student-athletes (in trouble) has even increased," Brand said.
"The NCAA cannot control individual behavior, that's up to the individuals. But when we have a crime wave, we have to take action. The NCAA will work harder and more diligently."
During a telephone interview Thursday from Indianapolis headquarters, Brand candidly acknowledged just about every problem that's crossed his desk since taking the reins at the NCAA.
The former Indiana University president has done most of his work behind the scenes so far, but that might change. He is no stranger to bold words or actions, either. Three years ago, Brand put Bob Knight on a zero-tolerance diet and then banished the red-sweatered menace from Bloomington as soon as he fell off the wagon again. Brand sees some of that same arrogance around today.
"The way some coaches are acting, they seem to feel they're above normal considerations and morality, and that's highly unacceptable," he said. "Perhaps they believe their market value gives them permission not to follow the rules of morality and that's just false."
~ Full Story From the AP Here ~