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Was anyone else as annoyed as I was by Kevin Blackistone's column this morning? He actually suggested the NCAA should again lay down the death penalty. It would be one thing coming from a guy who isn't in Dallas, but Blackistone has seen first-hand the effects of the DP at SMU -- not just on the football program, but on the athletic department in general, and even on the image and stature of the university. SMU has worked hard to escape that image, and it's getting better -- certainly Coach Bennett must be given a great deal of credit for getting quality players to see the future, rather than the past, and sign with SMU. But you can't escape the fact that the DP was the single-most severe penalty ever handed down to an athletic department -- and Blackistone is suggesting they do it again at other schools. Obviously my first priority is seeing SMU get back to where it was, but I also don't want to see any other school go through what we went through.

Blackistone isn't like some of the Ticket guys who spout off opinions without ever going to a game. I've seen him at many SMU games over the years. He should know better than to recommend the use of the DP again by the NCAA. If he has ideas for another viable punishment, great. But to write what he did today was lazy cop-out journallism.

very noble of you. I on the other hand hope the DP is used again. First, I think its ludicrous to say that death is reserved for one situation and that if a school is big enough and PRETENDS to cooperate enough, they can be let off with relative slap on the wrist to multiple major violations. Second and I realize this is vindictive, is that SMU will never truly begin to lose the stigma and heal until somebody else sits on the hotseat for awhile. We've had our 17 years of 'glory', thank you very much.

We were martyred to send a message to other programs to clean up. That message has been ignored for 20 years. Our suffering has been in vain, and will continue to be unless the DP is handed otu again, fairly.

your exactly right - couch'em!

You will never see the DP handed down again by the NCAA...period! You can bet the farm and take that to the bank. I'll buy a beer for everyone on this board if it's ever handed down again.

The DP will not be handed out again because it punishes the other schools in that particular conference. With that being said, SMU certainly suffered from the DP. However, SMU'S own incompetance in running an athletic program and its own policies have as much to do with its losing ways than the DP. The DP can be used as an excuse for losing. But it is time to move on as fans and look at the idiots running the show and their policies that 'hand cuff' our coaches. Until we allow our coaches to compete with a Division 1-A model, like our competition, we will continue to struggle. I just hope it happens before even the most loyal fans are alienated.

I liked Blackistone's idea of letting the Department of Education, and the Feds police the rules enforcement. Send the players, coaches, school adminstrators, and boosters involved up to a Federal CC prison for a few years of R&R with those Enron bean counters.

NCAA has a BIG conflict of interest doing it on its own, and its use of the DP as a once time scapegoating of a school reeks.