This is probably why B-Hop didn't play tonight

[mrydel]

There should be sit down sessions with all of the athletes at least once a year, and especially prior to being dismissed for the summer. They need to know and be reminded of what they can and can not do. Does that mean they will all abide or that none of them will forget...no, but it does help in showing due diligence on the behalf of the University. Remember in case you can not tell, over the past 20 years, it is the University and its fans that have suffered, not the athletes who partook of illegal or improper activities. I want to know that the compliance director had informed the players that this was not a proper activity. Then , if Hop did wrong, let the punishment fit the crime. But do not try to make excuses for the compliance director if the kids had not been told about this. That is like saying the Texas baseball coach really thought there was no 2nd place ceremony when he had partaken of them in the past. SMU has to maintain a squeaky clean reputation after our past activities. I want equally footing but only on the legal side. Let us let the other guys get caught doing wrong. I only hope that it will come out that the players were told that play in this event was improper and that Hop just forgot. We shall see as it comes out, But if compliance meetings are not being held with these players, something needs to change and quickly.

AND if my assistant is caught doing something wrong while I am out, first I get blamed and secondly she is properly punished or reprimanded.

[SCHOOPS]

Okay...I'm going to but my two cents in again....Looking at the orginal Global Games roster B-Hop wasn't on it. So maybe that is why it was overlooked. It seems like everyone is making this out to be more than one it is. It's a minor infraction not the death penalty. The only difference between this one and the one's that are committed by North Texas, UT, and A & M is this one made the paper.

[PK]

Maybe not every minute detail, but more importantly, I know where the buck stops. If this guy did not do his job right, that's his responsibility. If a well known basketball tournament is coming up on your own campus, and a number of your players are playing in it, you damned well better make sure it is proper under NCAA rules if you job entails NCAA rules compliance. And if there is a question, you better damned well let your players know in advance. How can you even argue with that PK?

The problem here jt is that you are slaming someone without even knowing the facts of the case...wouldn't you like the jury to hear the facts before they assess the verdict? After all, you may very well have instructed your employee multiple times on a matter and they still screwup...does that mean you haven't done your job?

Obviously the only thing we do know is that once it was known that B-Hop had played in a non-sanctioned event, he was pulled out of the event and we immediately began the proper procedure of notifying the NCAA. What none of us knows is the facts leading up to his appearance in the games...therefore, your placing blame without facts is a rather kneejerk like reaction. I just think that it may very well be a matter of a last minute decision without proper thought on B-Hop's part as much as anything...but then I don't know that to be a fact either.

I think our record over they last 15 years attest to the fact that we are for the most part doing a pretty damn good job of administering NCAA compliance.

[jtstang]

Well one of the two happened. Either the compliance guy dropped the ball and didn't tell Hopkins or Hopkins played after being told not to. Frankly, if it's the latter, SMU should be sanctioning Hopkins on top of what the NCAA hands down. Since there ain't no jury here, and I doubt we will ever find out what really happened from SMU, I have to go with my gut instinct which says the compliance guy has to answer for all instances of non-compliance. That is all.

[PK]

Thanks Stallion..er...jt. I guess it's a lawyer thing. Never admit to maybe...just maybe being wrong. That's all.

[jtstang]

Well my previous post lays out two possibilities, and one of them has to be right. Either way it's a f'd up situation and a lack of institutional control over a player or lack of institutional responsibility over compliance, which includes communication of those requirements to players. And the non-compliance is admitted, which makes me think its the latter.

Could I be wrong about that? Sure, but there is absolutely no evidence that Hopkins knowingly violated a rule, which would be the alternate explanation. If I've missed a possibility let me know, and I'll be glad to reconsider whether I need to further admit a possibility of being wrong. However, please understand no amount of rationalizing this situation by you or anyone else is going to convince me it is alright for our players to be committing NCAA violations, regardless of the excuse.

[SCHOOPS]

J_Stang just like PK said in his earlier post lets not slam anyone. We as fans will not know the entire truth. We can only guess what happen. Minor infractions in a perfect world should not happen but SMU compliance department done a good job catching it before it got out of control. Just think what would of happen if B-Hop would of played in the entire Global Games event. They indentified a problem and took the proper measures to correct the situation.

[LA_Mustang]

How bout that Ukrainian squad?

[SCHOOPS]

that's a good idea LA....i think this horse is dead.

[PK]

However, please understand no amount of rationalizing this situation by you or anyone else is going to convince me it is alright for our players to be committing NCAA violations, regardless of the excuse.

Don't know who has rationalized that it is alright to break NCAA rules, certainly not me. All I'm saying is you should not be slaming somebody on a public forum without facts to back it up. I think that is called slander. You have forgotten all about another possiblility and that is that a coach could have told B-Hop it was OK. Don't know if that happened either. With nothing more concrete than your "gut" to go on, you are IMHO way off base to be castigating the guy for not doing his job.

Other than that jt...how's your love life these days?

[jtstang]

Now, PK, I did not slander anybody (in print, it's libel I think), I merely posed questions and implied possible answers to them. But I'm done being a lawyer for the day.

My love life is actually going well, thanks for asking. Dating a UT grad, I regret to admit, though. Met her living next door of all places. She'll probably be one of the 3 or 4 I drag along with me to the 'vard and Ford this fall.

[PK]

One of the perks of living in the lower Greenville area...lots of nice neighbors!!! Hey, if you can get a UT grad to an SMU game, more power to you.

[Lefty]

Make her buy the tickets!

[jtstang]

Your missing something here. She went to UT, so naturally she is unemployed. I'll have to buy the tix.

[PK]

That's OK...you can afford it. Every butt in a seat (or at least every torn ticket) is important, so bring her on.