VOLUME 51 ISSUE 11 ESTABLISHED IN 1968
THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO WWW.THEUSDVISTA.COM
Thursday, November 21, 2013
By Taylor Cabalse, Davis Jones, and Jackson Somes
The day began like any other practice. “We get dressed in the locker up individually with our coaches,” senior tight end Thomas Cobbs said. Before the practice began, Head Coach Dale Lindsey called the team together to say that Athletic Director Ky Snyder and USD President Mary Lyons had something to tell the team. “We thought they were going to be there to wish us luck,” Cobbs said. With a win against the Drake University Bulldogs, USD’s football team was on its way to another Pioneer Football League championship and a playoff bid in this year’s Football College Subdivision The reality of the meeting was much more somber. Snyder proceeded to tell the team that they were not going to the FCS playoffs and that the team would not be playing for the PFL Championship. Instead, the team was now under investigation for violating Established in 1991, the PFL was partly founded on the principle of not issuing athletic scholarships to student athletes. Since USD’s joining in 1992, championships. After informing the team of the investigation, Lyons issued the student body an email, announcing that the university’s football team had been removed from contention for the PFL Championship as well as from a playoff bid in the FCS playoffs. This history the team could compete for such a title. These penalties were issued by the USD administration after an internal investigation. After turning the investigation over to the PFL, the league’s decision has still not been made.
All PFL members operate under
students participating in high school football was considered,” Snyder said
A majority of the athletic departments aid policy. However, under PFL regulations, football teams must comply with Division III requirements, aid based on athletic performance. According to Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs, Pamela Gray Payton, the discrepancies between the
that were under speculation. “Although we compete in Division I in the FCS, the PFL follows Division III rules which…in essence…state that athletics According to Gray Payton, the possible violations stemmed from a student’s known status as a football was awarded. “The PFL issue, as I
origins of the investigation began. “The violations that the school presented to the PFL were in violation PFL Media Representative Cody Bush said. Bush later commented that there has been no prior instance in the PFL’s 10-year history when a team has been required to vacate an entire league campaign. NCAA guidelines prohibit schools operating under the DIII system to award athletic scholarships. While academic scholarships and merit scholarships are acceptable, an athlete’s ‘merit’ should not be worth more money than any other student’s just because they play a sport. A high school senior’s role in the honor choir or in a community service organization should not place them at lower odds of receiving a scholarship once they are accepted to a university, given that
“It’s very important to note that our players didn’t do anything wrong in this. They did everything right. It’s just unfortunate that this consequence had to come down,” Snyder said. understand it, is that an individual’s status as a player cannot be known she said. Gray Payton continued to say that some students were known to be football players at the time their When asked, Gray Payton said she did not know the process of awarding The Vista attempted to contact USD Financial Aid Director Judith Lewis Logue, but she declined to comment due to the ongoing investigation. Both Bush and Snyder referred to questions of when the violations may have begun as part of the university’s
“We’re working with San Diego’s administration to make sure that we get this right and that we get this situation remedied properly to the satisfaction of everyone involved.” - Cody Bush According to USD Athletic Director Ky Snyder, the violations principle. “That, in formulating the needstudents that came to USD, the
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university’s athletic program initially took up the investigation. The matter was then taken to President Lyons. USD has also contacted an outside council to assist with the examination. Any further consequences apart from the team’s self-sanctions are currently under review by both the PFL and the NCAA. The West Coast Conference, which supports other USD athletic teams such as cross country and basketball, is reportedly removed in any way from the investigation. WCC
review. No public speculation has yet been made. violation in the middle of September. After a conversation on campus raised the question in his mind, he said the
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associate commissioner Jeff Tourial said the school alerted the conference to the possible sanctions the day of the statement’s release. As far as he is aware, the WCC will have no control over the outcome of the investigation. “None of this concerns us. They told us they were going to release the statement, and we then read it when it was published on the school website,” Tourial said. Many players wonder how their if the money was distributed against PFL guidelines. Theoretically, the team could not compete in compliance aid was readministered. Schools that have faced similar sanctions, such as Pepperdine University in 2012, have traditionally been sentenced to years of probation and have been forced to vacate entire season-win totals. “That is a very good question, and an answer will be provided when San Diego brings the results of its review to the [PFL] league presidents and league athletic directors,” Bush said. “A decision will be made at that point as to what to do about the situation. But until we know what happened at
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Football closes successful season
A look at some of the quirky traditions from the against Drake For FUSO members Typhoon Hayyan hits past and present at the home of the Toreros. Team ends emotional year with a 23 -13 close to home win PAGE 2 PAGES 8-9 PAGE 16 OPINION 5-7
Continue conversations outside the classroom Students disconnect from these discusssions in their daily college lives. PAGE 6
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USD, Old Globe production brings Shakespeare to life USD’s graduate program partners with the Old Globe to reproduce a Shakespearean classic. PAGE 11
San Diego and what they plan to do to remedy the situation, we really can’t speak of anything that might happen in the future.” Snyder said the university would current players through their time on campus. He has spoken to both players and parents in an effort to clarify any further questions. “It’s very important to note that our players didn’t do anything wrong in this. They did everything right. It’s just unfortunate that this consequence had to come down,” Snyder said. As to when the investigation will conclude, no party has offered a foreseeable timeline. Bush speaks to the case’s unprecedented circumstances within the league and the school’s clear. “It’s going to be a unique situation,” Bush said. “We’re working with San Diego’s administration to make sure that we get this right and that we get this situation remedied properly to the satisfaction of everyone involved.” reviews, and the PFL and the NCAA total of this review,” Snyder said. “It’s one step at a time on this.” Gray Payton agrees that the full implications of the review have yet to be determined. “There’s just so much uncertainty. We can hope for the best and I’m not sure what that looks like,” she said. The only thing that is certain for player Thomas Cobbs is that years of athletic commitment and a chance at the PFL title have been taken away. “It was a completely emotional event because we were told that our hard work, and it was a lot of hard work, time for nothing.”