PAY THE DAMN KIDS

The blatant hypocrisy fueling an FBI probe into college basketball recruiting practices

ZACH JOACHIM Sports Editor

Don’t you hate it when people act surprised to find out something you know they already knew?

We all despise this specific brand of hypocrisy, and yet, here we are. An ongoing FBI investigation into more than 20 major NCAA college basketball programs is set to drop the hammer on “corrupt” recruiting practices in collegiate hoops, and the country is aghast as relatively obvious reports of the “unthinkable” begin to surface.

Former coach at the University of Louisville, Rick Pitino, was run out of town amid a scandal involving paying escorts for players prior to the 2017-18 season. Sean Miller, head coach at the No. 14 University of Arizona, did not coach this past weekend. ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach reported Friday FBI wiretaps caught Miller speaking with a representative for an agent about making a six-figure payment to land current National Player of the Year candidate, freshman forward Deandre Ayton.

Schlabach wrote three dozen teams could be penalized. Yahoo Sports’ Pat Forde and Pete Thames reported Friday the FBI probe targets blue bloods such as Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Michigan State University, the University of Kansas and the University of Kentucky.

For such heinous and unspeakable behavior, these ‘corrupt’ recruiting practices were quite widespread. In reality, any- body who knows college basketball knew this was going on beneath the surface.

“This is one agent,” said Syracuse University coach Jim Boeheim in reference to the Miller report. “Imagine what all the other ones are doing. Agents have been involved with families for 30 years. We have blinders on.”

If everybody is breaking the rules, it’s not the offenders that need to be given a reality check.

It’s the rules themselves.

Let’s get one thing straight — major college basketball and football programs make big money for universities. Donor contributions, media contracts and attendance boosts generated by athletic programs are cornerstones of collegiate revenue. If you’re looking for an example of these factors manifesting in the growth of a university, look no further than right