How clean is our own house?

[Scarlet Overkill]

Things coming out about OSU just got me to thinking that Nebraska has got to make sure similar types of things aren't happening in Lincoln. If Boise State can get lack of institutional control for some (what I consider) teeny tiny things, it makes a person wonder just how much goes on elsewhere that can be flagged.

 

[EZ-E]

I would say that we commit about 5-10 MINOR NCAA infractions per year. I use the term minor very loosely as well because just about anything can be taken as a minor infraction. We self-report each year, and we are done. I really think Brent Musburger said it right (please dont ANYONE use it against me HuskerNation) "The cover-up is worse than the crime."

 

[Nexus]

I certainly do not envy people employed as University Athletics Compliance Officers. Especially in the internet age. While I do not condone rule-breaking, I also get no personal joy in witnessing other institutions getting "nailed to the cross" so-to-speak. I know I wouldn't enjoy being taunted by opposing institutions if it were my school being nailed. It's instances like these that makes me hope and ask what Got Carl? is asking in this very thread. If we learn anything from these cases, it's that no institution is immune. A simple lapse in judgment whether at the individual and/or institutional level can go bad really quickly if handled incorrectly.

Having said that, I did some research and found that Nebraska football shows 3 major infractions committed in the NCAA Legislative Services Database since 1953. Furthermore, I found a 2009 LJS article saying that Nebraska reports between 20-30 secondary violations per year.

1986 - Football & Softball (PDF File)

1975 - Football (PDF File)

1967 - Football (PDF File)

 

[da skers]

Those numbers include all sports.

 

[Nexus]

Those numbers include all sports.

For secondary violations, yes.

But four major violations show up in the LSDBi: Football ('86, '75, '67), Men's Swimming & Wrestling ('02), Women's Softball ('86). Technically Nebraska has committed 6 major violations across 4 different sports.

 

[knapplc]

How clean is our own house?

Probably about as clean as your average school. My guess is you could find a major violation or two at every single D1A school out there if you put in the time to investigate them. I'm sure there are privileges being given to Husker athletes like there are to athletes at Missouri, Michigan, Montana and Morgan State. The hope is that whatever shenanigans are going on at your campus are under sufficient control that they don't warrant closer inspection.

We've had the NCAA poking around campus several times in the last decade. Something comes up, they do their inspection tour, and minor violations are found, but nothing more. Let's just hope it stays that way.

 

[NUance]

How clean is our own house?

Probably about as clean as your average school. My guess is you could find a major violation or two at every single D1A school out there if you put in the time to investigate them. I'm sure there are privileges being given to Husker athletes like there are to athletes at Missouri, Michigan, Montana and Morgan State. The hope is that whatever shenanigans are going on at your campus are under sufficient control that they don't warrant closer inspection.

We've had the NCAA poking around campus several times in the last decade. Something comes up, they do their inspection tour, and minor violations are found, but nothing more. Let's just hope it stays that way.

Maybe cleaner than the average top 20 school. Definitely cleaner than any SEC team. And probably some teams from Texas/Oklahoma.

 

[da skers]

We're lucky the NCAA wasn't around more when Blake was here. I know the compliance department was relieved when he left. He definitely tried to push the envelope and was asked to not do things that he wanted to do. I guess Butch Davis didn't care as much.

 

[knapplc]

How clean is our own house?

Probably about as clean as your average school. My guess is you could find a major violation or two at every single D1A school out there if you put in the time to investigate them. I'm sure there are privileges being given to Husker athletes like there are to athletes at Missouri, Michigan, Montana and Morgan State. The hope is that whatever shenanigans are going on at your campus are under sufficient control that they don't warrant closer inspection.

We've had the NCAA poking around campus several times in the last decade. Something comes up, they do their inspection tour, and minor violations are found, but nothing more. Let's just hope it stays that way.

Maybe cleaner than the average top 20 school. Definitely cleaner than any SEC team. And probably some teams from Texas/Oklahoma.

Bo and the staff can't police these guys 24/7/365. It's just realistic to think that someone will take advantage of someone not looking.

I think what we'd both agree on is the idea that Bo doesn't seem like the kind of guy who could/would trample on the compliance handbook like Tressel seems to have done. But if there's one thing this Tressel situation has taught me, it's to never say never.

 

[bhamHusker]

Things coming out about OSU just got me to thinking that Nebraska has got to make sure similar types of things aren't happening in Lincoln. If Boise State can get lack of institutional control for some (what I consider) teeny tiny things, it makes a person wonder just how much goes on elsewhere that can be flagged.

To be clear, the football team's violations at BSU were actually pretty minor, but that's not what got them the lack of institutional control violation. There were rules violations, minor and major, across multiple athletic programs and occurring over several years at BSU. In particular, there was some extremely shady stuff going on within the women's tennis program. Just within that program, there were these "teeny tiny" violations: knowingly playing ineligible players, conducting practices that are not allowed by the rules, and lying to NCAA investigators among other lesser violations. It is the sum of all of these violations throughout the athletic department that led to them being hit with lack of institutional control.

You never really know, but I suspect that we're running a relatively clean ship across the board, not withstanding the minor things that happen at every program every year.

 

[huskerfan333157]

If you think nebraska is clean then youre a delusional homer. No top 25 program is clean, none of the top revenue making programs are clean...But, thats how you keep ahead because EVERY major college football program will have infractions.

 

[bhamHusker]

I should have expanded on this, but I was in a hurry to wrap up that post. Clean as in relative to other programs. Clean as in not so out of control as to draw unwarranted attention. Clean as in not being in the habit of committing major rules violations like knowingly playing ineligible players, providing houses for star RB's parents or paying 6 figure sums to get players (see Albert Means & Alabama). Obviously every program is going to have infractions. We do, everyone else does. We investigate and self-report several a year, but there's a difference between being dirty and making the occasional mistake.

If thinking that we're "relatively clean" makes me a delusional homer, I'll take that. Better that than an ill-mannered cynic any day.

 

[ADS]

We're lucky the NCAA wasn't around more when Blake was here. I know the compliance department was relieved when he left. He definitely tried to push the envelope and was asked to not do things that he wanted to do. I guess Butch Davis didn't care as much.

I kind of remember Blake might have had some minor infractions during his recruitment of Brandon Jackson.

 

[kchusker_chris]

Things coming out about OSU just got me to thinking that Nebraska has got to make sure similar types of things aren't happening in Lincoln. If Boise State can get lack of institutional control for some (what I consider) teeny tiny things, it makes a person wonder just how much goes on elsewhere that can be flagged.

To be clear, the football team's violations at BSU were actually pretty minor, but that's not what got them the lack of institutional control violation. There were rules violations, minor and major, across multiple athletic programs and occurring over several years at BSU. In particular, there was some extremely shady stuff going on within the women's tennis program. Just within that program, there were these "teeny tiny" violations: knowingly playing ineligible players, conducting practices that are not allowed by the rules, and lying to NCAA investigators among other lesser violations. It is the sum of all of these violations throughout the athletic department that led to them being hit with lack of institutional control.

You never really know, but I suspect that we're running a relatively clean ship across the board, not withstanding the minor things that happen at every program every year.

I'd say Boise is a victim of their own success in this instance. A relatively small athletic department that became very high profile, very quickly. Their budget didn't rise as fast as their fame - and they were probably operating in a compliance mind-set that trailed their programs progression.

Not a big deal IMO - Nebraska has been a top-level program for years and has the budget to better monitor the hundreds of athletes. Programs like Ohio State/NU probably spend 750k-1million+ yearly on compliance. How could Boise ever be expected to match that - yet they still have the same number of scholarship athletes and are required to play by the same rules. It's kind of unfortunate for them.

Ultimately it's all determined by the character of the individual recruited, which is why I'm not as worried about NU as I would be with the tOSU. You can take the girl out of the trailer park, but you can't take the trailer park out of the girl. Well, I'm sorry to say in most instances when you pluck the QB out of the ghetto, he'll be bringing the ghetto (and his ghetto friends who get him in trouble) along with him.

 

[knapplc]

Ultimately it's all determined by the character of the individual recruited, which is why I'm not as worried about NU as I would be with the tOSU. You can take the girl out of the trailer park, but you can't take the trailer park out of the girl. Well, I'm sorry to say in most instances when you pluck the QB out of the ghetto, he'll be bringing the ghetto (and his ghetto friends who get him in trouble) along with him.

I thought this same exact thing a little bit ago, and that got me to thinking - we've recruited a number of guys from "the wrong side of the tracks." Fifteen years ago LP proved a bad gamble by Osborne. We've had a number of guys who've made us proud coming from downtrodden circumstances (Thenarse comes to mind). In the end it falls on the player, because Pelini and Staff cannot babysit these guys every night. They have to have the character to absorb the rules & regs and stick to them, even when nobody's looking.

It's got to be a 24/7 gutbuster being a head coach at a high-profile college. I can't imagine being responsible - and so publicly - for 100+ kids.