I'm sick to death of the sports talking heads telling me to feel sorry for Mike Williams. They keep lamenting the fact that he "followed the rules" and the cold and heartless NCAA denied his reinstatement. I was really surprised to hear that Bill Curry also had this same reasoning. Coach, I think you're wrong.
The popular argument is that Williams, upon learning that the NFL had won in the Clarett case, did everything necessary to become an amateur again. He severed ties with his agent, he gave back the money (likely story) and he re-enrolled in classes at USC. See? He wants to be a student-athlete again. He did everything he was supposed to, didn't he?
Uh, not really.
Actually, Mike Williams did NOT follow the rules, and it's shocking to hear all these people that appear to be knowledgeable claim otherwise. The NCAA has delineated steps that players can take to test the NFL draft. These are often called "rules." If Mike Williams had stayed in school at USC, he's permitted to contact agents, NFL personnel experts, NFL coaches and others to help him determine his draft position. If Mike Williams had not taken the money from the agent, he doesn't have to give anything back and he's still eligible to play in the NCAA. I mean if we learned one thing from the Clarett case, it's that you can't take the money if you want to play college ball. Everybody knows that. To claim that he gave the money back is disingenuous, not to mention, impossible to prove.
So, the rules that he could have followed if he wanted to play college football are simple: 1. Continue to go to school and make progress towards your degree. 2. Consult with the necessary professionals and experts to determine your likely draft position (a no-brainer in this case, obviously this guy is going to get drafted in the first round and probably in the first five picks. I'm not even an expert, and I can figure that out). 3. Don't take money from any agents or for endorsements. Following these simple rules would have allowed Mike Williams to maintain his college eligibility when the NFL won the Clarett case (also very likely, if you get even half-way decent legal advice). Mike Williams did NOT follow the rules and therefore, he should not be re-instated.
Maybe you can argue that the NCAA's timing in the release of their decision stinks, but you cannot fault the decision itself.
Once again, you are absolutely right oh great one. Williams clearly got some very bad legal advice from his agent (or someone close to him) and that's where the anger should be directed in this particular case.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the NCAA's position with respect to the Colorado punt return/Olympic skier IS ridiculous.
You really think so? He was trying to take sponsorship money from Nike and some national exercise chain. How do we know it's not because he plays football? I originally thought it stupid too, but not when I learned about the sponsors he wanted money from. If the sponsors were only ski equipment manufacturers, like Burton, K2, etc, then I agree with you. Now, I'm not so sure.
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