Apparently, the University Of South Carolina’s admissions standards are a tad more exacting than the NCAA’s minimum requirements. To hear head coach Steve Spurrier tell the tale, such a practice is putting him at a competitive disadvantage. From The State’s Joseph Person :
Saying he was embarrassed by the university™s rejection of two of his recruits, South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier said Sunday he would leave the school if there are no changes made in the admissions process.
œAs long as I™m the coach here, we™re going to take guys that qualify, Spurrier said. œIf not, then I have to go somewhere else because I can™t tell a young man, ˜You™re coming to school here,™ he qualifies, and not do that. And we did that this year.
Wide receiver Michael Bowman of Wadesboro, N.C., and defensive back Arkee Smith of Jacksonville, Fla., were turned down by USC™s special admissions committee despite being NCAA-qualified.
Speaking for 3½ minutes on the topic, Spurrier punctuated his points by jabbing his eyeglasses in the air. Though he carried a page of handwritten remarks to the microphone, he never referred to them.
œIn my opinion, we made a mistake in doing this. I™m not criticizing the president. He said we™re going to change how we do it. But for our credibility ” mine and the coaching staff ” I just want the high school coaches, the parents of players and all them to know ” that that™s not going to happen here if I continue to be the coach, said Spurrier, who agreed to a contract extension last year that gave him a $500,000 raise and keeps him at USC through the 2012 season.
œI plan on being the coach here a long time. We can have a heckuva big-time college football program here at South Carolina if we want to do things the right way, Spurrier added. œHopefully, and I truly believe this is the last year this is going to happen because I can™t operate like that. I can™t operate misleading young men.
Spurrier’s concerned about the school’s credibility? Maybe USC and other institutions of higher learning would be more credible if they didn’t admit dimwits. The fact that sports take precedent over actually getting an education makes colleges less credible than if students who apply are held to a minimum (usually, dumb-as-rocks) standard.
And the concept of “student-athletes” erodes a bit further.
I can understand Spurrier’s perspective from a standpoint of timing. These kids probably signed their letters of intent a while back, it’s not like they were submitted to the Admissions Office as a last minute surprise. If they weren’t going to make it in, the right thing to do would have been to tell them that earlier.
it’s about time someone stood up for the rights of dumbass football players. it is so hard for them to date rape our daughters without the support of a university environment. And Spurrier does the right thing by threatenign to quit if he doesn’t get his way–kudos all around!