NCAA president Mark Emmert is trying to play it cool but he knows the governing body of college sports could use a new game plan. Recruiting violations have become the equivalent to rolling the stop sign or not using a blinker in traffic citations.
Emmert apparently can't stand for another minute of it, and agreed over the weekend to form a council of 10 athletic directors who would meet regularly with him and his cronies senior staff, starting in July, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The idea is to leave fewer decisions about things like recruiting rules in the hands of busy college presidents and more with the athletic directors who work with coaches and their assistants. The agreement came during Emmert's visit here to speak to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.
"It's clear right now where the association has gone, it's pushed the pendulum too far in one direction," Emmert said in the interview. "And it really has cut athletic directors out of the national discussion."
So there's the recruiting problem. Athletic directors don't have a large enough voice. Right. Not that stakes are higher than they have ever been, with some athletic departments raking in close to $100 million annually on workers they can't actually pay. Bring their bosses in and let's discuss this.
Maybe college presidents don't know the first thing about proper recruiting practices, but in this climate, who does? It's a scavenger hunt for premium with free laborers.
The decision to form this council comes as the organization is neck-deep in criticism, starting with a former NCAA enforcement representative noting that people are questioning the need and effectiveness of an enforcement staff in general.
