Saturday, June 26, 1999
Tarnished Gophers lay golden egg
BY TIM SULLIVAN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Clem Haskins leaves the University of Minnesota with a mighty big mess and a $1.5 million parting gift. Next time somebody tells you crime doesn't pay, refer them to big-time college basketball.
Haskins has been forced to resign as head coach of the Golden Gophers, following unrefuted allegations of extensive academic fraud. In some businesses, the man in charge of an out-of-control operation gets fired for his failures. In college athletics, he simply negotiates a settlement package.
Minnesota is paying Haskins to go away quietly, though the scandal that developed on his watch will resonate for decades. Haskins is free to coach again at some other school, while Minnesota's remaining players are stuck in steerage on a sinking ship.
If there is a constant in college athletics at the close of the century, it is that the consequences of coaches' misdeeds most often are felt by the kids they recruit.
When Rick Pitino bolted the University of Kentucky for the Boston Celtics, he left behind misled recruits whose decision to play basketball in Lexington was influenced largely by Pitino's presence and his promises.
When some of those same recruits later elected to move on, their mobility was restricted. NCAA rules make transfers ineligible to compete during their first year at a new school. Those athletes who transfer without the blessings of their coach are obliged to sit out two full seasons.
What's good for the goose ...
Pitino, of course, was free to go. Neither his contract nor his conscience posed any obstacle to his career advancement. When it comes to intercollegiate athletics, there is no standard like the Double Standard.
This is particularly true in the big-money sports of football and men's basketball because of the amount of leverage a successful coach can wield. Haskins' contract with Minnesota was so lucrative that it included a $423,000 buyout even in the event of a just-cause firing. If you've wondered about the derivation of Golden Gophers, it evidently refers to the color of their parachutes.
“Often, these contracts reflect market power,” Minnesota President Mark Yudof told a lawyers group Thursday. “In the sports business, frankly, negotiating contracts ... is not like negotiating a contract for a professor or even for a university president.”
Yet while even the lowliest professor is effectively a free agent — able to negotiate terms and conditions — the most accomplished student-athlete is essentially an indentured servant. The grant-in-aid is renewable from year to year, at the discretion of the coach, and the loyalty of some coaches runs to roughly the same depth as an Adam Sandler film festival.
At Auburn University alone, six football players lost their scholarships this spring. West Virginia basketball coach Gale Catlett has committed to 16 scholarships for next season, knowing he must trim to 13. On some American campuses, if a 7-
foot student were spotted on campus one morning, some scrub would be cleaning out his locker by lunchtime.
... doesn't apply to the gander
The scales could not be much more out of balance with a sumo wrestler on one side and Calista Flockhart on the other. College coaches like Haskins can tarnish their institutions irreparably and still walk away with seven-figure settlements. College athletes can generate millions of dollars in revenue, but they still get no guarantees.
Case in point: Former University of Cincinnati women's volleyball coach Mike Lingenfelter left his wife for one of his players and subsequently left the school. It was a traumatic time for Lingenfelter's players and their parents, but the NCAA rulebook provided little comfort.
“My daughter was acting funny,” Carole Graham said in a 1996 interview. “Finally I said, "Katie what's the matter with you?' She told me what was going on. She was worried that she would not get her scholarship with Mike not being there.”
No innocent athlete should be penalized for the improprieties of a coach. All of them deserve more rights.
Tim Sullivan welcomes your e-mail at tsullivan@enquirer.com
Haskins coverage from Associated Press
