Playing the waiting game with the NCAA

Published 3:26 am Sunday, September 17, 2017

It’s all over now bar the NCAA’s final verdict in its case against Ole Miss.

The final testimony was heard this week and now we wait. The university already self-imposed penalties, including a bowl ban for this football season. The assumption is that the NCAA will add on more penalties when its final decision is made on what it deemed as 21 violations in the Rebel football program, most under former head coach Hugh Freeze, but nobody knows for sure.

What is known is that the Ole Miss administration, particularly Ross Bjork and Chancellor Jeff Vitter, led the university through this process with both integrity and a good fight. They showed that the university desires to play by the rules. And, they showed that the university will not simply roll over and take it from collegiate athletics’ governing body.

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In other words, Ole Miss fought back when its own investigations suggested questions.

There’s no denying that rules violations occurred, however, and that’s why it is likely that this long process will ultimately only go the way the NCAA wants it to go.

In the end, there’s no arguing with the officer when caught for speeding even if everyone else is zooming by. The university will have to pay a price, but soon enough it will all be over and the Rebel football program can get back on the road without restriction.

Everyone will just need to keep a close eye on the speedometer.