Regular contributer Regan offers his thoughts about the Canes.
There is a difference between "fault" and "responsibility", but it's not one that really matters.
I actually didn't like the Miami Hurricanes when I was growing up in the 80's. I went to Clemson games with my dad, and all I knew of the 'Canes were things like this . The stories of brawls, running up the score, and thuggery were all we really heard about 'The U', and it took a long time before I actually came to understand the mentality of the program.
By the time I was looking for colleges to attend in 1995, I liked what I saw at the University of Miami and seriously considered going there. Funding issues kept me in-state, and I went to a school with no CFB team. It was a few years later during college that my interest in CFB resurged, and I started watching Miami football again. It was a totally different situation with Butch Davis having cleaned up the program. Losing by five touchdowns to FSU, a 5-6 season, massive reductions, etc. were disheartening for a program - but at least they were clean. Redeemed, if you will. I'm a sucker for redemption stories and started pulling for 'The U' like they were my own, because I didn't actually have one.
Then came 2000-2001, when the 'Canes returned to full form - this time with class. It was a wonderful story. The Michael Irvins of the past had been replaced by the Ken Dorseys; the team was stand-up and winning at the same time, after doing their time in the doghouse. The years went by and the 'Canes started a down slide - inevitable when you have so much success, but even the guys that came after were classy, good guys. People like Brock Berlin and Frank Gore were wonderful guys who could be role models for kids across America. Then, as the losses piled up, pressure was put on Coker to be fired.
The On-Field Brawl against FIU was the turning point for many, including me. Coker had to go, because that wasn't Miami anymore. The 'Canes weren't beholden to the shadows of the past, despite the fact that few seemed to notice - things had to change. When Randy Shannon took over, it was a sigh of relief at how much of a disciplinarian he was. He reigned in those kids and Miami's compliance had become a shining example of how a team could wash itself clean of it's old ways. Efforts at compliance were massive. Even when Shannon was fired, the job he'd done with the program's reputation was stellar, and when Al Golden was announced to replace him, worries were put to rest about the classiness of the program's future.
That was four days ago. Now, people are openly calling for the 'Death Penalty'. There was absolutely no warning - and I follow this sport every single day, on-season and off.
No warning that something was out there that went this deep. That hit this many players I'd built up so much respect for. And all because of what? A guy in prison for a ponzi scheme that tainted the team over eight years.
Over the last year we've seen unprecedented levels of NCAA crackdowns on teams because of improper benefits, recruiting violations, etc. If you're a fair person, you'll consider Miami innocent until proven guilty, but if you're an informed person, you'd realize at this point that there is just too much out there to be truly fair to the 'Canes.
In this down economy, we have seen many respected institutions and companies ruined by gold-digging CEO's who then jumped ship, dragging down the company's name and stock while making out like the bandits they were. The same thing is happening in College Football, but the NCAA could stop it - by updating the way it goes about enforcement.
I can only hope that the NCAA will one day figure out that the best way to punish improper behavior is to punish those individuals that behave improperly, not the kids that will play three years down the road, or the fans who in some cases see their schools penalized for the actions of a coach long gone (Lane Kiffin comes to mind). Discussions and agreements with the NFL and NBA must happen to ensure that kids that take benefits and gifts will only do so at the threat of losing down the road. Consequences for bad behavior must be borne by those who actually commit these acts, or they will continue.
Sadly, none of this will help Miami. At the end of the day, it's looking like up to six former assistant coaches were complicit, and that justifies the set of encyclopedias the NCAA will hurl at Coral Gables. Jacory Harris, Sean Spence, and anyone else on the roster who took this guy's bait need to be cut loose. Now. Golden and those who actually are clean at Miami are going to have to weather this storm with their heads held high, knowing they are staring at a tidal wave on the horizon.
And I'll still be cheering them on, and would ask others to also - because it's not their fault.
It's not even The University of Miami's "fault". But at the end of the day it is their responsibility.
And while there is a difference between "fault" and "responsibility", it's not one that really matters.
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