Yesterday I made a brief post concerning the University of Tennessee and their basketball coach Bruce Pearl. If you didn’t know, Pearl had to apologize for lying to the NCAA about recruiting violations. I also linked to an informal survey by ESPN of 20 top NCAA basketball coaches.

While looking further into the story, I came to see that the entire Bruce Pearl incident serves as a good example of much that is wrong in big-time college athletics.

First of all, sad to say, but Pearl does not seem to be a man of integrity. I won’t link to any articles, but a brief search of his name reveals that he has cheated on his wife and is now divorced. Not only that, but a brief look at the photos that accompany such a search show him in numerous circumstances that no respectable man should put himself in, particularly one employed as a leader to young men.

I say this first, because as we all probably know, Bruce Pearl is not the only man out there like this. Take a look around and you will see too many Head Basketball Coaches you don’t want your son to emulate. Even if they haven’t cheated on their wives or abused players or whatever, we just don’t have enough men of integrity. Something is valued more highly than that.

Second, stories such as these show what academic institutions really value. In a perfect world, we would value integrity over financial gain. And thankfully, there are some institutions that still uphold this. But now, especially among the big Universities, financial gain trumps almost everything else.

A look at Pearl’s contract makes this plain: For ESPN has reported that his contract provides him a great deal of protection from getting fired for NCAA violations. Yet, if he were simply losing, no doubt UT could pay him off to leave (happens all the time). The fact that the University agreed to such a deal (re: the protection in light of NCAA violations) speaks volumes about what they really value.

In my opinion, this is a perfect example of failing to serve their student-athletes well. Winning and financial gain trumps it all.

Third, some of the NCAA rules really are bad or at least, unenlightened.

This is not to defend Pearl, but I have to say that there are much in the NCAA rulebooks that do little more than cause confusion. And when I see Coaches getting in trouble for too many phone calls, while so much else that is worse goes on, I can’t help but think that the NCAA is missing the boat. Maybe I will say more on this some other time, but suffice it to say, that although Pearl has no excuse for lying, I know enough to admit that for a college coach, it isn’t easy to stay perfect under all the little rules.

Fourth and finally, everyone has to admit that it is not just people in positions of power that are to blame. For in the example of UT and Bruce Pearl, the supporters of the University of Tennessee must also put themselves in the mix. For the leaders are usually responding to the incentives given them. And at many universities, the incentives are winning and success and financial profit. If the men in power don’t get these things, they are out, so they do what they must.

But, if the community around the university consisted of people who value integrity more than cheap success, much would change. Suffice it to say that no matter who we are, we have to ask ourselves: Are we are a part of the problem or a part of the solution?