Breaking news -- the NCAA actually gets hard on some BCS guy who's cheating!!

The NCAA has ruled a couple guys PERMANENTLY ineligible for taking goodies from agents....

This is highly unusual...in fact danged near unprecedented!!!
The practice of agents giving money, goodies, gifts, etc...is said to be widespread -- but mostly in the BCS since those are the guys the agents are really after......

And -- this is unusual...that any penalty is actually being handed down while the kid is still active on the roster!

John Wall got benefits from agents & just had to repay the $$ and was docked one game --
others like Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo -- everyone knew they were getting paid and yet the NCAA just looked the other way..and only got involved later when embarrassed into acting by YahooSports writers who embarrassed the NCAA by finding and publishing the obvious evidence of the cheating.

Even Charles Barkley bragged about how everyone's getting $$ from agents for decades and nobody ever cared....
In fact -- the reason it's going to be big news is that it does represent a really new trend that the NCAA is FINALLY going after these guys.....
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/10/11/2299679/tar-heels-austin-dismissed-two.html

...although it still might just be token action, as North Carolina football isn't really the top echelon....and maybe the NCAA is just going to do this to send the message. But I hope they do what it takes to clean up the sport and level the playing field.

But -- as I can find -- this is quite possibly the first time an athlete currently playing and eligible was completely stripped of his eligibility just for getting goodies & having some of his travel expenses paid by an agent...
http://www.cbssports.com/columns/story/13659574/ncaa-cures-its-apathy-when-it-comes-to-slimy-agents
http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/07/21/solution-long-overdue-for-problem-of-agents-and-college-sports/


The paradox in all this, is that Enes Kanter received over $100,000 and is said to about to get cleared to play at Kentucky. Renardo Sydney, whose family literally became agents and received gobs of money, then refused to even be open and honest with the NCAA - was docked 8 games but will supposedly play this year.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news;_ylt=AkdGzeSxam1iCycx.Yg02._evbYF?slug=jn-sidney101110

So I am yet to be convinced that the NCAA is really interested in treating everyone fairly and equally....but time will tell.