Pass the Mayo!

Before I get to the "controversy", Gene Wojo of ESPN.com posted a pretty interesting read looking back at his 100 predictions of the NFL season he made in August.

Seems USC freshman O.J. Mayo is being investigated by the NCAA for a possible rules violation. Allegedly he accepted free court side tickets to Monday's game between the Nuggets and Lakers. Mayo said he received the $230 tickets from Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony. According tot he AP report, "NCAA bylaw 16.11.2.2.3 states that student-athletes may not receive 'free or reduced-cost admission to professional athletics contests from professional sports organizations, unless such services also are available to the student body in general.'"

Obviously Mayo violate the rules, so I have no beef with the investigation. But the NCAA needs to wake up, possibly beat themselves over the head with a frying pan a few hundred times, take a cold shower, pop some sleeping pills and take a day off, and try again tomorrow. This is no where near the same as Reggie Bush receiving free housing, or an athlete being given a new Hummer, etc. Everyone knew before this season, when Mayo recruited himself to USC, that the phenom was only going for one year and would then enter the NBA draft.

You're telling me, Mr. NCAA Chairman, that Mayo cannot attend a game, in the city that he already goes to school in nonetheless, in a sport which he will make his career one year from now? That's like telling an accounting major he or she can't go to an accounting firm for a day. And the sad part about this is that the NCAA will probably try to get Mayo to pay back the face value of the tickets. Where is a guy who isn't allowed to have a job, and isn't reimbursed for making the NCAA rich going to get $230?

One last thing for thought, NCAA football players are allowed to receive gifts from the corporate sponsors of bowl games. Go figure.