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NCAA too easy on Notre Dame

© Chuck Bednar

Back in May, a Notre Dame booster by the name of Kim Dunbar admitted to purchasing gifts and trips for Irish football players she was romantically involved with. Dunbar, who had embezzled $1.4 million from her employers and is now serving jail time for that crime, used much of the money to entertain members of the team.

After seven months of stalling, the has NCAA finally handed down punishment for the major infraction. The Irish football team received a two-year probation from the governing body of college sports and will also lose two scholarships. But the NCAA did not revoke the school's postseason eligibility, and Notre Dame's lucrative TV contract with NBC was also unaffected.

In other words, Notre Dame got a little slap on the wrist.

According to the Associated Press, "The NCAA Committee on Infractions called the violations major and 'neither isolated nor inadvertent.' The NCAA cited the length of time during which the violations occurred, the extravagant nature of the gifts, and the competitive advantage gained by Notre Dame."

If that is truly the case, and Notre Dame knowingly used Dunbar's contribution's to gain an advantage of the field, then why was the punishment so minor?

"The penalty has to fit the crime, and although you find that a violation is major, there are different levels, obviously," Jack Friedenthal, chair of the infractions committee, told the AP. "These are not unusual penalties for this level of major violation."

I, for one, don't buy it. I have nothing against Notre Dame. Actually, quite the opposite -- I have fond memories of the days when Tony Rice and Tim Brown were leading the Irish. But claiming that the punishment fits the crime in this case is completely absurd. This is a major violation, involving tens of thousands of dollars. The NCAA ruled that the players gained a competive advantage from Dunbar's gifts. While I'm not sure that the "death penalty" was called for in this case, Notre Dame certainly should have lost their postseason rights for next season.

As it stands, Notre Dame went on probation effective Friday, and will lose one scholarship during each of the next two seasons. Additionally, the university will be forced to implement an educational program on NCAA rules and regulation during the probation, and they must file annual compliance reports. But the penalties were far from enough.

Who knew that the luck of the Irish also worked to keep Notre Dame from avoiding the punishment they deserved.

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