Indiana: Self-imposed penalties should be enough.

Last Monday, Indiana University reported that its own self-imposed penalties should be enough to keep the organization from having to punish the school for improper phone calls made by Kelvin Sampson before he resigned as basketball coach. Sampson eventually found work as an assistant coach for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks.

Wait. Halt. Stop the presses. IU is saying we've been punished enough? It's sort of like your kid saying I love detention.

Guys, there's that little incident of you facing the principal. The NCAA. They make the final call.

No one told you to hire Kelvin Sampson but you did. Look what it got you. It forced you to make him resign, you nearly have a mutiny on your hands and now there's a chance that you may be sent to your rooms without being allowed to go to the Big Ten Tournament or the prom, aka the Big Dance, aka the NCAA Tournament. It would be a huge shame if this Cinderella had to stay home from the ball.  

Don't think you're getting off the hook. Not in this transitory life. You knew what Sampson was when you hired him but you picked him anyway. It's your mess. You have to clean it up.

The school issued a 750-page reponse to the NCAA, saying ,(according to the Associated Press) “In light of the fact that the University had decided to impose significant sanctions that more than compensated for the number of impermissible phone calls and any recruiting advantage that may have been gained, Indiana University determined these calls did not warrant the imposition of additional penalties.” 

June 14th is the day that the Hoosier basketball program faces the music. A decision will be rendered some 30 days after that meeting. If I were Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan and president Michael McRobbie, I would find the nearest church and pray that you don't get the death penalty, ala Southern Methodist. You have a history of winning basketball. Now that history has tarnish. It has a crimson letter instead of a scarlet one and guess who's Hester Prynne? Tell the truth and maybe, just maybe they may go easy on you. Lie and your butts will fry like a slice of Canadian Bacon.

It's up to you.