Terry Don Phillips once served as chair of the Division I Infractions Appeals Committee, so he has some informed perspective on schools that find themselves sinking in the hot water of impropriety and rule-breaking.
A few weeks ago, I asked Phillips what he thought of the "I don't know" defense that seems as popular across college football these days as indoor practice facilities and training tables.
The phenomenon of plausible deniability in college athletics goes back a long way, but there's no doubt it's back in style. And Phillips thinks it's hogwash. He thinks coaches should be responsible for "pretty much everything" that occurs under their watch.
"I won’t get into the specifics of the case, but early in my tenure with the infractions and appeals committee we heard an academic fraud case. The argument was, ‘Well I didn’t know.’ And in writing our opinion with the appeals committee, we came up with the 'should have known' standard that you’ll find in most coaches’ contracts nowadays.
“Certainly, there are inadvertent kinds of things that do occur where you might drop the ball. But if you have your eyes and your ears open and you have your checks and balances, you should have known. I mean, who’s got the closest relationship with those kids? It’s the coach and the coaching staff.”
Phillips was speaking generally, but it's probably safe to conclude he'd apply the "should have known" expectation on Butch Davis and all the crazy stuff that's gone on under him the last few years.
Not trying to get too deep and dramatic here, but where would we be as a society if "I didn't know" were an acceptable defense for blatant transgressions?
Sorry, officer, I didn't know I was going 87 in a 35.
Honey, I really didn't know I was hopping into bed with that cute brunette I met at the bar.
Professor, I didn't know the term paper was due today.
What ever happened to accountability? Who is accountable right now in Chapel Hill? What does it say that they're pinning 100 percent of the blame on a few players with dollar signs in their eyes, a dirty assistant coach and a couple of sympathetic tutors?
One of the more notable aspects of the scandals these days is the completely baffling responses from the administrations. At Ohio State, the initial statements and demeanor of the athletics director and president fell into the "are they on crack?" category. And in Chapel Hill, Dick Baddour and Holden Thorp have steadfastly and unequivocally stood by their man in the face of damning evidence.
Before the Chapel Hill circus, it was a big no-no to allow the infiltration of shady runners for agents onto college campuses. It's a big headache, because how do you identify and track these dudes?
Davis' associate head coach was exposed as a runner on an agent's payroll, yet Davis doesn't know about it?
Players are partying it up quite publicly in South Florida while being lavished with tens of thousands of dollars from agents, and Davis doesn't know about it?
Tutors, one of whom lived under Davis' own roof, are writing papers for players and helping to pay for their plane tickets and all sorts of other stuff, and Davis doesn't know about it?
Maybe the NCAA should devise a new allegation in addition to "Lack of Institutional Control" and "Failure to Monitor."
"Failure to open your dang eyes."
I'm sure Davis is a good guy, and maybe his private explanations to his bosses have been convincing enough that they'll continue to stand by him even amid the specter of a hammering from the NCAA.
But if ignorance is bliss, the coach awoke with a big smile on his face this morning.
LW
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