Recently, there have been a flurry of stories regarding the Albert Means family. The question : To what extent should the rules and regulations apply to him, his family and his future?
The other day, two of my friends and I shared a coffee at CK's Diner and discussed this very issue.
My friend Cory stands on the side that Albert Means is an athlete. He practices and he trains daily. He sacrifices his body, continually, for a sport that will leave him, if he continues in it, wracked with arthritis, back problems and other health concerns. Furthermore, an athlete's family deserves its privacy, as they are not the athlete and should not be bound by the rules NCAA.
My friend Maria counters that Albert Means has chosen his profession. He knows the dangers to his health that he faces and the rules and regulations. Furthermore, his mother has groomed him for this and therefore she understands the concerns as well. She feels too much influence is placed upon athletics and not enough on academics. After all, what is the sense, according to her, to tear down buildings and charge $2 an hour in a parking garage, yet pay a reported $1 million for a basketball coach with an impressive pedigree?
I stand somewhere in the murky gray about this Albert Means issue.
First off, to the Means family, you have chosen, whether you realize it or not, a public life. With public life comes a responsibility.
Whatever you do, speak, think, write, read, everything will be watched, judged, poised and analyzed. Everything from the cereal you eat to the underwear you wear, at some level, for some group, you will fall under these considerations.
You may think, "I just want to play a game." Those days have ended my friend. You have entered public life, and either you adapt, and your family adapts with you, to the rules set down, or you will fail. Society has these codes of conduct. The powers that be, the NCAA, have the rules for a reason, so you have to accept them.
However, to the NCAA, I must ask, how bureaucratic can one become? There are more rules and regulations now in your organization than most of the world's religions. You also expect something unreasonable and unfeasible of those who you are responsible for, namely the athlete's families.
The task before us is this. Either the NCAA must adapt these rules to be a livable arrangement, as well as allowing a room for exceptions, or you will have abdicated your authority. Your responsibility, NCAA, is to protect these athletes and their families, not to enslave them to your bureaucracy!
