Ironically enough, Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski isn’t a fan. The new rule specifies an unmarked zone under the basket where referees can call only blocks and not charges on offensive players.

Coach K is probably arguing against a block call at this very moment.

“It’ll be a joke, because it will become a joke,” Krzyzewski said, according to SI.com.

Coach K agrees with the purpose of the rule, because he believes that players shouldn’t be called for charging underneath the basket. But he said the no-charging zone — which extends from the backboard to the front of the rim — should be marked on the floor. Otherwise, it’s a guessing game.

I think the new rule is silly. Offensive players shouldn’t have the right to run over the defense on the way to the basket, no matter where they are on the court. Look for more coaches to come forward and complain about this rule during the season.

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: EveryJoe

New College Basketball Rule Irks Coach K

You may not know the name Sam Keller, who’s the former quarterback heading up the battle against EA, but it’s likely that you know the names Jim Brown and Herb Adderley, who are both Hall of Famers. On Monday, they asked the court to allow them to submit official documents supporting Keller. That’s a major blow for EA, who is supported by the NCAA.

EA and the NCAA say that the players’ images don’t include names on the jerseys, and that their numbers, pictures, and statistics are publicly available, making them usable under free speech laws.

Brown isn’t just coming out of the woodwork to support Keller – this is an issue he really cares about. He sued EA earlier this year for using his likeness in some of the Madden games, but the case was thrown out. EA hopes that Keller’s case will get thrown out as well; this decision will be made on November 17.

Post from: EveryJoe

More Legal Woes for EA

Image: Amazon

If you’re wrong, you start playing a football game. You just pick whether you want to do a passing play or a running play, and the simulation starts. If you get a touchdown, you win. If you don’t, the game will pick up when you enter another code, so you can keep playing and trying to win.

What can you win? There are some big prizes, the grand prize being $20,000 to create your fantasy NCAA football weekend. Your chances of winning are probably pretty slim, but there are tons of smaller prizes as well. Word on the street is that tons of people are winning NCAA Football 10 (the video game) by choosing the coin flip correctly.

If you don’t go to Wendy’s, don’t worry – you can still play. Just click “don’t have a code” on the main screen (under the email form), and they’ll email one to you for free. So, it doesn’t cost anything to play, and your chances of winning something aren’t bad.

Please note: This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Every Joe. Wendy’s probably doesn’t know that I exist, and if they did, they wouldn’t give me hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes to give away. I’m just the messenger on this one!

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Win NCAA Prizes from Wendy’s

He was president of Indiana when they made the decision to fire basketball coach Bob Knight after he violated personal conduct policy, and that’s what people will probably remember most about him, but he was equally reforming in the NCAA. He actually used this decision to create a platform, saying that there needed to be more personal accountability in sports.

Myles Brand, Image: Newscom

Brand was the first NCAA president who wasn’t an athlete, coach, or other sports professional himself. As a result, his policies were often more focused on gender equity, student academics, and other things that were unpopular, rather than on the sports themselves. Personally, I think he was well-needed in college athletics.

In January, Brand went public with is diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. He continued to work at the NCAA, and so far, the organization hasn’t announced a replacement. He was 67. RIP.

Read more about Brand here.

Post from: EveryJoe

RIP Myles Brand

I have to say, though, I think many are willing to give him a chance. The Big Ten needs to be taken into 21st century to be a conference that has national championship contenders year after year. Rich Rodriguez could be the man to do it.

Image: Newscom

But there seems to be a bit of mutiny going on at the school, as a number of players have come forward to report NCAA violations at Michigan.

Under conditions of anonymity, a group of current and former players have told the Detroit Free Press that Rodriguez and his staff members routinely demand more of the players than is allowable by NCAA rules. The NCAA sets limits on workouts and other practices in order to prevent injury, to provide student athletes with enough time for academic work, and to keep any one team from gaining a competitive edge over another due to workout time.One player says that the practices were certainly affecting classwork, with some players even falling asleep during class due to the demands of the football program.

Says Rodriguez,

“We know the practice and off-season rules, and we stay within the guidelines. We follow the rules and have always been completely committed to being compliant with all NCAA rules.”

The allegations mainly surround the workouts by conditioning coach Mike Barwis, who followed Rodriquez from West Virginia. Although some of those players who came forward insist that his workouts are “ridiculous,” others who work out with him, including NFL players, swear by his methods.

Here’s what’s going on with the allegations:

• During the off-season, teams are only allowed to require players to work out for 8 hours per week. Players can work out on their own for more hours, but it must be voluntary. However, players say that the staff members would call workouts voluntary, yet severely punish anyone who didn’t show up, essentially making them mandatory.

• Players can also hold scrimmages during the off-season, but quality control staff can’t attend, and they have to be player-run.  Trainers are allowed to attend for safety purposes only. Players say, though, that quality control staff members routinely observed the games

• During the season, they can only practice for 20 hours per week, with a maximum of four hours per day. Players say that both of those limits were exceeded, with players spending nine hours or more on the field on game days.

Players said they were made to sign forms that say they were complying with NCAA rules. Everyone signed because they felt like there was nothing they could do if they wanted to play. Even now, players refuse to give their names, as they are worried about repercussions from staff members and other players.

At the school’s media day, some freshman, perhaps unaware of NCAA rules, talked about how long they practiced, one player saying that they’ve been working out from 8:00 AM to at least 6:00 PM six days a week. These players didn’t note whether or not the workouts were mandatory, so that in and of itself doesn’t incriminate the coaches, but it does fall in line with what others are saying.

That, and Rodriguez has been caught saying, “The workouts aren’t mandatory, but neither is your playing time.” That statement seems to be used often at Michigan, since players who have left have quoted it.

So that really begs the question: what is “mandatory.” If you’re determining playing time by voluntary practice attendance, doesn’t that kinda cancel out the “voluntary” part of it? Actually, YES according to the NCAA. Rules state that if attendance is tracked or is given to coaches by trainers, the workout or practice must be considered mandatory.

But isn’t everyone doing this? Being honest with yourself, don’t you think that other schools are also breaking workout rules? Says one anonymous player,

“They know the rules. Of course they know the rules. There was a time when the offensive line coach told me, ‘You’re not doing nothing different than anybody else in the country is.’ ”

Wrong. I mean, I don’t know every school’s conditioning schedule, but former players have come forward to say that the NCAA workout rules were strictly observed by Carr and players who are now in the NFL and have come back to visit have said that the current requirements are crazy.

Players have also allegedly been hunted down by junior staff members, graduate assistants, and others when not attended, receiving phone calls even while in class.

Rodriguez has a lot riding on this season. Last year, the team’s abysmal showing was somewhat allowable by fans, since it was a rebuilding year with a new coach. However, another season or two like that, and Rodriguez will be run out of down. After all, there are a number of other good coaches looking for jobs, Phillip Fulmer coming immediately to mind.

Post from: EveryJoe

Are Things Falling Apart at Michigan?

NCAA rules prohibit any college player lending his name or picture to a commercial promotion. While it is unclear whether or not Florida could be fined over an event they couldn’t control, it is better safe than sorry, and they quickly emailed the Miracle about the event. The team was a little disappointed, but complied, changing the name of the event to “What Would T.T. Do?”

Tim Tebow, who's initials just happen to be T.T. Image: Newscom

While many fans just went with the flow, some were a bit upset about the chance. Says one fan,

“I think Tim Tebow is a fan of anything related to getting his name out there. I don’t think Tim Tebow would send destruction on us. I think it’s kind of ridiculous. I can see where UF is coming from but the Miracle are just doing it for fun. They’re not trying to profit off of Tebow, they’re just trying to get their team out in the public and get some attention.”

The team gave away promise rings to fans before the game on Wednesday night and had a character named “T.T.” who attempted to walk on water.

Post from: EveryJoe

“What Would Tim Tebow Do?” Night Problem

Image: sxc.hu

The NCAA isn’t requiring the players/teams to shake hands, but they’re hoping that everyone opts in. Coaches are required to shake hands before and after each game. NCAA basketball teams shake hands before games, but due to the high number of players on each football team, shaking hands before a game isn’t really convenient.

I’m hoping that the NCAA won’t go as far as the NFL has when it comes to implementing sportsmanship rules, but there are some changes we may see in the near future when it comes to showboating and taunting – and that’s a good thing. It isn’t about celebrating – it’s about not being a jerk about it.

We’ve also seen a number of safety rules changes in the past few years, many of which just make sense because they were related to poor sportsmanship. It can be dangerous, not just annoying.

I hope that all teams decide to take part in the Week One handshake ceremony. It will be good for the sport.

Post from: EveryJoe

College Teams to Shake Hands

Image: sxc.hu

Delaware, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon all allowed sports betting, even though it was federally banned in 1992. These four states were allowed to continue offering sports betting due to a grandfather clause – they already offered sports betting and so could continue.

The NCCA has often used rules regarding holding events to make political statements. You can read more about their decision to limit events at ESPN.

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NCAA Limits Event Locations Based on Bets

In the lawsuit, which was filed by attorney Keith McKenna, accuses EA Sports of "unjust enrichment." They say that the use of their names and images without permission in an invasion of privacy for commercial purposes.

A spokesperson for EA Sports has said that the company, NCAA, and Collegiate Licensing Company have all reviewed the case and don’t believe that their claims have merit. The company says it has not violated any NCAA bylaws or athlete rights laws.

Do you think it’s fair for a video game to include a real person without that person’s permission?

Image: Amazon

Post from: EveryJoe

Two More Players Sue EA Sports

Myles Brand, Image: Newscom

Brand’s acceptance speech was less than five minutes long, but it’s more than most expected. He didn’t come to the NCAA’s annual Washington, D.C. convention, nor did he make trips to San Antonio or Orland to pick up other awards he won.

Although he was noticably thinner and appeared weak, Brand’s spirits were good, and sources close to the family say he’s doing as well as can be expected. Said Brand that night,

“It’s been my great pleasure to help lead the work of the NCAA these past seven years. I believe it’s a great mission, and we are now harvesting the benefits of our hard work.”

Post from: EveryJoe

NCAA’s Brand Honored at Pathfinder Ceremony