March Madness

Yahoo has published documents indicating that players from more than 20 Division I men’s basketball programs have been identified as possibly breaking NCAA rules pertaining to impermissible benefits. The violations were uncovered by an FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball. Among the schools identified as having players who violated rules are NCAA Tournament shoo-ins including Duke, North Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, Michigan State, USC and Kansas. At least 25 players are accused of receiving entertainment and cash. “These allegations, if true, point to systematic failures that must be fixed and fixed now if we want college sports in America,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said. “Simply put, people who engage in this kind of behavior have no place in college sports. They are an affront to all those who play by the rules.” The FBI has been investigating college basketball bribes and corruption for at least two years.