College Sports
NCAA wants stricter recruiting standards

By Robert Gehrke
The Associated Press

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive

WASHINGTON — Reports of sex and alcohol-fueled parties to entice high school players show that colleges have not done enough to police themselves, an NCAA representative told Congress yesterday.

Dave Berst, chairman of an NCAA task force reviewing recruiting rules, said the group is ready to address the problem.

"Up to this point, institutions have said to us, 'We can handle that,' " Berst said. "I think the recent revelations that have come about ... require attention to the cultural issues, and I believe it's the right opportunity to step in."

Options include shortening campus visits from 48 hours to 24 hours; prohibiting off-campus entertainment; reducing the number of visits a student can take from five to three or four; capping university spending on travel, meals and lodging; and requiring athletes to cover the costs for any visits.

The president of the NCAA created the task force after reports of unseemly recruiting tactics by Colorado and other schools. Myles Brand wants changes in place before the college football recruiting season.

Don McPherson, executive director of the Sports Leadership Institute at Adelphi University, told a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee that the changes under consideration will not make a difference.

"You can't legislate the behavior of student-athletes," said McPherson, a former quarterback at Syracuse. "They're trying to take a multibillion-dollar business and fit it into a nonprofit environment."

Rep. Tom Osborne, who coached Nebraska's football team for 25 years, said recruiting is much more regulated today than when he started coaching. Most coaches would not run the risk of breaking the rules, he said, and it would be unwise for Congress to try to legislate a solution.

"There is going to be a certain percentage that are going to cheat on their taxes ... that are going to cheat in recruiting. That's just the way it is," he said.

The hearing was prompted by reports that Colorado football recruits were promised sex, enticed with strippers and taken to off-campus parties.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company