Things continue to go sour for the ACC, as recently added perennial powerhouse Syracuse was hammered with significant sactions after several investigations by the NCAA:
The director’s solution, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, was for athletics staff members to access and monitor the e-mail accounts of several players, communicate directly with faculty members as if they were the athletes, and then complete coursework for them. In one case, an athlete had his eligibility restored by turning in a paper to raise a grade he had earned the previous year. The paper was written by the director and a basketball facility receptionist.
It’s no surprise when universities are found to be cutting corners, particularly at the highest levels of winning. Many fans believe that all of the major universities “cheat” to some degree. However, the most damning aspect of the Syracuse violations is probably the fact that staff members were actively posing as the athletes in emails and schoolwork, sometimes without even the athlete’s knowledge.