The College Sports Forum

LSU athletic director Skip Bertman failed to report the $100,000 sale of his summer athletic camp to coach Smoke Laval, which could violate Southeastern Conference and NCAA guidelines.

An internal audit released Friday by the school found that Laval wrote two checks to Bertman: one for $38,500 in December 2002, and another for $61,500 in December 2003.

Although the deal was made before Laval was hired by LSU in July 2000, both Bertman and Laval told auditors the sale was not a condition for Laval’s hiring as baseball coach and the purchase price was not set until after Laval was on staff.

LSU hosts a number of youth camps in a variety of sports. The camps are independently operated by the head coaches of those sports and the coaches are specifically permitted to do so in their contracts. The university is paid for the use of facilities and services.

NCAA bylaws require coaches and others to disclose outside income and benefits. The audit recommends the university’s compliance office seek a ruling on whether the sale of camp-related assets must be reported.

LSU chancellor Sean O’Keefe said the university will discuss the transaction with the SEC and the NCAA to determine whether Bertman violated reporting requirements. Bertman contends the sale did not have to be reported “because it was a one-time transaction.”

I Just thought it was interesting to look at some financial stuff that NCAA coaches go through.  It’s pretty crazy that something as small as this could end up being a huge deal. 

In the wake of the Miami-FIU brawl, the NCAA says it would consider helping schools and conferences develop a standard policy to curb on-field violence. Restricting postgame celebrations, such as planting school flags on an opponent’s field, and how to deal with players who fight were some of the suggestions, Ron Stratten, the NCAA’s vice president of education services, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The NCAA still wants universities and conferences to determine appropriate sanctions for player misconduct, but last weekend’s brawl at the Orange Bowl has the NCAA willing to get more involved with schools and leagues.

The Miami brawl wasn’t the only one last weekend.

After Holy Cross beat Dartmouth 24-21 in overtime, Holy Cross players celebrated atop the Dartmouth “D” painted on the field. That caused fists to fly, and college and police officials have said some players could face punishments or arrests.

Those incidents follow another in the NFL, in which Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth drew a five-game suspension for stomping on the face of Dallas center Andre Gurode.

In response to previous concerns, the NCAA has offered sportsmanship seminars at its annual convention, urged schools to adopt standards regarding fan behavior and provided leadership conferences for nearly 3,000 student-athletes.

I’m definatley not getting my hopes up on this one.  The NCAA has been promising they are going to step in on these types of things for years, and they never seem to do anything substanial.  I guess we will just see what happens.