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Bowden, FSU paying a fair price

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By JOE HENDERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 4, 2009

I was chatting with a prominent local Florida State booster late Wednesday about the intrigue over whether the Seminoles will have to forfeit football games because of the academic cheating scandal. The NCAA, you may have heard, sent its ruling to FSU a couple of days ago, but it hasn't been made public.

The Seminoles have 15 days to respond.

"That's like asking out the best-looking girl in school and having her say, 'I'll get back to you next week,' " the booster said. "When she says that, you've got no shot."

So it appears with FSU and Bobby Bowden as well.

No shot.

We could yet be surprised (because nothing the NCAA does surprises me), but it sure seems like the decision to make FSU forfeit as many as 14 football games is going to hold – at least in some form. Otherwise, why would there be any need for a second appeal from Florida State, which is where we're at now?

If the communiqué from the NCAA had good news in it, they'd be shouting from the rooftops in Tallahassee, "BOBBY KEEPS HIS WINS!"

Instead, they're preparing an appeal.

You tell me what that means.

The school seems ready to accept scholarship cuts and other penalties covering its sins in this mess, which will go down as one of the dumbest things to ever trip up a major college athletic program. FSU is in this fix because 61 athletes from 10 sports got test answers and "extra" help in a music history class.

It could cost FSU a national track championship.

There will be scholarship reductions. There could be up to four years of probation.

Over a music history class?

But to have the race to become the all-time leader in wins among college football coaches decided because of something so trivial is just mind-boggling.

Perhaps it's for the best though.

Rules are rules

FSU argues that Bowden didn't knowingly use players who were provided the test answers, and I believe that. I understand why the school would go to any length necessary to preserve Bowden's victory total, and I do think it's ridiculous that it came to this.

However, as I've said here before, rules are rules and they are explicit about what happens when ineligible players participate.

Just can't do it – period.

That seems to be the NCAA's stance here.

If the hammer does come down, I suppose FSU could try to take it to court. What it really should do, though, is swallow its medicine and move on.

At least in this state, I don't think this tarnishes Bowden's legacy a bit. If the wins are taken away – and with it, Bowden's realistic chance to beat Joe Paterno to the top of college football's all-time wins list – so what?

Will it mean that Bowden had any less impact on the game?

No.

Will it mean that he was less of a legend and coach?

No.

Besides, let's be blunt: This chase between Bowden and Paterno has long since lost its meaning, anyway

Even if Bowden winds up with more wins, Penn State fans will scream that his 31 wins while coaching at Howard College (now Samford) shouldn't count.

Well, it does seem a little weird counting a 34-0 win in 1959 against the Tennessee Tech freshmen, a 60-0 win in 1961 over Memphis Navy, or (my personal favorite) a 40-0 win in 1962 against Mexico National University.

The NCAA, by the way, says those wins can count.

So they count.

For now.

Doesn't mean a thing

Look, for every potshot we take at Bowden for Mexico National or Free Shoes U. and the like, we also have to acknowledge that he built this program from the dirt up.

He went on the road and beat national powers like Nebraska, Ohio State, and Notre Dame.

He took chances, backed down from no one, and won a pair of national championships. Probably should have had four or five others, but for the lack of a kicker. Those are the things people should remember about Bowden, not some unseemly stumbling chase to the finish line in pursuit of an arbitrary win total.

I'm sure this isn't the NCAA's intent, but if the result is that this race – I use that term loosely – is decided by legislative fiat, so be it.

It needs to be over because it no longer means a thing.

I'm not sure it ever did.

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