Mosquera-Perea and Jurkin Suspended Nine Games On 'Booster-Related' Charges
By Ryan Bramwell
So this story broke yesterday and it has many fans shaking their heads and cursing the organization. According to a statement released by both parties, the university and the NCAA, Peter Jurkin and Hanner Mosquera-Perea must both sit out nine games as well as pay back a sum of money. How did this happen you ask?
How did this happen?:
Mark Adams, IU alumni and founder of A-HOPE (African Hoop Opportunities Providing an Education), has been the legal guardian for Mosquera-Perea and Jurkin since their arrival in the states. He was also the coach of their AAU teams (Indiana Elite). Adams did everything for the two Indiana freshmen that his non-profit organization was created to do. He provided plane tickets, housing, meals, a used laptop, a cellphone, and clothing to the prospects. Note that these are all permissible benefits according to the NCAA and are not violations. Here is the mission statement of A-HOPE:
"to provide deserving student athletes a seamless process of obtaining a student visa, transportation to the United States, making sure they are acclimated to their new environment and providing them with an opportunity to receive an outstanding education."
So why the penalties?:
Mr. Adams had donated a total of $185 over a seven year period from 1986 to 1992, to the IU Varsity Club. These donations were honest and solely for support of the Varsity Club and contributors were given bumper stickers in return for showing their support. Again, nothing bad or wrong with that, in fact, quite the contrary. However, according to the NCAA bylaw 13.2.1, Adams would be considered a 'booster' because of his donations, and once a booster always a booster in the eyes of the NCAA.
Were the right actions taken by IU?:
Yes. Indiana took immediate action and all the precautionary measures in order to deal with this incident. From
Inside The Hall:
"Indiana determined the violations took place on April 13, 2011 and alerted both the NCAA and Big Ten of secondary violations on April 25, 2011. It then formerly submitted its finding of the facts in the case to the NCAA on June 22, 2012."
*Also, Indiana will be appealing the length of the suspension.
Reactions:
Jay Bilas (Analyst) on Twitter:
"Laughable ruling by NCAA: 9 game suspension of IU's Perea and Jurkin, due to $185 donation to IU over 20 years ago. Players suffer. Fail."
"So, IU players ineligible, expenses wrong ONLY because Adams bought an IU sticker before they were born? That's a "threat to integrity?!"
"I hope further investigation doesn't reveal Adams purchased a soft drink in an IU souvenier cup. That could mean the season for the players."
Eamonn Brennan (ESPN Blog):
"In times like these, the best you can do is sit back, shrug, and marvel at the
sheer, unrelenting, magnificent silliness of it all."
Stephen Miller (Attorney)
"Does the NCAA really think this threatens the foundation of amateurism? They just make a mockery of themselves when they don't tailor (the scale of their decisions) into each situation. They are killing themselves with inconsistency."
"What I fear is happening is that by tone-deaf enforcement decisions like this, the NCAA will push the schools away from it and some day, there won't be a NCAA. Why do they want to consent to this kind of crazy regulation? At a certain point, they're just going to break away."
Reaction Articles:
ESPN - NCAA's Indiana Suspensions Just Plain Silly
Inside The Hall: One Word Sums Up NCAA's Ruling: Absurd
Inside The Hall: Tom Crean Reacts to Jurkin, Mosquera-Perea Ruling
Indy Star: Experts Harshly Criticize NCAA's Suspensions of IU Players
Related Articles:
ESPN - Will IU's Freshmen Forwards Be Eligible?
Inside The Hall - What We Know: Mosquera-Pera, Jurkin Eligibility Questions Answered
ESPN - Basketball Ties That Bind
