Earlier this week, I said that I did not understand how the settlement of the lawsuit against the NCAA squared with Title IX and that I needed to hear from a legal commentator on that point. Well, maybe the news this morning will clarify that issue. Here is the headline over an article in today’s Washington Post:
“Female athletes appeal NCAA settlement”
So, instead of hearing from a “legal commentator”, it appears that I will hear from an appellate court on that question. The women who have appealed the settlement decision are ones who have competed in women’s soccer, volleyball and track. According to the report here, they have standing in the case allowing them to appeal the settlement because they filed objections to parts of the settlement when it was proposed and prior to the decision of the judge in the matter.
It seems that the crux of the settlement appeal is this:
- The payout from the NCAA and the major conferences is set at $2.2B. The appellants argue here that Title IX demands that $1.1B of that amount go to participants in women’s sports.
As the settlement terms were reported, the money for athletes who competed in collegiate sports before and the terms of the agreement going forward favor participants in the “revenue sports” which are predominantly male athletic endeavors. The appeal will be heard by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco but no schedule for any events related to that appeal were in the report. It ain’t over, folks …
Switching gears … The field is set for the College World Series, and several things make the field itself interesting:
- Coastal Carolina is not a baseball program that leaps to mind as a perennial powerhouse in college baseball. Nonetheless, Coastal Carolina arrives in Omaha for the start of the College World Series on a 23-game winning streak. The Chanticleers are no strangers to this event; they won it all in 2016.
- Murray State is this year’s Cinderella team. To give you an idea of the stature of the baseball program there, the team coach, Dan Skirka, also mows the grass at the Racers’ home stadium as part of his job description.
- None of the eight teams from last year’s College World Series tournament are back in the field this year. The last time that happened was in 1957.
- Arkansas is the betting favorite to win it all at +200; LSU is the second choice at +230.
- Murray State is the longest shot on the board at +3500.
Moving on, but sticking with college sports … Deion Sanders has been absent from the public spotlight for more than 6 weeks and then he missed a speaking engagement last week with no explanation given. Sanders has had some serious health issues in the past that led to speculation that he was not well; he suffers from blood clots in his legs, and he also had to have at least one toe amputated about 5 years ago. Since Deion Sanders is not one to avoid public events, that “medical history” was the basis of the concern.
Earlier this week, Sanders was a guest on a podcast run by Asante Samuel. Sanders used that appearance to thank the people who had wished him well based on the “health concerns” and to say that everything is OK and:
“I’m excited to get back to Colorado to be at home with my staff, team & all associated to our program. When we arrive back to Boulder you will be updated on everything.”
One last note related to college sports today … It is not exactly shocking to learn that a college football player or some other athlete has been arrested and charged with some sort of misdemeanor or felony. However, a report from a couple days ago said that Angela Suggs – – the Vice President and Director of Athletics at Florida A&M – – was arrested and charged with various counts of fraud and theft. The charges do not involve actions in her current position with the school; the charges stem from activities in her previous job as the CEO of the Florida Sports Foundation. According to the charges, Suggs used a business credit card to pay for personal expenses and then falsified travel accountings; the alleged fraud totaled $24K.
Florida A&M took the only rational position available to them at this point; here is what the interim President of the school had to say:
“While the matter is unrelated to her duties as an employee at FAMU, we are monitoring the situation and will respond in the future as appropriate.”
Finally, this from Marcus Aurelius:
“The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………