You’ve probably already dissected this, but here is Dave Hickman’s recap of WVU’s latest NCAA infraction, allowing players to wear extra padding at the Mountaineers’ first preseason workout.
Are you kidding me? I really don’t care how minor this is, but WVU’s upcoming penalties should be doubled on grounds of general stupidity.
The rules on practices do not require an aeronautical engineering degree … which brings me to a Mark Snyder story I’ll let loose after four years.
It was Snyder’s first spring pratice, March 2006. In contrast to later years, he wanted a he-man, high-testosterone, survival-of-the-fittest spring. After Tuesday’s workout in sweats, he wanted to go all out for Thursday’s second practice, “Hoot ‘n’ Holler” drill and all.
The MU press regulars discussed this in the press box, wondering if that were legal. One writer was anal enough to have a pdf of the NCAA Division I Manual on his desktop, so we looked it up. Lo and behold, the first two spring drills are helmets, no other pads.
Sure enough, kickers and others got on the field Thursday afternoon fully equipped, in violation of the NCAA rule.
Nice, eh?
The writer with the NCAA manual on his desktop thought it over and decided he wasn’t in the mood to report on a rules trangression, no matter how minor. He picked up his phone and lobbed a call to David Reed in the compliance office.
Within minutes, somebody yelled out of the door in the Shewey Building and players bolted from the field. Everybody reported in helmets and sweats and all was well.
