The newest crisis management tactic in college athletics is so transparent even the most gullible fans shouldn’t be fooled.
Schools are self-imposing penalties that are designed to look severe but are actually attempts to avoid real punishment.
The latest to fall on a foam sword is Arizona, which announced Tuesday that it is self-imposing a one-year postseason ban on its men’s basketball team as a result of rules violations. It’s surely no accident that the Wildcats chose to pursue an NCAA tournament bid last season while under investigation, then recused themselves this season after losing three heralded freshmen to the NBA.