The death penalty is a controversial topic in the world of sport. It’s referenced as the nickname of the NCAA’s harshest punishment. Typically, universities that receive this penalty are banned from participating in a particular sport for at least a year. This penalty is very rare and has only been implemented five times in the history of collegiate athletics (Death Penalty (NCAA)). This paper is an attempt to take a deeper look and analyze this policy. The NCAA has always had the power to ban universities from participating in a sport, although in 1985 they passed the “repeat violator” rule. This rule states that if a second violation occurs within five years of probation, the university can be banned from competing in the sport for either …show more content…
It was determined that national powerhouse SMU had boosters pay for players to attend the university. Players were receiving thousands of dollars, and also received new cars in multiple cases. The university was able to get away with it for years before a former player came forward and whistle blew the entire situation. The NCAA hit hard and canceled the 1987 football season for SMU. All of the current players were able to transfer out, without having to wait the traditional year. Because of the lost of players and revenue, the university went ahead and canceled the 1988 season. This death penalty destroyed SMU football. The university still hasn’t fully recovered and the penalty still plagues them today (Dodds). These are just three of the five death penalty cases. With that being said there have been countless other situations where a university should’ve had the death penalty and didn’t. The University of Kentucky should’ve received the death penalty again for their actions in the 1989. The university bluntly violated multiple recruiting and eligibility policies. The university staff was able to handle the situation quickly and the NCAA decided not to go with another death