Michigan football “recruiting violations” show exactly what’s wrong with NCAA

Let me preface this entire article by saying that, as a Michigan State alum, it pains me to say anything nice about Michigan football or defend it in any way.

But now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about how the NCAA has gone out of its way to punish Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines for something so minor that it’s honestly not even worth talking extensively about.

However, it is worth pointing out just how messed up the NCAA is.

Just take a look at what Harbaugh and the Wolverines are being dealt a “Level 1” recruiting violation for:

Stupidity. Absolutely stupidity and a waste of resources.

The NCAA is a billion-dollar organization and yet it’s worried that Harbaugh may have bought a recruit a hamburger at a local Ann Arbor restaurant? Unreal.

Michigan football should be free from punishment

The NCAA is reportedly considering a harsh punishment for Harbaugh because he lied about buying a recruit a burger which may result in a suspension. Missing games because he bought a teenager a burger and lied about it? The NCAA has its priorities out of whack.

Programs have been rumored to be paying players behind the scenes, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on recruits to show them a good time during visits, straight-up paying guys to transfer, and tampering. But a burger is going to get the alarm bells ringing for the NCAA. Make that make sense.

Maybe the NCAA should worry about fixing the transfer tampering issue or the money under the table promises to recruits rather than punishing Harbaugh for covering a recruit’s tab at a restaurant.

This is why the NCAA gets such a bad rap.