The point isn't whether there were ever infractions placed upon Duke but rather should there have been infractions? Have there been situations that have happened at Duke that are similar to situations the NCAA pursued with other schools? Yep.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...gain-yes-unless-the-heat-stays-on-blue-devils
More on Corey Maggette's story:
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=100919
More on Lance Thomas' story:
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/64146/lance-thomas-scandal-remains-opaque
You can give all kinds of reasons those 2 situations didn't hit coach K just like Cal's defenders can give all kinds of reasons why his situations weren't on him.
Marcus Camby took Jewelry from an agent after his season was over! He was going to the NBA anyway... Cal and Umass gained nothing from him taking something from an agent after the season and the NCAA stated clearly that Cal had nothing to do with it.
Derick Rose was cleared by the NCAA clearing house twice... Memphis took the risky step of actually playing a player that was cleared by the NCAA to play. NCAA comes in after the fact, and says they don't think he took his own entrance test so he was never qualified to play. That's Cal's fault how? He should've known.... really? Like K should've known about Maggette and Piggie? Like K should have known about a student athlete getting a jewelry loan no normal student could get? Both those guys could easily have been ruled ineligible after the fact and Duke's seasons would have been wiped and K would have 2 major stains (that seem more significant than what happened at Cal's schools). The NCAA wanted no part of bringing down the guy who "does things the right way", so they walked away from all of Duke's smoke.
Cal's brought a lot on himself by being so openly critical of the NCAA over the years... just be glad you've got a coach that's the NCAA's poster child.
Let's start with the Corey Maggette situation. The NCAA's protocol on amateurism doesn't all fall under one umbrella. That's what people who can't read, don't want to read, or simply don't want to accept as reality.
So let's ask this question....did Corey Maggette accept money/benefits from Myron Piggie? Yes, he did. Did JaRon Rush, Kareem Rush, Korleone Young and Andre Williams also accept benefits from Piggie? Yes, they did.
Under the NCAA umbrella of amateurism, this doesn't mean those said players are ineligible to compete in the NCAA. The NCAA ruled on all of the players behalf (Korleone Young didn't really matter because he entered the draft out of high school) that while they accepted the benefits, none of the schools they attended knew about or were in any way involved in the process.
So what happened was this.....none of the schools (Note: NONE) for which those players matriculated at in college were cited for any wrongdoing. None of the schools had wins or season's vacated. What happened is that JaRon Rush was forced to sit out games at UCLA, Kareem Rush at Mizzou and Andre Williams at Oklahoma State. By the time of the ruling, both Maggette and Young were in the NBA. Had they still been in college, both would have been forced to sit out a number of games as punishment, like their counterparts, per the NCAA.
None of that is made up. It's fact. Can the amateurism rules by the NCAA be questioned? Of course. But that's not the argument. You're implying, and many fools just like you too, that Duke somehow benefited from the situation that other schools would not have. Again....that's not true. No schools --- not a single one --- were punished.
And for the record....I'm not giving reasons why Duke and K shouldn't have been charged with wrongdoing. Those are facts. There's a difference.
The Lance Thomas situation is a bit murkier, but there's still nothing that suggests one way or the other that Duke was involved in any wrongdoing.
Also, there is no cover-up by Duke. Lance Thomas, by his choice, has not spoken on the matter. And he doesn't have to. Also, because he doesn't there's nothing Duke can do about it.
What we do know is that Lance Thomas purchased some jewelry. We also know that Lance's mom held a corporate job for a number of years in New Jersey and the family, while not maybe "well off" was very successful.
As for K being the NCAA's poster child I'll just say this....they could do much worse, and not a whole lot better. Coach K is the face of college basketball and USA basketball. He's won five national championships. Been to 12 Final Fours. His model of success in the sport is unparalleled.
So yeah, he is kind of the poster child. But it's not for the reasons you think. It's because he's successful, respected and the best as what he does. His success drives a lot of people crazy. And we all know, even dumb people, that attacking his accomplishments makes them look foolish. So what's the next best thing to do? Attack his character. But you know what, that's not a winnable fight either.
UNC and UK fans think he's egotistical, fakes back injuries, is scared to play teams on the road, has the refs in his back pocket, looks like a rat, etc., etc., etc.
Now let me ask you this....with all of his accomplishments (listed numerous times) and achievements, and on the other side of the coin some of the tremendous input I just shared of UNC and UK fans.....who exactly looks and appears to be a little delusional and out of touch with reality? You and I both know the answer.
