[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 45 (Thursday, March 20, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               END UNFAIR PUNISHMENT OF STUDENT ATHLETES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 19, 2003

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, as we all prepare for 
college basketball's ``March Madness'' this month, I am introducing a 
bill, the Student Athlete Fairness Act, along with Representative Rob 
Andrews, to deal with another kind of madness. Recently a number of 
institutions of higher education have penalized student basketball 
players for misconduct, by banning them from post-season 
intercollegiate play. I support actions by colleges and universities to 
hold their coaches and players accountable when they engage in 
misconduct of any kind. Recruiting violations, academic fraud and 
financial improprieties have no place in college or college sports, and 
deserve punishment.
  However, these particular institutions are penalizing the wrong 
student athletes--students who were not involved in any wrongdoing. In 
one case, Fresno State University is barring an entire basketball team 
from post-season intercollegiate play for the transgressions of 
previous players and coaches, even though none of the current student 
athletes or coaches were involved in the wrongdoing at all.
  We can no longer allow colleges and universities to penalize innocent 
student athletes. Instead institutions of higher education must focus 
their efforts on the guilty parties.
  The Student Athlete Fairness Act would prohibit colleges from 
penalizing players or coaches who had no involvement in a rules 
violation and would also prohibit colleges and universities from being 
affiliated with intercollegiate associations, like the NCAA, whose 
policies might include sanctioning players, teams and/or coaches even 
if they were not involved in any rules violation.
  While many schools and teams work hard to follow the rules that are 
intended to preserve a quality academic and campus life alongside a 
vibrant athletic program, some schools have chosen to make innocent 
students scapegoats for the actions of runaway athletic programs that 
give win-loss records more priority than ethics and fair play.
  An integral ingredient of the college and university mission is to 
foster both the academic and personal development of their students--
from civic engagement and community service, where students learn how 
to become active participants in democracy, to team athletics, where 
students gain valuable leadership experience. These objectives are 
severely undermined when students are punished harshly, in ways that 
can significantly affect their future careers and earnings, for 
violations of rules by others. This kind of substitute punishment has 
no place in our courts, and it should have no place in our colleges and 
universities either.
  The Student Athlete Fairness Act would make certain that the coaches, 
school officials, or students who break the rules are the ones who are 
punished. Innocent student athletes should be free to play ball.

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