UM Pushing Boosters Away From Athletes

The University of Miami continues to take steps in the right direction in regards to setting an example and endearing itself to the NCAA in the case of Nevin Shapiro and the fallout from a rouge booster’s actions.

Fans may not agree with the changes, which will create more space and distance between Hurricane boosters and student-athletes, but there’s a bigger picture here than the obvious desire to please followers of The U.

Seems every few weeks UM is taking a step in the direction of winning favor with the NCAA. The self-imposed bowl ban last month and the paying of the bankruptcy trustee soon followed and now this.

NCAA president Mark Emmert has publicly praised UM president Donna Shalala for how her and the university have worked in tandem with the investigators, with Miami an open book, which hasn’t been the case with other recent programs who were investigated and eventually sanctioned.

Our on GM Harry Rothwell was interviewed for the Herald piece that ran this morning and as a long-time booster, he’s personally not a fan of the new rules in place by UM, which state: “Effective immediately, boosters are no longer permitted to entertain student-athletes with an occasional meal and boosters are prohibited from hosting current University of Miami student-athletes in their homes or other locations.”

It goes on to state that UM boosters should not provide any type of food, drink, transportation, or other “extra benefits”, which includes discounts, credit, transportation of any form, tickets cash and clothing.

“Most of us follow the rules and have had great experiences getting to know these student-athletes over the years, and I think it’s sad that by restricting our interaction so much now it will dehumanize the athletes, and they’ll just become helmets running across the field and basketball jerseys shooting jumpers,” Rothwell said. “There will be less reason for boosters to pay money to come out if they don’t get to know the athletes personally and learn their stories.”

Rothwell continued, “Part of being a booster is building relationships with athletes, mentoring them, making them feel at home in our community, helping them network so they can get jobs when they graduate,” he said.

“As long as we follow the rules, I don’t see why we have to have rules other schools don’t have. It will hurt the athletes and hurt the fans. If someone wants to break a rule, they’re going to break it anyway.”

Mr. allCanes makes some valid points, but at the end of the day it’s about the overall state of the program and the future of Miami athletics.

Keeping the NCAA from reigning down, while continuing to be an example for other programs to follow – that is the goal right now.

Are kids and fans losing out, as Rothwell states? Absolutely, but welcome to the NCAA – full of antiquated rules and procedures.

UM is attempting to be proactive after tremendous fallout from the Shapiro scandal and if putting more distance between boosters and athletes is going to help the bottom line of the program and the NCAA’s opinion of the University of Miami, then put up the barricades as damage control and in due time, pull back if need be.

Rothwell said it, people will do what they want to do anyways. UM is simply working to cover its ass and for a program that went off the rails at times the past decade, the reason for rules other schools don’t have is in effort to not receive the same punishment other schools received.

Score another for Shalala on the PR front and as the captain working to pull UM through this rugged storm. – C.B.

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