Syracuse basketball sanctions: Is Jim Boeheim’s legacy now tarnished?

Mar 2, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange head coach Jim Boeheim watches the action during the second half of a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at the Carrier Dome. Virginia won the game 59-47. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

The NCAA came down hard on Syracuse basketball Friday. We’re left to ask, Is Jim Boeheim’s legacy tarnished?

Breaking news Friday revealed that the NCAA has punished Syracuse basketball significantly for its role in disregarding its own written rules, as reported by Syracuse.com. Head coach Jim Boeheim was suspended for nine games and the men’s basketball program lost three scholarships per year for a four-year span, which means they lose 12.

Syracuse gave itself a self-imposed ban in February, which totaled the loss of just one scholarship, but the NCAA considered the disregard over an eight-year span from 2001 to 2009 to deserve greater discipline.

Though the scholarships are ultimately the greater punishment, the nine game suspension for Boeheim is certain to carry weight and catch a lot of eyes. Boeheim, of course, is one of the most successful coaches over the past 30 years.

He’s been an assistant at ‘Cuse since 1969 and took over the reins of the program in 1976, right before the school moved into the new Big East. While not the only legendary coach to patrol the sidelines in that now depleted conference, he is the one who stood the test of time.

At least until now.

According to the NCAA report released Friday, “During the 10-year period of violations, the head basketball coach did not promote an atmosphere of compliance within his program and did not monitor the activities of those who reported to him as they related to academics and booster involvement.”

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Syracuse was ordered by the NCAA to return to the NCAA (a bit ironic, don’t you think?) all the money it received as a result of the revenue sharing between the Big East and its teams from the 2011, 2012 and 2013 NCAA Basketball tournament.

The main fault that the NCAA found was Boeheim and athletic director Daryl Gross ignoring the department’s written rules regarding student-athletes who tested positive for banned substances. These athletes were allowed to continue playing as if nothing ever happened.

And because said players were thus retroactively considered ineligible by the NCAA, Boeheim and his program now vacate 108 wins.

And that is where the legacy question comes in. Prior to that announcement, Boeheim had 947 career wins. That number is now 839, still obviously a ton, more than most college coaches could ever dream of winning.

But it drops him down the record books.

And that still isn’t the final straw. The final straw can likely be linked to Boeheim’s bravado and confidence which has always seemed a bit much. It was that bravado and confidence, when combined with some of the other coaches from the old Big East Conference–with Georgetown and John Thompson most notably–that helped the league become what it became.

But it was that confidence, dare we say arrogance, which led to these penalties. Boeheim lived for so long in a basketball world where players and coaches could get away with murder, figuratively-speaking.

As detailed so marvelously in an ESPN 30 for 30 entitled, Requiem for the Big East, coaches and players became kings, larger than life figures. Coaches were no longer just hard working, dedicated basketball coaches, but superstars who performed in commercials and wore fancy Nike clothing.

And the money, oh the money was great. Boeheim has made a ton of it in his time at Syracuse. No one is, nor should be letting Boeheim off the hook. He is ultimately responsible for his own actions, or lackthereof.

But we should also take heed to recognize that in many ways, Boeheim was and is the product of a system and basketball culture which made him a god of sorts. Though he needed the spectacular freshman Carmelo Anthony to finally land him his first and only NCAA basketball championship, it is Boeheim and not Anthony who was truly rewarded for that success.

Should Boeheim be crucified, martyred, and depicted as a villain? That is ultimately up to each person. But the punishment and the circumstances preempted them only prove that any person who becomes an island unto himself is in great danger.

Syracuse and Jim Boeheim’s punishments were avoidable. It just took a little foresight and humility to see that the way things were operating was wrong. When Syracuse finally did self-impose restrictions on its program it was much too late.

That is an institutional problem, as well as one that Boeheim will have to live with the rest of his life. Like it or not, he is damned from now to his final days. The only amendment to his now tarnished legacy is forgiveness.

Thus far, the Jim Boeheim we know appears too proud to ask for it.

Next: Syracuse responds to harsh NCAA sanctions

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