NCAA overlooks big problems, overreacts on little ones

A classic bully, the NCAA. Faced with significant issues like escalating coaches salaries or conference raiding, the NCAA becomes impotent. But let someone small like Florida State forward Diego Romero cross its path, and the NCAA steps down hard. Even when the NCAA is wrong.

And the NCAA is wrong here. The key to Romero's quest for eligibility is in the details, but the NCAA doesn't want to be bothered with details. The NCAA has taken maybe the fastest-growing, and grayest, issue in college basketball -- the recruiting of international players -- and made it black and white.

Florida State is using NCAA president Myles Brand's own words in its appeal in the Diego Romero case. (AP)

To Florida State's credit, the school is standing up to this bully. Already FSU officials have sent a flurry of appeals to the NCAA, their correspondence showing an increasing sense of incredulity as the NCAA continues to rule in the negative. SportsLine.com reviewed those documents Wednesday.

On Thursday, Florida State will fight back with more than a paper trail.

Florida State will hold a press conference to amplify the story of Romero, a 6-foot-10 junior college transfer declared ineligible because of his link to the Gimnasia basketball club in his native Argentina. Romero's crime? In three years, he received roughly $2,400 to cover transportation, food, insurance and workout clothes. In the United States, that's called a partial scholarship.

Among the most glaring details in Romero's favor is that, three years ago, the NCAA's rules of amateurism were different.

Three years ago, Romero could have enrolled at Florida State after his "professional" career in Argentina and faced an eight-game suspension. Now he is deemed permanently ineligible. The details do not matter. If a player has received money overseas -- a six-figure contract or pocket money for traveling expenses, it makes no difference -- he's a professional in the NCAA's eyes.

Another detail: Romero already had spent a year at Lon Morris Junior College in Texas when the NCAA began rewriting the rule regarding international recruits.

Another: The new rule went into effect Aug. 1, 2003. Yes, that's before Romero played a game for the Seminoles -- but it's two months after he enrolled at FSU.

And another: Romero's best season with Gimnasia came in 2000, when he averaged three minutes and one point per game.

At times like this you want to compare the NCAA to a horse with blinders, but the horse smells better.

See, with the NCAA's blessing, colleges are allowed to pursue high school players with blatant bribery. Recruits basically take an all-expense-paid, 48-hour getaway to the campus of their choice -- planes and hotels, room service and leisure events. Recruits can do this at five different schools. They're called official recruiting visits, and the NCAA smiles.

Once they enroll at school, players competing at the highest level of collegiate athletics take chartered flights and stay in amazing hotels on the road. Hell, football players often stay at amazing hotels before home games, because that's the way their micro-managing coaches want it. And the NCAA smiles.

But Diego Romero takes a two-hour bus to practice in Argentina and gets reimbursed for his ticket and fast food? The jingoistic NCAA frowns.

Florida State can barely conceal its disbelief in its correspondence to the NCAA, at one point using the NCAA president's words to support Romero's appeal:

"President Myles Brand clearly stated recently that the NCAA must take a closer look at their legislation and how it adversely affects the welfare of student-athletes," according to one FSU missive. "President Brand stated in his 2003 State of the Association Address: 'Fairness also is an issue in the formation and enforcement of NCAA rules ... (W)ith regard to enforcement and rule violation, there should also be a place for good judgment. Fairness permits consideration of context.'"

One of the ironies here is that the NCAA's big rulebook -- coaches often break rules because they have no idea the rule exists -- wasn't big enough. In this case the NCAA didn't take into account players like Romero, players already in the junior college system. That's why Romero can't be grandfathered into the system. The NCAA forgot about grandpa.

Through a spokesperson, the NCAA said it would not comment on FSU's appeal.

As far as oversights go, there have been dumber ones. But the solution isn't brain surgery.

"If fairness, reasonableness, intent, and common sense are applied to this case," concludes one FSU appeal for Romero, "then this young man should have his eligibility restored."

No kidding.

Good for you, Florida State.

Shame on you, NCAA.