Roberts' single-game suspension fair -- and very confusing

The NCAA cut Lawrence Roberts some slack because he was the first. He'd also better be the last, because the NCAA won't be as forgiving next time.

Beyond those certainties, I'm confused -- and I'm not the only one. Roberts and his family are confused. Mississippi State and its basketball coach, Rick Stansbury, are confused.

The NCAA doesn't seem to be confused, which is good, but that doesn't mean the NCAA isn't confusing. Call the NCAA for a clarification of the rule that has cost Roberts the first game of the 2004-05 season, and you get a handful of old by-laws that say one thing and a new directive that might, just maybe, suggest another.

The by-laws are fairly clear. By letting the Portland Trail Blazers pay for his travel expenses for an individual workout this summer, Roberts jeopardized his eligibility. Friday, the school announced Roberts had been suspended by the NCAA for one game, the Bulldogs' season opener Thursday against Fairfield.

Roberts reimbursed Portland after withdrawing from the draft, but according to NCAA by-laws, that's not enough. The by-laws say an underclassman can try out for NBA teams in the summer "provided (he) doesn't receive any form of expenses."

That's clear, and that particular by-law has been in the rulebook for years.

But an NCAA directive to its member schools has muddied the issue, and the directive has only been in effect for eight months. It says if a player accepts expenses from an NBA team, the player "should pay (back) expenses and culpability will be assessed."

"Culpability" means guilt, and in this case, Roberts doesn't seem to be guilty of much. He was following NCAA rules that allow him to try out for NBA teams. And he was following the directive that says he must reimburse all expenses.

But the by-law says a player can't receive expenses in the first place.

See the confusion?

"We didn't know the rule," Stansbury said. "And we're not the only one. Lawrence Roberts' case is going to educate a lot of people out there, starting with other coaches."

Indeed, after the NCAA told Mississippi State last month that Roberts had compromised his eligibility, Stansbury called other schools who have had underclassmen enter the draft. Those schools, Stansbury says, didn't know the rule on reimbursement either.