*PLEASE DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS FANPOST

With the clamor of shattering beer bottles and the drunken shouts of soon-to-be-peeved patrons, the third thread of the Firewater Saloon is now open. So, while I may remain named Invictus, it seems that I will eventually cave to peer pressure. (Please don't start encouraging me to take up any unhealthy habits or participating in illegal and highly dangerous activities...)

As before, here are some Firewater Saloon guidelines. Some of your options may have changed, so please read all sentences carefully.

A) Come here to hang out. Chat about things that would unnecessarily clog other threads. Sure, there's that Off-Topic Discussion place, too, but that seems to be for FSU related questions/topics not covered elsewhere. Consider this your any-topic-goes thread of choice. Well, within reason. We can't card patrons at the CyberEntrance, you know.

2) You are encouraged to mingle with the other patrons. Don't be a wallflower and merely read the posts - interact, make friends, start bar fights in your mind and then relate the story (we could all use a laugh). 

D) Remember to take you vitamins. We need healthy (and living) readers so TN can continue to get hits during the off-season. Keep TN thriving! 

Omega) Therapy sessions only cost 4¢ per word. Just don't take any of my advice, as it might be detrimental to your mental state.

Magenta) Is it any surprise the Pack is winning? After all, "Blessed are the cheesemakers."

I've said it before - I think the concept of vacating wins is stupid. The NCAA's system of punishment leaves much to be desired, and I have a proposal that will allow more fitting punishments to be meted out. 

For programs that have infractions, scholarship reductions are warranted. But for personal offenses (e.g., cheating on exams, contact with an agent, etc.), it's not fair to punish the coaches, players, and fans who had nothing to do with the situation - particularly when the actual perpetrators often get away with little or no punishment. Forfeits, or the currently popular vacating of wins, should be reserved for situations where coaches knowingly used ineligible players. However, if a coach is unaware of an infraction, how can s/he be expected to sit the "ineligible" player? It makes no sense.

Instead, let's put the punishment more fully on the perpetrators. Suspensions work to a point, but what about infractions uncovered after a player leaves campus? Those players are rarely affected by their misdeeds. Therefore, I propose that the NCAA allow athletic scholarships to be reclassified as scholarship/loans. As long as athletes fulfill certain criteria/conditions, the educational funding awarded for their athletic participation is classified as a scholarship. If, however, athletes fail to meet the outlined conditions, their funding reverts to a student loan. All the laws applicable to student loans and their collections would then apply to some or all of the funds the athlete received. This would hold the athletes personally responsible for their own actions.

Say an athlete graduates, and it is later discovered that s/he cheated on an exam (or committed some other infraction that would affect eligibility) at the start of his/her junior year. Instead of the team "vacating" any wins in which this athlete participated, the athlete's funding in his/her junior AND senior seasons would revert to student loan status (i.e., for the period during which s/he was ineligible). The university would likely still receive a scholarship reduction, but the largest consequences for this athlete's actions would fall mostly on him/her. 

The conditions would need to be carefully expressed, of course - transferring, leaving school early, etc. should not cause the funding to revert to loan status. But, actions that currently cause programs to be put on probation should initiate the reclassification. Let's punish the perpetrators, and not the universities that have given them the opportunity to receive a college education. 

I am still formulating this idea, so suggestions and feedback would be appreciated.