Keep those castle doors locked, NCAA, because the proletariat is rising.

Take a peak outside, and you’ll see a mass of bewildered Syracuse fans brandishing a petition with more than 1,000 signatures. You’ll see the print and television media publicly denouncing your decisions. You’ll even see Syracuse head basketball coach Jim Boeheim — ever the calm diplomat — crying for justice.

The reason for this uprising? On Thursday, the NCAA’s Subcommittee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement upheld a decision to suspend SU freshman Billy Edelin from the first 12 regular-season contests of the 2002-03 season. Edelin, likely without knowing, violated the NCAA’s rule against outside competition by participating in 12 recreational-league games last winter.

With so many surprised by the severity of Edelin’s penalty, the NCAA is under attack from all Orange-following corners — and rightfully so. The NCAA failed to pay attention to the circumstances that made Edelin’s rec-league participation harmless.

But it doesn’t matter. At NCAA headquarters, public opinion flies like a duck doused by Exxon Valdez. Forget democracy. The NCAA, with its decision in the Edelin case, showed why it’s often characterized as the cold and autocratic governing body of college sports.

“The NCAA, every time I read something about them, it’s about trying to help student-athletes,” Boeheim said. “It’s about compassion. But this kid did not know (the rule).

“I’ve never seen anything like this in 30 years in the business. It’s really total disbelief.”

For a legal code to be effective — and to be sure, the NCAA has more codes than Samuel Morse — punishments must be in agreement with public opinion. That’s how any legal decision gains legitimacy.

When public opinion is entirely forgotten and that legitimacy is abandoned, the rulings become nothing more than a joke.

In Edelin’s case, though, nobody’s laughing. Syracuse began its season with a loss Thursday to undermanned Memphis, while quickly watching its outlook turn from optimistic to glum. Much of that is because Edelin, who was suspended last season after two female students accused him of sexual misconduct, will make his debut Jan. 18 against Pittsburgh.

Syracuse appealed the NCAA decision before it was announced publicly, but that appeal was denied last Thursday.

“The fact that we appealed the decision leads one to believe that we thought the penalty was too severe,” SU Director of Athletics Jake Crouthamel said. “I can’t fault the decision. But the rule that is being enforced did not contemplate a situation quite like this.”

Clearly, the NCAA did not fully contemplate its ruling either. If it did, the five-person board would have noticed that Edelin played his 12 illegal games against 35- to 45-year-old men. Against potbellies wearing thigh-high cloth shorts. On a court so small that neither team could play more than four men at a time.

No person on the reinstatement staff was allowed to comment about Edelin’s case, but perhaps that’s a good thing. What could they say? At this point, even Alexander and Catalano couldn’t patch together a defense for the NCAA.

“(The NCAA) thought (Edelin) gained a competitive advantage because they held him to a one-for-one suspension,” said Rob Mathner, SU’s Director of Athletic Compliance. “But that makes for great Monday morning quarterback material.”

But really, there’s no debate. If someone wishes to stick up for the NCAA, please step forward.

A bylaw known as Rule 14.7.2 bans athletes from playing in non-school sanctioned events for fear of gaining an unfair competitive advantage. The rule is understandable but faulty because it leaves no room for exceptions.

“If there was a notion that playing against 35-and 45-year-old men is the same as playing against Brandin Knight, then maybe (the penalty) isn’t excessive,” Crouthamel said indignantly.

A community of Syracuse fans agree. On Sunday evening, Mark Cupelo, a Syracuse graduate and resident of Johnson City, wrote a petition against the NCAA and posted it on a Web site. Twenty-four hours later, more than 1,000 people signed it.

Cupelo plans to let the petition (which says that those undersigned “strongly disagree with the severity of the subcommittee’s sanctions”) grow until Sunday, at which point he’ll mail it to NCAA headquarters.

“I can’t say I expect them to reverse the decision,” Cupelo said. “I just want the voices to be heard. Everyone seems to be in accordance that justice is not being served here.”

Everyone, that is, except for the NCAA. But go ahead, let it hear the voices. Let it hear the complaints. Hopefully it will realize that its mistake warrants some punishment, too.

Published on November 18, 2002 at 12:00 pm