| Dothan Eagle Jun. 12--TUSCALOOSA -- To the short-sighted, it's a slap on the wrist. SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS To the far-sighted, it's a warning bell that should send shivers down the spine. And to the cynical, it's still only a matter of time before the other shoe drops on the University of Alabama. Thursday was not Alabama's finest hour, but it also wasn't a disaster for Crimson Tide football fans. NCAA sanctions resulting from a self-directed investigation into its textbook distribution program for student-athletes sound more ominous than they will feel. In fact, no scholarships were lost. However, the latest NCAA Committee on Infractions report is not without embarrassment or some stinging revisionist history. Alabama's stunning 10-2 season in 2005 under Mike Shula included a win over Florida and ended with a Cotton Bowl victory over Texas Tech. Barring a university appeal, it will now be recorded as an 0-2 season. The NCAA report revealed seven football players were "intentional wrongdoers." Five players -- Antoine Caldwell, Marlon Davis, Glen Coffee, Marquis Johnson and Chris Rogers -- were suspended by Nick Saban the day before the 2007 Tennessee game. They sat out four games. Two other players, who haven't been identified, were discovered in the subsequent investigation. Fifteen unidentified student-athletes in the men's track, women's track and men's tennis programs were identified as "intentional wrongdoers" in the NCAA report. Their individual records will also be vacated. "I do think the penalty is appropriate", Committee on Infractions chairman Paul Dee said. "The penalty is a difficult one -- particularly the length of time they're on probation." And that is really the key here. What happens next? Can Alabama stay out of trouble until June 11, 2012? Thursday's report left little doubt the Committee on Infractions doesn't want to see Alabama again anytime soon. Quoting from the report, "Although the committee commends the institution for self-discovering, investigating and reporting the textbook violations, it remains troubled, nonetheless, by the scope of the violations in this instance and by the institution's recent history of infractions cases." We're not going into that history, but to summarize: Alabama has been in front of the Committee on Infractions in 1995, 1999, 2002 and, now, 2009. The NCAA Committee on Infractions is not the bar in Cheers. You don't want to go where everybody knows your name. In 1999, Alabama was in a repeat violator window from the 1995 case. The 2002 decision came during a repeat violator window from the 1999 case. The textbook violations announced Thursday occurred during a repeat violator window from the 2002 sanctions. So putting Alabama in a probation period that extends to 2012 and a repeat violator window that goes two years beyond that have cynics doubting if the Tide can stay out of trouble that long. Athletics director Mal Moore sounded the alarm -- and practically begged for good behavior -- in his brief comments about the sanctions. "It is important that our fans and supporters understand this: the ruling does not hinder our efforts going forward in recruiting or in competition", Moore said. "But the ruling is a clear reminder that we must maintain strict compliance with all NCAA regulations." There is already enough Internet and message board speculation to suggest that is going to be a tough task. Page 1 of 1
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