College athletics' seamy sideshow

Professional athletes aren't often cited as paragons of virtue, but considering the mess many colleges find themselves in these days, maybe it is in Maurice Clarett's best interest to declare for the NFL Draft.
Consider what has happened just since the Super Bowl:
UFootball recruits at the University of Colorado were allegedly provided with prostitutes;
UIt was revealed that one of the top football recruits in Florida has been arrested 11 times.
UThe president of St. John's (N.Y.) University considered disbanding the men's basketball program after a scandal in which several players reportedly solicited a prostitute at a Pittsburgh area strip club.
In the meanwhile, Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma whines about the rough play that his All-American, Diana Tarausi, is subjected to every game.
Hey coach, be thankful. You could spend your postgame interviews answering questions about why your players are getting mug shots instead of getting mugged in the lane.
St. John's
At St. John's, just four scholarship players remain on the roster. They were recently joined by four walk-ons so the Red Storm could field a team.
That wasn't enough, though, for the Big East Conference, which asked ESPN to pull its scheduled telecast of St. John's upcoming game with Connecticut.
Remembering that ESPN was born out of one man's desire to watch his beloved UConn Huskies on television 25 years ago, it must not seem so unnatural to Big East commissioner Michael Tranghese to assume that what is good for the conference is good for the network.
Tranghese, you might recall, provided the biggest crocodile tears since Al Maguire when Miami (Fla.), Boston College and Virginia Tech bolted for the Atlantic Coast Conference.
So, shortly after the St. John's president, Rev. Donald Harrington, announced he was considering canceling the remainder of the season, "wiser heads" prevailed and the university issued an official release saying the team, or at least what of remained, would finish the season.
After all, there are tickets to be sold, right?
Looking the other way
Far too often, coaches, administrators and fans are eager to look the other way when faced with a potential problem. And more often than not, that problem escalates into a full-blown media circus.
For instance, do you honestly think -- when they broke curfew in Pittsburgh, picked up a woman in a strip club and took her back to the team hotel for sex -- it was the first time the St. John's players engaged in such solicitous activity?
And do you believe this was the first time Colorado football recruits were provided with prostitutes and alcohol?
You shouldn't. Which is why it strikes me as a little odd when Gary Barnett, the Colorado football coach, said he had no idea any of this was taking place.
According to Barnett, recruits usually are with at least one football coach for all but 31/2 hours of their visit to campus. It was during that time period, spent one-on-one, so to speak, with a current player, that the illicit activities took place.
Tired clich & eacute;s
Barnett also uses the very tired clich & eacute; that a head coach can't monitor what his players are doing 24 hours a day.
Well, yes, he can, if cares about the direction of his program. And he can administer the proper punishment when his players are caught.
This isn't the first time a program Barnett headed has been caught with its collective hand in the cookie jar. At Northwestern, four players were indicted in a betting scandal. Barnett was not implicated and quickly distanced himself from the accused.
He'll be on the sidelines next fall, eager to accept the accolades from the high rollers in the sideline seats who fund his program.
XRob Todor is sports editor of The Vindicator. Write to him at todor@vindy.com.