The 5 Biggest College Football Controversies
It seems like every few years that the college football world is rocked by a controversy. Any time money and sports are involved, some sort of controversy follows.
Here are the 5 biggest college football controversies in the sport’s history. Check out how these moments shocked college football and get this online casino bonus.
The SMU Death Penalty
One of the biggest college football controversies involved South Methodist University during the 1980s. Almost out of nowhere, the small Texas school started recruiting big name high school stars and became top-ranked.
For almost a decade, SMU were a top team, but they were constantly penalized for recruiting violations and paying players. Then in 1987, the NCAA had enough and shut down the program for two years, which was called “the death penalty.”
This was the only time the NCAA had ever given this punishment to a program. Almost 40 years later, SMU still hasn’t recovered.
The Reggie Bush Scandal
During the 2000s, the USC Trojans were arguably the greatest college football team ever assembled. They went to three straight national championships and two of their players won the Heisman.
Unfortunately, after his college career ended, it had come to light that Reggie Bush had received financial favors to play. This became one of the biggest college football controversies that rocked the sporting world.
The NCAA imposed a two-year bowl ban on USC and Bush relinquished his Heisman Trophy.
Penn State Child Abuse
Out of all of the biggest college football controversies, Penn State’s is arguably the worst. It didn’t affect the game, but the children who loved it.
Investigations showed that assistant coach Jerry Sandusky had spent decades abusing kids on the Penn State campus. This was made worse by legendary coach Joe Paterno covering up the abuses.
Sandusky was sent to prison for the rest of his life and Penn State was fined $60 million and banned from multiple bowl games. Joe Paterno’s legacy was permanently tarnished and he died soon after stepping down as the head coach.
Miami Booster Scandal
In 2011, an investigation revealed that Miami Hurricanes booster Nevin Shapiro gave improper benefits to 70 Miami players. This money was facilitated through a Ponzi scheme that Shapiro had run from 2002 to 2010.
Miami Hurricane players received everything from money, jewelry, cars, prostitutes, and yacht trips. The scandal showed a lack of oversight by the University of Miami and the NCAA laid down harsh sanctions.
Miami was hit with a two-year bowl ban, a three-year probation, and Shapiro was out as a booster.
Michigan Sign Stealing
One of the biggest college football controversies that occurred most recently involved the Michigan Wolverines. The University of Michigan faced allegations of an elaborate sign stealing operation led by staff member Conor Stallions.
This scheme involved illegally scouting the signals of opposing teams and using electric devices to decode them. Stallions resigned from Michigan and Jim Harbough left Michigan to coach the San Diego Chargers.
The scandal sparked a debate around technology in college sports and the need for updated rules.
