Florida State fotball players read at 2nd grade level

[Chip R]

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/footbal...n=ncaaf,196189

After months of appeals, wrangling over public records laws and the usual backbiting between the university and the NCAA, an appellate court finally gave Florida State the go-ahead Wednesday to release a 695-page transcript of its Oct. 18, 2008 hearing before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions, testimony from which was used to smack multiple sports at FSU in March with probation, minor scholarship restrictions and -- most notably in light of Bobby Bowden's quixotic pursuit of the career wins record -- vacated wins for playing ineligible players later accused of cheating in an online course ("Musical Cultures of the World") in 2006 and 2007. The transcript didn't tell us a whole lot we didn't already know. (Although it is, like, 700 pages long, so a few people are still reading.)

The news is probably more notable for public records scholars -- the NCAA infractions process is a notoriously secretive ordeal, and it fought tooth-and-nail to keep it that way -- than football fans, but the released documents did shed some light on a few specific details of the Florida State's violations, and of the school's subsequent investigation and defense, most of it painting "an unflattering portrait of Florida State’s professors and administrators," according to the New York Times. But certainly not nearly as unflattering as the portrait it painted of some of FSU's players, academically speaking, or the stops pulled out on their behalf by (to use FSU president T.K. Wetherell's term) a "rogue tutor":

Brenda Monk, a learning specialist hired to work with athletes who had learning and physical disabilities, was accused of improperly helping students type, edit and write their papers. Monk, who testified that some of those athletes had a second-grade reading level, was accused of committing academic fraud. In one case, she was said to have let students use a study guide that had answers to exam questions for an online music course.
Monk has left the university and filed a defamation suit against Florida State.

In their defense, second-graders are very advanced these days, what with the Baby Einstein and secret genetic engineering programs Congress slipped into an appropriations bill; some of the contemporary seven-year-old's favorite television shows also captivate the Miami Hurricanes. (And vicious, highly educated commenters, please, consider how the unusually high clusters of "criminal justice" and "recreational administration" majors on your own squad might fare by the same standard before you hit that spittle-flecked 'return' key.)

We can still assume that every Seminole at least knows how to count to 14, which remains the relevant number: As it stands, FSU still has to wipe 14 victories from Bowden's career total, a fate that may actually be looking more and more attractive to him -- if you remove those wins from the 2006-07 seasons, the unfolding disaster in 2009 suddenly looks like an improvement.

[Highlifeman21]

Which means those reading at the 2nd grade level couldn't have read the story about their reading level, right?

[traderumor]

Which means those reading at the 2nd grade level couldn't have read the story about their reading level, right?

[15fan]

I have a friend who works in the Academic Assistance program for athletes at FSU. My friend has some stories that are not so great.

There are also, however, some rather impressive stories about Myron Rolle and other kids who have done well in the classroom as well as on the athletic field.

[bucksfan2]

I would bet that the majority of FSU players are from the state of Florida. What a scathing indictment on the state of academics in Florida, from grade school, through high school, and into college.

[improbus]

While this certainly looks bad for FSU, I'm not too sure that I would want a test given to my favorite teams players either. I'm not too sure that my teams would do all that much better.

[DTCromer]

I would bet that the majority of FSU players are from the state of Florida. What a scathing indictment on the state of academics in Florida, from grade school, through high school, and into college.

I'd say it's more of a product of athletics being more important than academics. This stuff happens in almost every place. . . but some more than others.

[Handofdeath]

As much as I'm happy about Mike Leach leaving TTU, his players graduated which is certainly a credit to him.

[cumberlandreds]

"Dad-Gummit!!! I told them to go to class regular! What can you do with these youngin's if they don't listen to me." .... Bobby Bowden

[Highlifeman21]

"Dad-Gummit!!! I told them to go to class regular! What can you do with these youngin's if they don't listen to me." .... Bobby Bowden

You can tell kids to go to class all you want, but if they can't read their class schedule, or a campus map, or the name on a building, you're fighting a losing battle.

[Degenerate39]

I'm sure they can spell football

[Yachtzee]

Reminds me of Dexter Manley, who made it through 4 years at Oklahoma State even though he couldn't read. I have to wonder if football coaches are now using the term "learning disability" as a means of getting players on the field even when they can't make the grades in the classroom. The sad thing is, our educational system has made great strides in dealing with students with learning disabilities. However, dealing with those disabilities can take a lot of extra time and work that could conflict with practices and weight training. Thus I can see an incentive for coaches to put pressure on tutors and counselors to give their players "extra help" that doesn't involve time consuming exercises that would actually help them overcome their disability.

[texasdave]

At least they are showing some progress. =)

[GAC]

All they had to be able to read (as long as it was in crayon)

[Unassisted]

Bobby Bowden's quixotic pursuit of the career wins record

If a Scrabble game were to be staged with the reporter and a Florida State football player, I know who I'm betting on.