The NCAA claims in their mission statement that "Our mission is to be an integral part of higher education and to focus on the development of our student-athletes.”



However, it is sometimes the case that the NCAA fails to focus on the student athlete, but rather focuses on the maintenance of a highly bureaucratic set of rules that makes the Postal Service look streamlined. In those times, its implementation of the rules can make Joseph McCarthy look like the great compromiser.



The case of Kolton Houston demonstrates this rigid approach towards governing (not fostering) our student athletes. Houston, unknowingly injected by a doctor during recovery from a shoulder injury in high school, has been tested for illegal substances upwards of 80+ times over the course of 3 years since enrolling at UGA. The substance in question has decreased by 98.5% since first being tested. The levels are now marginally over the deemed NCAA limit, but despite the UGA Medical team’s appeals to the NCAA, he is denied the opportunity to join his teammates on the field.



The NCAA should review its approach towards the enforcement of their rulebook, and reinstate Houston for the upcoming season. The student has gone above and beyond the necessary to prove, statistically, that he is not using banned substances. Let the kid play!!