Boeheim Katko.jpg

Syracuse University head basketball coach Jim Boeheim (left) has a defender in Rep.John Katko, R-Camillus (right).

(Dennis Nett (Boeheim), Stephen D. Cannerelli (Katko))

Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus, met Wednesday with the Syracuse Media Group editorial board. After holding forth on topics such as homeland security, ISIS, the highway bill, Congress's performance, the presidential campaign and economic development in Syracuse, Katko had time for one more question.

It was about the status of National Collegiate Athletics Accountability Act, a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Katko and others. The legislation would require more transparency and due process reforms for athletes and schools that are accused of breaking NCAA rules. It also would create a presidential commission to examine the intersection of college sports with money, academics and the health and safety of student-athletes.

Katko offered some insight into the NCAA probe of academic fraud at the University of North Carolina. Syracuse University basketball fans, you're not going to like what you're about to read:

Q: What's the status of the NCAA accountability bill?

Katko: We're kind of waiting to see what happened with North Carolina, and it sounds like it's going to be a joke. North Carolina had academic fraud going back 15 years, they had phantom classes for athletes, and they're trying to say, from what I understand preliminarily from the NCAA, is that they may not think the athletic department is accountable for that.

Q: When Syracuse University head basketball coach Jim Boeheim was held responsible for ...

Katko: No (bleep). I mean, it's ridiculous. I think that the NCAA is a joke.

The bill is actually a good bill because we have a hook through our federal funding for universities to take a look at it. There really should be a commission formed to take a look at the entire ball of wax. We're kind of waiting on what happens in North Carolina before we move forward.

Q: Is there bipartisan sponsorship?

Yeah. Some people view it as a "third rail'' type of thing, but I think that's something that should be looked at, because I think college sports are out of control, absolutely out of control, and there should be a lot of reforms to it. ...

I think the (NCAA's) corruption is profound. I mean, when you have children being raped on campus at Penn State, and the sanctions get all basically peeled back, and Joe Paterno doesn't lose any of his victories, they're all reinstated, and then they pound Boeheim and take away a hundred of his victories [actually, 101], give me a break. It's so uneven. It's ridiculous.

And if you look at what happened at Miami -- because they botched the investigation, nothing happened. That guy (University of Miami booster Nevin Shapiro) was paying for abortions for girlfriends, he was taking them out with strippers, he was taking them out to pro basketball games, he was taking them on cruises, and that guy in Miami gets nothing? Really? It's a joke.



And then North Carolina, I think, perhaps is the worst one of all, because they had phantom schools, for 15 years, phantom classes! And they're going to get less of a sanction than SU? Are you kidding me? It's ridiculous. So, something should be done.