Despite the punishment that was handed down to Jim Boeheim and the ongoing criticism for ineligible players on the Syracuse basketball, and his coaching staff’s?acceptance of unapproved funds from the booster club, Jim might be?here to stay. As many of us know, Jim Boeheim and his Syracuse men’s basketball team, were?forced to vacate all 108 wins during the years 2004-07 and 2010-12. In addition, Boeheim is also suspended for the first nine ACC games of the 2015-16 season. This came as a result of academic integrity claims in an ongoing 8 year investigation.
But even in?wake of pending suspension, embattled Syracuse Men’s Basketball coach Jim Boeheim said:
“I came here in 1962, I’m not going anywhere.”
Furthermore, Boeheim said:
“There’s a lot of things to be said. It’s difficult right now.”
While we know that the possibility of Jim Boeheim leaving the Orange is open, the reality still remains bleak.
The reason why the door is open for a change is because:
- Syracuse is in a down year at 18-13.
- a five year NCAA probation
- is required to vacate 108 wins
- a loss of 12 scholarships
- required to reimburse revenue made from the 2011-13 NCAA tournaments
- Boeheim has to sit out the first nine ACC games in 2015-16.
The opportunity for a change of culture is open, but the end result will come down to whether the university and its athletics department values academics and ethics?higher than a national championship possibility.
But this situation is a now or never type of deal for the Syracuse administration. If Syracuse decides to keep Jim Boeheim, the university is essentially deciding to keep him until his formal retirement, and if they tried to fire him two years from now on these grounds it would not stand because the administration already condoned the actions and couldn’t use them against him.
However, if they fired him now they not only have legitimate reasoning, but show they are making an effort to change the culture of the Syracuse athletic department. This second option is more a saving face scenario for the athletic department, which has already been quite tarnished for their failure to deal with the infractions earlier and internally.
Nevertheless, the road ahead for Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Men’s Basketball, football, and the entire athletic department, will be a long and winding one, but the opportunity to salvage any ethical or moral values and to plug the sinking ship is now, and the baton is left in?Syracuse’s athletic department to fix their own mistakes.
