...but so much of what is wrong with sports is embodied in this column, by Bill Rhoden, defending Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson. Rhoden's primary mitigating evidence for why Sampson should be retained? Well...a Sampson supporter believes he wouldn't break NCAA rules again.

What about the violations? They won’t happen again, trust me. Not again in his coaching life. "If he stays, that’s his last mistake," McCluskey said.

But let's be real here. This is by no means Kelvin Sampson's first offense (and Rhoden does a conspicuously poor job of glossing over Sampson's well-recorded history of infractions); in fact, as Seth Davis explained, this would be his third strike. At Oklahoma, he'd already been sanctioned for making 500+ impermissible phone calls to recruits; last fall in Bloomington, he then violated the penalties imposed on him because of the violations (leading to the dismissal of sacrificial lamb/assistant coach Rob Senderoff). And now, even more illicit calls.

So let's review. The only argument made by Rhoden is this, unequivocally: The coach should stay because Indiana is doing well! (Thanks, of course, in no small part to star frosh Eric Gordon, who likes him.) And: he won't do it again! (Fingers crossed?)

It's precisely symptomatic of what's wrong in this era of professional and collegiate sports. Disappointing and pretty mystifying on Rhoden's part, unless he knows something important we don't. (And no, Sampson's cell phone number doesn't count.)