Academic reform

David Harris, director of academic services
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Discussing the proposed incentives/disincentives structure in Division I that includes a contemporaneous penalty prohibiting the re-awarding of athletics scholarships when student-athletes leave in poor academic standing.

"The major reservation I have is ultimately all of this should be done with the idea of getting better students to come in and hit higher expectations. What I fear could happen across the country is you're bringing in the same type of students but then you're holding them to higher expectations.

"A lot of people in my profession will say coaches are still going to bring in athletes that are good students and some that are going to struggle. And sometimes they have to bring in those students who struggle because they feel like those are the ones they need to be competitive, and that creates pressure on the students and the people who help them."

Keith Carodine, associate athletics director for academic affairs
University of Florida
Florida Times-Union

"(Graduation rates are up because of) increased continuing-eligibility standards, an increase in athletics department expenditures for academic support for student-athletes and an increase in freshmen initial-eligibility requirements. You're getting slightly better-prepared students than in the past. They're being held to a higher standard, and they're getting more help than in the past."

Football injuries

Stefan Duma, engineer/project leader
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Health & Medicine Week

Discussing a Virginia Tech study that fitted players' helmets with the same kinds of sensors that trigger auto air bags.

"If you ask somebody what kind of head injury are you going to worry about, everybody thinks of the receiver running down the sideline getting popped by the safety. But to me, the interesting part is going to be these lower-speed but high-frequency hits we're seeing on the offensive and defensive line. The fact that these players are getting headaches all the time after every game, there's something going on there."

Athletics and higher education

James Earl, professor
University of Oregon
Associated Press

"From a professor's point of view, athletics is a sideshow that has taken on a life of its own and become dangerous and counterproductive to education."

Katherine Tachau, professor
University of Iowa
Associated Press

"I have no problem with most of our sports. They instill wonderful values. But the big-time sports belong in a marketplace, and that's not what a university is."

College basketball

David Arseneault, head men's basketball coach
Grinnell College
New York Times

"We're trying to perfect chaos. We have fun. It's almost a lost art in sports. I guess I'm about the only coach in basketball who screams only one thing at his players: 'Shoot more!' "

Athletics boosters

Chris King, assistant athletics director for compliance
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Orlando Sentinel

"If you look at schools that have gone on probation, there is almost always a high-access booster involved. They may get you a secondary violation, but more than likely, it's a major violation because the NCAA says you're supposed to have control of those individuals."

Jim Copeland, athletics director
Southern Methodist University
Orlando Sentinel

"My experience has been the ones who are the most generous aren't the ones that want to run your program. Generally the people who are giving you the most money have served on boards of companies and have a good understanding of how things work. They know you don't pick up a phone and demand and automatically get a coach fired."