Shocking!!! Fiesta Bowl To Remain Part of BCS (or Why Nothing Will Change, Ever)

by Jon Johnston on May 11, 2011 2:24 PM CDT in College Football - National

This just in, the BCS has announced that the Fiesta Bow must pay a whopping, enormous, massive $1 MILLION dollar fine to remain as part of the BCS.

Can the Fiesta Bowl afford such an enormous, massive fine and still survive? Isn't $1 MILLION punitive to the amount of putting a death sentence on the bowl???

- Less than two years pay for BCS committee head Graham Spanier whose salary is $545k per year.

- Less than two years pay for former Fiesta Bowl CEO John Junker, whose annual salary was $600k per year.

- Junker had charged $4.8 million to a Fiesta Bowl credit card over 10 years. It's not the $4.8 over 10 years you should be thinking about. It's the amount Junker was paid over 10 years, the total amount they spent on trips for people like Graham Spanier.

- The University of Connecticut lost $1.8 million attending the Fiesta Bowl this season. Is it all too clear what a joke this is?

The Fiesta Bowl will have to comply with "six other reforms involving tougher and more independent audits, tighter membership controls for the Fiesta Bowl board, and greater accountability" - all stuff they should have been doing in the first place.

If there's evidence that nothing about the BCS will ever change, isn't this it?

All of this comes on a day in which NCAA President Mark Emmert says it's time to get tough against schools that break the rules. Oooohhh, I'll bet everyone is shaking in their shoes at that one. It's going to be a little tough to do that when university heads like Graham Spanier roll over and play 'good doggy' whenever they're asked.

The Formal BCS Press Release is after the jump. It's too bad someone hasn't invented a way to turn bullshit into energy, or gas would be about 5 cents a gallon.

ONE MILLION DOLLAR SANCTION IMPOSED FOR FIESTA BOWL

Bowl Must Meet Conditions to Remain Part of BCS

"Reveal and Reform Approach is Appropriate, but Additional Action Is Necessary"

The presidents and commissioners who oversee the Bowl Championship Series today unanimously approved a special task force recommendation to enact a series of sanctions designed to create stronger oversight and better management of the Fiesta Bowl, including a $1 million sanction.

The task force concluded that the reforms undertaken by the bowl's new leaders are "appropriate and necessary," but due to the severity of the problem, the task force has recommended that additional measures and corrective action be required.

The commissioners and university presidents approved the recommendation of the task force that the Fiesta Bowl be subject to a $1 million sanction with the proceeds benefitting youth in Arizona. The task force also recommended the enactment of six other measures to improve the governance of the bowl.

The task force, chaired by Penn State University President Graham Spanier, concluded "The board of directors of the Fiesta Bowl failed in its responsibility to properly oversee the management and administration of the Bowl. The task force is deeply troubled by the evidence set forth in the [Fiesta Bowl's] Special Committee's report. That evidence strongly suggests that the Bowl's executive staff frequently acted with scant regard for ethics and proper conduct. Further, it is the opinion of the task force that the Bowl's board of directors over the years was negligent in its oversight responsibilities."

The task force commended the bowl's leaders for their swift and corrective "reveal and reform" actions since the Special Committee report was released in March. According to the task force's 15-page report, "Nevertheless, the task force has concluded that additional reforms are needed, and is recommending sanctions."

Had these reforms not been made by the Fiesta Bowl, the task force "almost certainly would have recommended the termination of the BCS Group's involvement with the Fiesta Bowl."

In addition to the $1 million sanction, the task force called for the six other reforms involving tougher and more independent audits, tighter membership controls for the Fiesta Bowl board, and greater accountability. The task force also recommended requiring all BCS bowls conform to soon-to be developed standards for responsible bowl governance and that each bowl associated with the BCS be required to certify annually to the Executive Director of the BCS that it is conducting its business in accordance with the standards or be subject to possible sanctions.

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Comments

I agree

that these “damages” are anything but a slap on the wrist, however, pointing to UConn losing money doesn’t help bolster any argument. They lost money going to a bowl game where they were supposed to sell 17k tickets and they sold under 3k. It also isn’t the problem of the bowl how a university is to share money with other universities within a conference.

Bottom line…..without a changing of the guard of the current “leadership” for the Fiesta Bowl, they should have lost BCS affiliation. They acted with reckless abandon and with disregard for ethics and therefore any and all changes made to correct themselves is too little too late. They are only making changes because they were caught, otherwise, nothing would have changed. With these people still in charge, it will eventually go back to the way it was.

by JimmytheRed on May 11, 2011 3:33 PM CDT reply actions

NCAA is a farce

Real question is how much additional money and favors did the Fiesta Bowl Committee have to offer up the BCS suits to keep their status as a license to print money…All the cost of a measly $1M fine. They’re guaranteed to make much more than that by being part of the BCS to begin with. (see UConn story)
Really surprised Jerry Jones didn’t horn in and try to sway the BCS to take on the Cotton Bowl and use his stadium…Who knows he may be angling for the National Title game as a yearly event at Cowboy Stadium… Wouldn’t surprise me.

by Dutch71 on May 12, 2011 6:24 PM CDT reply actions

I have got to believe that a BCS bowl in Dallas is the last thing the NCAA wants

Which is why the Fiesta stays. And to be frank, Dallas is not a tourist haven. Its really a big suburb, and the weather is January is not comfortable. I would much prefer Phoenix over Dallas or Orlando in January.

Having said that, one more instance of this, I would hope that its moved regardless.

Engineering wouldn't be so bad if occam's razor worked.

by meatybob on May 13, 2011 8:19 AM CDT reply actions

Fiesta Bowl Fine

I’m an avid Nebraska fan that lives in Phoenix. I say “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw bricks”. Omaha is home to a national sports event called the College World Series. I would venture a guess that if a bright light was shown on every financial transaction incurred by it’s management, there would be some questionable expenditures. I’m not saying it’s right……it’s just a fact of high dollar sports culture. Sometimes Nebraska fans can be a little narrrow minded.

by HuskerTomG on May 13, 2011 12:03 PM CDT reply actions

Jeez

wish I weren’t so narrow minded what with my expectations that people are ethical and are punished when found to not be playing by the rules. I must be some kind of hick to the outside world. Thank you for enlightening me that there is corruption out there and I should just deal with it when those that are caught are given no consequences.

by JimmytheRed on May 15, 2011 2:35 PM CDT up reply actions