If you get caught paying players hundreds of thousands of dollars through shady deals with agents and companies, the NCAA will turn a blind eye until the FBI steps in.
If you knowingly keep a coach on staff after sweeping domestic abuse claims under the rug, the NCAA will wink and accept the self-imposed three-game suspension of your head coach.
But if one of your players accepts money and gifts from boosters, a tiny amount compared to what the FBI investigated, you’re going to get hit hard.
The NCAA proved once again that their arbitrary judgement system is ridiculous, with no structure to match the punishment to the crime.