HOUSTON – If you commit a personal foul in basketball, you have violated a rule. Same thing if you travel with the ball or are whistled for a lane violation. In none of those cases, however, is the offending player likely to be accused of cheating.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim wishes NCAA infractions cases were like that.
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It is the nature of college sports that when someone is charged with an NCAA rules violation, the word “cheater” is thrown out pretty quickly.