The Nevada Sagebrush

The NCAA’s three-year probation levied against Nevada athletics paints a red bulls-eye on the program that the department should not take lightly.

Although former Nevada golf coach Rich Merritt was a “rogue” coach who wandered outside the bounds of acceptable behavior, as athletics director Cary Groth has said, he was still a representative of the Pack.

His violations are Nevada’s violations and the university must deal with that for the duration of the probation.

That means changes must be made. The university, working with the compliance department, must adopt stricter guidelines with stricter monitoring for coaches, players and faculty.

During the tsunami warnings last month when two Nevada teams were in Hawaii, Groth only communicated with one team — the men’s basketball team.

The rifle team, also in a hotel on the Oahu coast, wasn’t contacted during the state’s first coastal evacuation in 16 years. Groth said she didn’t even have rifle coach Fred Harvey’s cell phone number.

Non-communication is unacceptable, and leads to problems, like the NCAA violations.

Merritt got away with his crass acts under the athletic department’s watch because he wasn’t properly monitored. Such lax monitoring policies are dangerous for a program just a few blocks from several casinos.

Although Merritt’s gambling violations weren’t included in the report’s list of infractions, it does allude to the fact that the university probably dodged a bullet. The report wrote “several individuals with whom the enforcement staff spoke expressed their belief that the former head coach wagered on sports.” It also said Merritt’s finances were traced back to casinos in Reno and Las Vegas, but insufficient evidence kept the NCAA from linking gambling to the University of Nevada, Reno.

Slim evidence of Merritt’s alleged gambling endeavors is an example of why lax monitoring can’t be accepted, especially in Nevada.

If a Wolf Pack coach gets caught even sniffing a sports betting book, the NCAA will have every reason to react. It will have every reason to seek the deterioration of collegiate athletics in Nevada. A gambling violation strikes at the integrity of on-field competition. But yearly power-point presentations and lectures, which UNR already does, aren’t going to fix the situation. Nevada needs to adopt a stricter chain of command when monitoring the department, which could include more conferences between compliance faculty and coaches.

Constant communication to ensure coaches don’t step out of bounds regarding recruiting benefits, gambling and everyday interactions with athletes is needed to avoid a Merritt repeat.

While awareness is important, a constant watchful eye is key in preventing further punishment to Nevada’s sports teams.

The Nevada Sagebrush can be reached at editor@nevadasagebrush.com.

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