The NCAA: Miami Prepared To Fight Back

Anyone ready for the NCAA investigation to be over? I know that as fans we all have been for quite some time. Hell, even Golden himself has repeatedly spoken about how he can't wait for the day when he doesn't have to deal with negative recruiting. Everyone who takes a liking to the orange and green is completely fed up with the NCAA, it's incredibly long timeline, and now the ineptitude with which it has apparently run the investigation.

Now it appears the University is on our side as well.

This morning, Joshua Borne over at CaneInsider posted an article discussing some recent info that he was given regarding Miami's stance on the current state of the investigation:

A source has informed Caneinsider.com that the University of Miami is prepared to file suit against the NCAA for its reckless 22 month investigation of the University’s athletic programs. The grounds for the suit are not entirely known nor is the timeline, however we do know that amid the controversy of this investigation the NCAA has now publicly stated they are in the midst of an internal investigation into their very own investigative tactics. NCAA President Mark Emmert said last Wednesday "I am deeply disappointed and frustrated and even angry about these circumstances" in regards to the improper conduct investigators within the NCAA took to gather information.

This news in interesting for a few reasons. One, it is an overt sign from Shalala and the administration that they are through waiting for the NCAA to try to build their case. It has been almost 2 years, and Miami has yet to receive the Notice of Allegations. This is an approach that we have not yet seen from Miami, who up until this, if it turns out to be true, was content to cooperate as much as possible with the NCAA while letting them do their jobs.

It is also interesting because while the info may be good and reliable, it does not exactly lay out a timeline. Will Miami file suit in order to force the NCAA to wrap things up? Or are they simply preparing their forces in case the NCAA finally finishes their introspective and decides that Miami deserves further punishment?

In either case, it is definitely refreshing to see this type of stance from Miami. They, like us, finally appear to be done playing games. The NCAA has taken long enough, too long, to try and punish Miami. When it all boils down, the length of time that they have taken shows more that they are trying everything they can to put together a solid case, rather than it reflecting on the sheer span of the allegations. Outside of the alleged $10,000 dollar payment that they reportedly have no proof of, the rest of the allegations would be fairly simple to "prosecute."

Obviously, there are still a few more months remaining in this process, between the NOA, the time period that Miami is given to respond, and the actual hearing to decide on the punishment. However, it certainly feels like the momentum is on UM's side at this point, and time served may be the end result.