The sports world mocked the irony of the NCAA making Memphis star James Wiseman donate $11,500 to a charity for accepting money
- The NCAA suspended the Memphis, Tennessee, basketball star James Wiseman for 12 games over allegations that he and his family accepted $11,500 from Memphis coach Penny Hardaway for "moving expenses" in 2017.
- The NCAA is also making Wiseman donate $11,500 to a charity of his choice.
- The sports world immediately mocked the NCAA for its punishment, saying there was irony in making an unpaid college athlete donate a large sum of money after his family accepted money two years ago.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The NCAA on Wednesday suspended the Memphis, Tennessee, basketball star James Wiseman for 12 games over allegations that he and his family accepted money from head coach Penny Hardaway in 2017.
Wiseman, the potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft in June, initially played after the NCAA's injunction, as the university pushed back against the NCAA. The school relented last week and ruled Wiseman ineligible.
The NCAA alleged that Wiseman and his family took $11,500 in "moving expenses" from Hardaway, who was not Memphis' head coach at the time, during Wiseman's junior year of high school.
In addition, the NCAA on Wednesday ruled that Wiseman must donate $11,500 to a charity of his choice.
The latter punishment was immediately mocked by the sports world for, well, obvious reasons.
Just take it out of his wages. https://t.co/nuCiYtTdyi
— Cian (@Cianaf) November 20, 2019
Can he wait until he... gets paid to play sports before making the donation? https://t.co/LjjOq1G7aI
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 20, 2019
NCAA thinks amateur athlete James Wiseman has $11.5K laying around. pic.twitter.com/PbH8SMDQno
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) November 20, 2019
How exactly does the NCAA think he’s gonna come up with $11,500 to donate? https://t.co/OL2ay5N50f
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) November 20, 2019
Wait, the NCAA wants him to find $11,500 (he can't work and can't accept benefits) to pay a charity so he can play? https://t.co/S0U1d6SJ0Z
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) November 20, 2019
lol I didn’t catch the part that they basically just fined an amateur athlete like he was in the NBA already.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) November 20, 2019
that’s honestly just an absurd penalty. https://t.co/ySdeqj320e
My man’s in college and he has to donate $11,500 to a charity of his choice? I didn’t even have $11.50 to chip in for the weekend’s batch of Keystone Lights https://t.co/XZAZIVzNvh
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) November 20, 2019
https://t.co/Lpj1K65DcU pic.twitter.com/BpqLwpW8Z1
— Katie Nolan (@katienolan) November 20, 2019
Wait what?? Like how is... never mind... smh https://t.co/XyA4LoA0ue
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) November 20, 2019
Yeah, so in this case, the repayment thing is very different.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) November 20, 2019
Penny gave the family, not James specifically, money to move from Nashville to Memphis. This was not cash for a car, or some sort of good for him. That’s why in this case it is a pretty absurd part of the penalty. https://t.co/LdMyCVHyZz
A reminder that the NCAA not long ago signed an eight-year, $8.8 billion dollar extension for its March Madness basketball tournament, during which all players on the court are paid approximately zero dollars. https://t.co/Tq0VmYg8Hz
— Jason Gay (@jasongay) November 20, 2019
Wiseman will be eligible to return to the floor in January.
- Read more:
- 5 biggest winners and losers in college basketball this week
- There is an ironic failure to the NFL's new pass interference review rules
- LeBron James said Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd immediately chastised him for being too sloppy with the ball after a historic triple-double
- NFL POWER RANKINGS: Where every team stands heading into Week 12