Stan Van Gundy rips NCAA as “maybe the worst organization in sports”

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NBA: Detroit Pistons at Toronto Raptors
Feb 12, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy reacts during the first quarter in a game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre.The Detroit Pistons won 102-101. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Outspoken Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy isn’t afraid to tell people exactly what he thinks about anything, from sports to current events.

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On Sunday before Detroit’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center, he decided to weigh in on the recent reports about the FBI investigation into college basketball, some of which named Michigan State’s Miles Bridges among several others in their list of potential NCAA violations.

To put it nicely, he isn’t a fan of the NCAA.

“The NCAA is one of the worst organizations—maybe the worst organization—in sports,” Van Gundy said to reporters. “They certainly don’t care about the athlete. They’re going to act like they’re appalled by all these things going on in college basketball. Please, it’s ridiculous and it’s all coming down on the coaches.”

Bridges remains eligible to play for the Spartans after interim athletic director Bill Beekman said that MSU consulted with the NCAa prior to ruling he wouldn’t have to miss any time. 

Van Gundy then took aim at the “one and done” rule, which forces players to be one year removed from their high school graduating class in order to be drafted in the NBA. He even went as far as to suggest there was a racial undertone to the process.

“People that were against (players) coming out (of high school) made a lot of excuses, but I think a lot of it was racist,” Van Gundy continued. “I’ve never heard anybody go up in arms about (minor-league baseball or hockey). They are not making big money and they’re white kids primarily and nobody has a problem. But all of a sudden you’ve got a black kid that wants to come out of high school and make millions. That’s a bad decision, but bypassing college to go play for $800 a month in minor-league baseball? That’s a fine decision? What the hell is going on?”

A former collegiate coach himself, Van Gundy spent the 1994-95 season as bench boss of Wisconsin, leading them to a pedestrian 13-14 record. 

He’s not a fan of what he views as the “hypocritical” process of players transferring compared to coaches landing new gigs and when coaches are not being judged on players graduation as well as staying out of trouble off the floor.

“If you’re a college president that’s fired your coach and guy’s graduated players and not cheated and then you’re being hypocritical,” Van Gundy said.