McNeese coach Will Wade began the season on a 10-game suspension for breaching various NCAA regulations. On Wednesday, he stated that the federal probe into improper payments to players has “ruined a lot of people’s lives” and that he believes the NCAA should let those affected to return to collegiate basketball.
Wade claimed that the investigations wrecked “good people’s lives for very little,” especially given how collegiate athletics have altered in the last seven years since the establishment of NIL.
“Everything that some of these people got their lives ruined for, it’s standard operating procedure today,” Wade went on to say. “It’s just very disappointing.” I want the NCAA would intervene and say, “Look, we need to let these other folks back in.” We need to get rid of some of the punishments they received.”
Source: Sports Illustrated
Wade, who was dismissed by LSU following the 2022 SEC tournament but before the NCAA tournament. This made his McNeese debut on December 13, taking over an 8-2 squad. The Cowboys ended 30-3, won the Southland Conference regular-season and tournament championships, and advanced to the Big Dance for the first time since 2002.
Will Wade Back In Black At NCAA Tournament
Wade, whose given name is Willl, has been shooting up the Southland Conference and other outposts in his first season as coach of the McNeese State Cowboys in Lake Charles, La., some 35 miles east of the Texas border. However, “Cowboys” is a pseudonym.
Following Wade’s arrival a year ago, the basketball team quickly adopted the name “Bayou Bandits,” even holding a promotional photo shoot with cowboy hats and horses at a neighboring ranch.
