Colleges

NCAA backs down on FSU ban

FSU's ties to the Seminole tribe get its nickname removed from a restricted list.

By BRIAN LANDMAN
Published August 24, 2005

Florida State University's tradition-rich and cherished American Indian nickname and imagery is now safe from the restrictions a controversial new NCAA policy would have imposed.

An NCAA staff committee on Tuesday cited FSU's long-standing relationship with the Seminole Tribe of Florida as the reason for removing it from a list of 18 institutions the organization had condemned for using "hostile and abusive" American Indian references.

"For nearly 60 years, this university has proudly identified itself with the indomitable spirit of the Seminole Tribe of Florida and we look forward to continuing our close relationship with this courageous tribe for many years to come," FSU president T.K. Wetherell said in a statement.

With the fall semester about to begin Monday, he said he merely wants to "put this issue behind us once and for all."

His tempered words offered a sharp contrast to his ire with the NCAA since the policy announcement on Aug. 5. Not only did he fax an indignant three-page letter of appeal to the NCAA, he marshalled support from government leaders and lined up prominent lawyer Barry Richard for a possible lawsuit.

Ultimately, a simple, short resolution passed in June by the Seminole Tribe of Florida that supported the way the school portrayed it trumped all the talk of legislation and litigation.

"Although the Executive Committee continues to believe that stereotyping Native Americans through nicknames and imagery is wrong, it recognizes that a Native American tribe is a distinct political community and, therefore, respects the authority of the tribe to permit universities and colleges to use its name and imagery," NCAA senior vice president for governance and membership Bernard Franklin wrote in a letter to FSU.

Max Osceola Jr., one of the five Tribal Council members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida who unanimously approved the critical resolution, said he appreciates the NCAA's reversal of field.

"I'm glad after reflection or after new information, they respected our views," he said. "This has to do with only one tribe and one university. There are some depictions of Native Americans that are detrimental to the name tribes and I applaud them (the NCAA officials) for reviewing those other colleges or universities that may not be showing Native Americans in a positive way."

FSU athletics director Dave Hart, calling the outcome one that "reasonable people" would have expected, said he hopes that other schools on the list "will benefit in similar fashion" from his school's template.

No other school on the list, including Illinois and Utah, has appealed, according to the NCAA. Utah's situation closely parallels FSU's in that it has a long-standing relationship with the Ute tribe, said vice president for university relations Fred Esplin, and the two are working together on an appeal.

What happens elsewhere wasn't the main concern of FSU fans on this day, however.

Many said they were thrilled about their school's victory.

"It's the right thing to do," said Bill Durham, who started the Chief Osceola and Renegade tradition at FSU in 1978, a visual that has become synonymous with the school. (That wouldn't have been affected had FSU remained on the list.)

"Every once in a while, common sense carries the day," said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, who received his undergraduate, graduate and law degrees from FSU and presented Bobby Bowden with a key to the city during the coach's spring booster tour.

State Sen. Jim King, R-Jacksonville, called it a win-win for everybody and congratulated the NCAA for a bold step.

"It's very difficult, as I well know, to back up from a position publicly taken," he said. "I'm glad it turned out the way it did. It could have been ugly. It started out that way. But if you're going to have a rainbow, you've got to have rain."

"It's a good day in FSU-land, again," said Doug Prior, who founded the Pinellas County Seminole booster club and was on the Seminole Boosters national board of directors for years.

"I'm a criminal trial lawyer and justice is prevailing. We've done this the right way, with the blessing of the tribe."

So, what took the NCAA so long to get that?

After studying the complicated, emotionally charged mascot issue for years, the NCAA was well aware of that relationship locally, but it also said it had to weigh the interests of Seminoles everywhere.

NCAA officials were told that the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma was against FSU's use.

It had relied on letters from a single member of that tribe's General Council, David Narcomey, who wasn't authorized to speak on behalf of the 14,000-strong tribe and misrepresented its view. His resolution to condemn the colleges that use American Indian mascots and imagery was overwhelmingly defeated, 18-2, in mid July.

During a teleconference Thursday night, the Executive Committee set a new standard to judge whether a school should be on the list, putting a priority on a local tribe's sovereignty and wishes. Had that been the original bar, FSU likely wouldn't have been at the center of the maelstrom.

"I guess we could easily second-guess ourselves," said Arthur Kirk Jr., president of Saint Leo University and a member of the Executive Committee. "But it's a very complex issue. ... In our final judgment, we set the right standard."

"At least the appeal process was there and apparently it works," said Georgia Tech president G. Wayne Clough.

Clough is also a member of the Executive Committee and said he didn't like that schools that would be affected weren't represented at the meeting in Indianapolis on Aug. 4 to make their case and abstained from that initial vote.

"So bless their souls, it all came out right," Clough said.

[Last modified August 24, 2005, 01:16:13]