Paul Finebaum calls for NCAA to 'show some compassion' after Maason Smith suspension

The NCAA has faced no shortage of criticism following the decision to give LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith a one-game suspension. SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum believes it is completely warranted.

It was reported that Smith took place in an autograph signing in the summer of 2021 along with Tigers receiver Kayshon Boutte. The signing took place “days or weeks” before the NCAA adopted interim NIL legislation, meaning it fit the criteria for an “impermissible benefit.”

Smith’s suspension means he will miss the season opener against No. 8 Florida State. Appearing with On3‘s Andy Staples on Tuesday, Finebaum didn’t hold back his disapproval for how the NCAA for how it has handled Smith’s situation as well as others across the country.

“When I started thinking about it a month before NIL, just show some compassion,” he said. “Having seen Charlie Baker speak earlier this year in Washington DC and listening to him blame everything on the NCAA while he was the NCAA president, I walked out of there going, ‘This guy is a change agent. He’s going to do things differently.’ Two months later, I haven’t seen one thing different from the NCAA other than a bunch of hot air.”

Making things look even worse for the NCAA, Smith already missed nearly all of the 2022 season after suffering a knee injury in the season opener. That in mind, the suspension just looks like an attempt to keep a player down who has already been through a lot.

It’s one of a handful of examples this offseason of the NCAA not doing what’s best for the player. Another high-profile situation is that of North Carolina transfer receiver Tez Walker, who was declared ineligible due to being a two-time transfer. The NCAA updated its transfer waiver rules just two days after Walker committed to the Tar Heels.

It would be one thing if what Smith did was still against the rules. But it’s perfectly legal now and the fact that it happened so close to NIL laws going into effect, in Finebaum’s estimation, deserves an exception.

“I know it may be against the NCAA rules, but they went against their own rules at Penn State,” he said. “This is where I’d like to see some leadership from Charlie Baker or someone up there saying, ‘You know what? Let’s mitigate this problem. We have a situation going on at North Carolina. We have the situation here. Let’s try to help the player.’

“Instead, they continue to make it more difficult. We’re not talking about some crazy scheme here to funnel millions of dollars. We’re talking about a 30-day window where if somebody had done it, it would’ve been legal.”

Smith was a five-star freshman in 2021 and finished his first college season with 19 tackles (five for loss) and four sacks. He reportedly has no limitations coming off of last year’s injury, but we’ll have to wait a little bit longer to see him take the field again due to the NCAA’s decision.