GolfHos

It didn’t work out. After two years, one season and 11 starts he wanted to transfer. Miami coach Randy Shannon said he could but only before taking what is one of the NCAA’s most ethically empty traditions and putting it on steroids.

Schools commonly limit where a player can transfer, often to other schools within its league.

Shannon took it to the extreme. According to Marve, he was prohibited from transferring to 27 schools.

That included all 11 of the other teams in the ACC, all 12 in the SEC and four others in the state of Florida. Even lower-level programs such as Florida International apparently now terrify the Hurricanes.

Friday evening, after this column was originally posted, Miami softened its stance slightly and will now allow Marve to transfer on scholarship to any SEC school other than Florida, LSU and Tennessee. Miami alleges those schools were tampering with the player. The ACC and in-state ban stands though.

Marve hails from Tampa. His father Eugene has prostate cancer and while it’s not the stated reason for the transfer, Marve understandably wants to stay in the Southeast, if not in state.

This is always a shameful practice. Marve is just one of many players from many programs dealing with it. No university should ever, under any circumstance, be allowed to prohibit a player’s future due to competitive fears. Even if Miami’s tampering allegation is true – Marve has denied it to the Associated Press – the Hurricanes should take it up with the other schools, not the player. It has nothing to do with the other ACC or in-state schools, yet those bans remain.

The player should be allowed to transfer at full scholarship in conference, in state or across the street if they want.

Anything less isn’t just un-American, it’s an admission that winning is everything. There is no decent argument for this except fear of losing. This isn’t a non-compete clause for business execs, these are college students.