INDIANAPOLIS—Laying down a harsh ruling that is sure to resonate in future cases, the NCAA determined Friday that Joe Burrow joining the Cincinnati Bengals will be more than enough punishment for his infraction of accepting a cash payment from Odell Beckham Jr. “We want to do everything we can to discourage college players from trying to monetize their position, and we have determined that whatever punishment we could come up with will pale in comparison to being drafted by the Bengals,” said N.C.A.A. president Mark Emmert, who warned that the LSU quarterback’s fate might become the new standard for punishing player corruption. “Let this be a warning to all the young men and women out there who might consider accepting a bribe. Burrow will have to spend the next four years playing for the Bengals, living in the city of Cincinnati, and carry the burden of being a hopeless franchise’s designated savior. Our only concern is that this punishment may be too harsh, but we are considering a scaled system where even worse infractions would entail being drafted by the Browns or Jets.” At press time, the N.C.A.A. had implemented a new disciple system for coaches who commit recruitment violations to be punished by up to three years as head coach of the Cowboys.
