Ok, so now I have to read about yet another Florida college football player who is accused of being involved in cheating in an online class. In another blog post I wrote about an online cheating scandal at Florida State University. This time, the player is from a school right in my own backyard, the University of South Florida. And this time it happens to be his wife who says she wrote all of his papers for him. The wife claims that he isn't capable of writing his own papers, in fact she claims that he can't even spell.

This particular player is a guy who is likely to end up playing in the NFL.

If you'd like to read the entire story, I'm providing a link to the article here:

Moffitt's Wife Says She Wrote Papers, Took Classes For USF Linebacker
http://northeast2.tbo.com/content/2008/jan/04/sp-moffitts-wife-says-she-wrote-papers-took-classe/

Now I know that athletics, athletes, and big time sports are important to most big universities and colleges. And I know that star athletes are going to get some extra considerations here and there, that's just a fact of life. And to be quite honest with you, I really don't mind the athletes getting a little extra help or whatever it may be, because they are truly contributing to the school community, to the local community (and economy), and are giving a little bit more than I am in terms of my contribution to the institution.

But in my view these reports of unabashed cheating -- cheating in online courses, no less -- tarnish the reputation of online classes as a whole. I think it tarnishes the state of Florida, to a certain extent. And then I wonder what sort of damage these reports do to potential enrollment and the potential further development of the online medium as a delivery channel for education.

It bothers me. Maybe it shouldn't, because I know I myself am not cheating, but it still bothers me.