University of Oklahoma Reports Rules Violation to NCAA for Three Football Players Eating Too Much Pasta!

After being serious about what the ALEC Oklahoma Legislature is doing this week, figured on hump day you could all use a laugh.  University of Oklahoma self-reported to the NCAA a rules violation of 'too much pasta' -- you read that right 'too much pasta' being eaten.  Laughed when I first heard it and found the account of what happened at The Oklahoman:

Oklahoma football: Gabe Ikard, Austin Woods ate the pasta 

Staff reports • Published: February 19, 2014

Oklahoma's Gabe Ikard (64) celebrates after a touchdown that put the Sooners up for good over the Cowboys during the Bedlam college football game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) and the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. Photo by Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman

Following a report from The Oklahoman's Ryan Aber, news of Oklahoma's self-reported violations went national on Wednesday.

The one violation most media organizations kept referencing was the now-infamous "PastaGate." 

From the report:

Describe the facts associated with the request/case: On May 10, 2013, the athletics department hosted a graduation banquet for graduating student athletes. Three (3) of the student-athletes graduates from the University of Oklahoma (redacted) but returned to the University to compete in their final season of competition. At the graduation banquet, the student-athletes were provides a pasta serving that is in excess of the permissible refreshments that may be provided by an institution pursuant to 16.11.1.6. A breakdown of the invoice indicates that the per person cost of the pasta serving was $3.83 ($575 (cost of pasta)/150 (people in attendance) = $3.83).What are any relevant mitigating circumstances that should be considered when reviewing the request? Upon a review of the Food and Beverage Expense Certification Form, the institution determined a violation occurred and requested that the student-athletes pay the amount of the extra benefit to a charity of their choice.

Small potatoes. So small, in fact, that former OU offensive linemen Gabe Ikard and Austin Woods proudly put their name on it via Twitter:

Gabe Ikard @GabeIkard  @SportsCenter  @AwesomeWoods_50 and I are proud to be 2 of these infamous pasta eaters. Also, we donated $5, not $3.83.  #Boomer

Austin Woods @AwesomeWoods_@GabeIkard @SportsCenter that was some great pasta! We felt we ate more than $3.83 so we donated $5.  They got five on it. 

Gabe Ikard @GabeIkard We were served an extra pasta buffet at our student-athlete graduation banquet in May. So, we donated $5 to charity to be eligible to play.

NCAA has a lot of quirky rules but this one may take the cake -- being served too much pasta and in order to play,  have to increase the amount to $5.00 for the pasta is laughable.

Doesn't the NCAA have better things to do like rewrite the rules to stop hurry-up offenses in the NCAA Div 1 Football which Alabama Coach Nick Saban wants after The University of Oklahoma beat him in the Sugar Bowl.  Thought it was a joke but it is not -- Saban is lobbying to slow down hurry-up offenses so he can substitute his defensive players.  Talk about a spoiled sport -- Saban comes to mind. Guess that loss to OU in the Sugar Bowl didn't sit too well with Saban.  Today while having lunch with my son in Midwest City, I wore my Sooner Magic shirt which is the same shirt worn by the Sooners following the win.  Ordered the locker room shirts for the family from the Official Sooner site. Guess we might not want to wear them in the Tuscaloosa area of Alabama if we might run into Coach Saban.

 Boomer Sooner!