By Anne Marie Gochis

Dear NCAA,

Why are you so concerned with who Dez Bryant ate lunch with? You’re seeming a little stalker-ex-girlfriend and might want to reevaluate your standards.

Love,

Me.

Seriously, though, think about it. The Oklahoma State wide-reciever was suspended for the remainder of his 2009 season after the NCAA discovered that he had lunch with former NFL star Dionne Sanders and lied about it. News reports of the investigtion add that Sanders sent Bryant inspirational texts almost daily.

Bryant has officially been charged with a violation of the NCAA’s code of ethical conduct since he lied to investigators. In an interview with ESPN, Bryant said he was surprised by the way the NCAA handled the investigation, saying “the manner they asked the questions led me to believe that I did something wrong when in fact I had not.”

The NCAA was investigating Bryant’s professional relationship with Sanders to see if he was violating a preferential treatment policy. At the time, Bryant was thought to be considering entering the NFL draft instead of continuing his education at Oklahoma State. Those intentions, coupled with discussions with a former NFL player, could have violated a recruiting or preferential treatment policy.

But why the policy? What is the NCAA so concerned about? If any normal student had a meeting with an employee or former employee of a company he or she wanted to work for post-graduation, that student would be encouraged and praised. The NCAA restrictions limit student-athletes’ ability to seek out post-graduation employment and unfairly limit the personal actions and personal relationships between student-athletes and professional athletes.

NCAA,

Why are you so upset? Are you afraid Dez is cheating on you? I think you’re being a bit possessive…